Puella pomum rubrum matri ostendit.

Puella is a first-declension nominative singular noun, and here it is the subject of the sentence: the girl is the one doing the showing.

So:

• puella = the girl
• case: nominative
• number: singular

The nominative case is commonly used for the subject of a Latin sentence.

Pomum is the direct object, the thing being shown. In Latin, direct objects are usually put in the accusative case.

So here:

• pomum = apple
• case: accusative
• number: singular

This form happens to look the same as the nominative singular for some neuter nouns, but its job in the sentence is still accusative because it receives the action of ostendit.

Because rubrum has to agree with pomum, not with puella.

Latin adjectives agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• pomum is neuter singular accusative
• so the adjective must also be neuter singular accusative
• therefore: rubrum = red

Even though puella is feminine, rubrum is describing the apple, not the girl.

We know because of agreement.

• pomum is neuter singular
• rubrum is also neuter singular
• puella is feminine
• matri is feminine dative singular

So rubrum can only match pomum grammatically. Latin often uses endings, not word order, to show which words belong together.

Because matri is in the dative case, which is often used for the indirect object.

In English, we say:

• The girl shows the red apple to her mother

The phrase to her mother is the indirect object. In Latin, that idea is often expressed by the dative alone, without a separate word for to.

So:

• mater = mother in the nominative
• matri = to/for the mother in the dative

The direct object is what is shown: pomum rubrum.

The indirect object is the person to whom it is shown: matri.

So in this sentence:

• puella = subject
• pomum rubrum = direct object
• matri = indirect object
• ostendit = verb

A useful English pattern is:

someone shows something to someone

Ostendit is the verb, and it is:

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

So it means she shows or the girl shows.

Because the subject is singular (puella), the verb is also singular.

By itself, ostendit only means he/she/it shows. The verb ending -it tells you it is third person singular, but not the gender.

We know it is she shows because the subject is puella, which is a feminine noun meaning girl.

So the gender comes from the noun, not from the verb ending.

Classical Latin has no definite article like English the, and no indefinite article like a/an either.

So:

• puella can mean girl or the girl
• pomum can mean apple or the apple
• matri can mean to the mother or to a mother

The correct English article depends on context and translation choice.

Yes, often they could.

Latin word order is more flexible than English because the endings show each word’s role. For example, these would still basically mean the same thing:

• Puella matri pomum rubrum ostendit
• Pomum rubrum puella matri ostendit
• Matri puella pomum rubrum ostendit

However, word order can change emphasis. The original order is straightforward and natural, but Latin authors may move words around for style, focus, or rhythm.

Yes. Latin adjectives can come before or after the noun.

So both of these are possible:

• pomum rubrum
• rubrum pomum

Both mean red apple. The choice can depend on style, emphasis, or author preference. For a beginner, the important thing is to look at the endings and see which noun the adjective agrees with.

They come from different declensions:

• puella = first declension
• pomum = second declension neuter
• mater, matris = third declension

This is a good example of how one Latin sentence can mix nouns from different declensions, each with its own endings.

Yes. Neuter nouns have a few important patterns:

• nominative singular often ends in -um in the second declension
• accusative singular is the same as nominative singular
• adjectives agreeing with neuter nouns also take neuter forms

So in this sentence:

• pomum could be nominative or accusative in form
• but its role is accusative because it is the thing being shown
• rubrum is neuter to match it

Yes, the dative case can sometimes be translated as to or for, depending on context.

With ostendere (to show), the most natural translation is usually to the mother, because she is the person receiving the showing.

So here matri is best understood as to the mother.

The dictionary forms are:

• puella, puellae = girl
• pomum, pomi = fruit, apple
• ruber, rubra, rubrum = red
• mater, matris = mother
• ostendo, ostendere, ostendi, ostentum = show

Learners often need the dictionary form because that tells them how to identify the declension or conjugation and find the full set of forms.