Cēna simplex sed bona omnibus grata est.

Because cēna is the subject of the sentence: the dinner is the thing being described as simple, good, and pleasing to all.

Latin often uses the nominative for the subject, just as English uses word order to show the subject. Here:

• cēna = dinner / meal
• est = is

So cēna ... est = the dinner is ...

Both adjectives agree with cēna, but they belong to different adjective patterns.

• cēna is feminine singular nominative.
• simplex is a third-declension adjective whose nominative singular is the same for masculine, feminine, and neuter.
• bona is the feminine singular nominative form of bonus, bona, bonum.

So:

• cēna simplex = a simple dinner
• cēna bona = a good dinner

In this sentence they are joined by sed:

• simplex sed bona = simple but good

Because simplex belongs to the third declension, not the first/second-declension adjective pattern.

A learner might expect an adjective describing a feminine noun to end in -a, but that only works for adjectives like bonus, bona, bonum. The adjective simplex has a different pattern:

• masculine nominative singular: simplex
• feminine nominative singular: simplex
• neuter nominative singular: simplex

So the feminine noun cēna correctly takes simplex, not simpla.

Because it agrees with cēna.

Latin adjectives normally match the nouns they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since cēna is feminine singular nominative, bona must also be feminine singular nominative.

That is why you get:

• bonus vir = a good man
• bona cēna = a good dinner
• bonum vinum = good wine

For the same reason: grata agrees with cēna.

Here grata is not just another adjective inside the noun phrase. It is part of the predicate with est:

• cēna ... grata est = the dinner is pleasing / welcome

Even though it comes later in the sentence, it still describes cēna, so it must be feminine singular nominative.

Omnibus is dative plural, and it means to all or to everyone here.

The adjective gratus, grata, gratum often takes the dative of the person to whom something is pleasing, welcome, or agreeable.

So:

• grata omnibus est = is pleasing to all
• literally: is welcome to all

A very natural English translation might be everyone likes it, but Latin expresses that idea differently.

The form omnibus can be either dative plural or ablative plural, so you decide from the sentence.

Here it is dative because grata est commonly takes a dative person:

• gratus alicui = pleasing to someone
• grata omnibus = pleasing to all

There is no good ablative sense here, so dative is the correct reading.

Latin often expresses liking with adjectives such as gratus or with verbs meaning please, rather than using a direct equivalent of English like.

So instead of:

• everyone likes the dinner

Latin can say:

• the dinner is pleasing to everyone

That is exactly the structure here:

• cēna ... omnibus grata est

This is a very common Latin way of expressing the idea.

Because gratus, grata, gratum can mean different things depending on context.

When it describes a person, it can mean grateful. But when it describes a thing, especially with a dative, it usually means:

• pleasing
• welcome
• dear
• acceptable

So here cēna omnibus grata est means the dinner is pleasing/welcome to everyone, not that the dinner is somehow grateful.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order because the endings show the grammatical relationships.

This sentence could be rearranged in several ways without changing the basic meaning. The given order is natural and emphasizes the description nicely:

• Cēna simplex sed bona — first we hear what kind of dinner it is
• omnibus grata est — then we hear that it is pleasing to all

English depends heavily on word order; Latin depends more on inflection.

Because simplex sed bona is closely tied to cēna as a description of what kind of dinner it is, while grata est gives the main statement about it.

So the sentence has a nice structure:

• subject: cēna
• descriptive modifiers: simplex sed bona
• predicate with dative: omnibus grata est

In other words:

• A simple but good dinner — subject phrase
• is pleasing to all — predicate

Yes. Latin often leaves out a noun when it is obvious from context.

So omnibus by itself can mean:

• to all
• to everyone
• to all people

The word hominibus or another noun is not necessary.

Sed means but.

It links the two adjectives:

• simplex = simple
• bona = good

So simplex sed bona means simple but good.

The contrast is important: the meal may be plain, but it is still good.

Macrons are not usually written in ordinary Latin texts, but they are very helpful for learners because they show vowel length.

Here:

• Cēna has a long ē

Knowing vowel length helps with:

• pronunciation
• scansion in poetry
• distinguishing some forms from others

So they are useful for study, even though many printed texts omit them.

Yes. Latin allows a lot of flexibility.

For example, you might also see:

• Cēna simplex sed bona grata omnibus est
• Omnibus grata est cēna simplex sed bona

These all express essentially the same idea, though the emphasis may shift slightly. The original version is simply one natural arrangement.

Usually dinner is the most direct translation, but meal can also work depending on context.

In Roman usage, cēna often refers to the main meal of the day. In a simple teaching sentence like this, dinner is probably the clearest choice, but a simple but good meal is pleasing to all is also perfectly reasonable.