Sic in domō, ubi tablinum, triclīnium, et peristylium inter sē differunt, etiam puerī paulatim discunt quid in hīs locīs rēctē faciendum sit.

Here Sic means something like thus, in this way, or so.

It connects this sentence to what came before. It suggests: in this way, in a house where different spaces have different functions, even children gradually learn...

So Sic is not just a filler word; it helps show that the sentence is drawing a conclusion or illustrating a general point.

Because in with the ablative usually means in or inside a place, while in with the accusative usually means into a place.

• in domō = in the house
• in domum = into the house

Since the sentence describes being inside the house rather than movement into it, Latin uses the ablative: domō.

Also note that domus is a somewhat irregular noun, but domō is the normal ablative singular here.

Ubi means where here.

It introduces a subordinate clause describing the house:

in domō, ubi tablinum, triclīnium, et peristylium inter sē differunt = in a house where the study, dining room, and peristyle differ from one another

So ubi gives the setting in which the main idea happens.

These three nouns are the subjects of differunt.

• tablinum = the study / office
• triclīnium = dining room
• peristylium = peristyle / colonnaded courtyard

Even though they end in -um, they are neuter nominative singular, not accusative here. In Latin, many second-declension neuter nouns have the same form for nominative and accusative singular.

Since the three nouns are being listed as the things that differ, they are nominative.

Because it has a compound subject: tablinum, triclīnium, et peristylium.

Even though each noun is singular, together they make a plural subject, so Latin uses the plural verb:

• differunt = they differ

That is completely parallel to English: the study, dining room, and courtyard differ.

Inter sē means among themselves or from one another.

• inter = among, between
• sē = themselves

The pronoun sē is reflexive, referring back to the subject of the clause: tablinum, triclīnium, et peristylium.

So inter sē differunt means they are distinct from each other, not from something else outside the sentence.

This is a very common Latin expression.

Etiam means also, even, or too. Here it most naturally means even:

even children gradually learn...

It adds emphasis. The point is that not only adults, but children as well, can learn the proper behavior associated with different rooms.

Latin often places words like etiam near the word they emphasize, so etiam puerī highlights children.

Paulatim means gradually, little by little, or step by step.

It is an adverb modifying discunt:

• discunt = they learn
• paulatim discunt = they gradually learn

So the sentence is saying that children do not learn all this instantly; they pick it up over time.

Because quid introduces an indirect question: what ...

The phrase is:

discunt quid in hīs locīs rēctē faciendum sit = they learn what ought to be done properly in these places

After verbs like know, ask, learn, see, Latin often uses an indirect question introduced by words like:

• quid = what
• ubi = where
• cur = why
• quomodo = how

By contrast, quod more often means because, the fact that, or which depending on context. Here the sense is clearly what?, so Latin uses quid.

Because quid ... sit is an indirect question, and in Latin indirect questions normally take the subjunctive.

So:

• direct question: quid faciendum est? = what must be done?
• indirect question: discunt quid faciendum sit = they learn what must be done

That change from est to sit is exactly what you should expect in Latin.

Faciendum sit is a gerundive construction expressing necessity or appropriateness:

faciendum sit = ought to be done, must be done, or is to be done

More literally:

• faciendum = to be done
• sit = may be / is in the subjunctive

Together, this is a form of the passive periphrastic, a very common Latin way to express obligation or what is appropriate.

So quid ... faciendum sit means: what should properly be done

Latin does not say what they do, but what is to be done. That makes the statement more general: it is about proper behavior in each place.

Because it agrees with quid, which is neuter singular.

In quid ... faciendum sit, the idea is literally something like:

what thing is to be done

Since quid is neuter singular, the gerundive appears in the same form:

• quid — neuter singular
• faciendum — neuter singular

This is a very common pattern in Latin.

Because in here means in or within, so it takes the ablative.

• hīs = these (ablative plural)
• locīs = places (ablative plural)

So in hīs locīs means in these places.

This refers back to the different parts of the house already mentioned: the tablinum, triclīnium, and peristylium.

Rēctē means properly, correctly, or appropriately.

It modifies faciendum sit: quid ... rēctē faciendum sit = what ought properly to be done

So the sentence is not just about actions in general, but about the right behavior for each place.

Yes, although the grammar would still work in a different order.

A few things stand out:

• Sic in domō sets the scene first.
• The ubi clause immediately explains what kind of house is meant: one where the rooms are clearly distinguished.
• etiam puerī paulatim discunt then gives the main statement.
• quid in hīs locīs rēctē faciendum sit comes last as the content of what they learn.

Latin often places the most informative or climactic part toward the end. Here the sentence builds toward the idea of learning what is properly to be done in each space.

So the word order is not random; it helps organize the thought and emphasis.