Serva catīnum e mēnsā tollit et in armāriō pōnit.

Because serva is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject. It is the person doing both actions: tollit and pōnit.

It is also a first-declension feminine noun.

Catīnum is the direct object of tollit, so it is in the accusative singular.

A useful detail: catīnum is a second-declension neuter noun, and neuter nouns have the same form in the nominative singular and accusative singular. So -um here does not automatically mean subject or object by itself; you tell from the sentence structure and meaning.

Latin often leaves out a repeated object when it is obvious from context.

So after Serva catīnum ... tollit, the sentence does not need to repeat catīnum again. With pōnit, the object is simply understood: the servant-girl puts the same dish/bowl in the cupboard.

Because e means out of / from, and it takes the ablative case. So mēnsā is ablative singular.

This phrase tells you the place from which the object is removed.

Yes. E and ex are two forms of the same preposition.

A common beginner rule is:

• e before a consonant
• ex before a vowel or h

So e mēnsā fits that pattern, since mēnsā begins with m.

Because the preposition e/ex always takes the ablative.

So:

• mēnsa = nominative
• mēnsam = accusative
• mēnsā = ablative

In e mēnsā, the ending -ā shows the ablative singular of a first-declension noun.

That is a very reasonable question.

Beginners often learn this rule:

• in
  • ablative = in/on a place
• in
  • accusative = into/onto a place

That rule is very useful, but with verbs of placing such as pōnō, Latin can be a bit less rigid than the simple classroom rule suggests. Here in armāriō uses the ablative and focuses on the place where the object ends up.

So in armāriō pōnit means that she puts it in the cupboard/cabinet.

Both are:

• third person singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood

So they mean she removes/lifts and she puts/places.

Their dictionary forms are:

• tollō, tollere
• pōnō, pōnere

Because Latin does not introduce a new subject in the second part.

The structure is:

• Serva ... tollit
• et ... pōnit

Since there is no new nominative noun or pronoun, the subject naturally continues to be serva. So the servant-girl both removes the object and puts it away.

Not as much as in English.

Latin word order is fairly flexible because the endings show what each word is doing. This sentence puts the verb at the end of each clause, which is very common in Latin prose:

• Serva catīnum e mēnsā tollit
• et in armāriō pōnit

If the words were rearranged, the basic meaning could stay the same, though the emphasis might change.

The macrons show long vowels:

• catīnum
• mēnsā
• armāriō
• pōnit

They are not usually written in ancient Roman texts, but modern learning materials use them to help with:

• pronunciation
• stress
• sometimes distinguishing forms

So they are a reading aid for learners.

Grammatically, serva is simply the feminine form of servus/serva.

In Roman context, it often literally means female slave or enslaved woman, though some teaching materials may translate it more gently as servant-girl or maid depending on the level and context. So the exact English word can vary, even though the Latin form is the same.