Magistra dicit amicitiam veram ex fide et bona voluntate nasci.

Because after dicit, Latin uses an indirect statement construction: accusative + infinitive.

So in:

Magistra dicit amicitiam veram ... nasci

the phrase amicitiam veram nasci means that true friendship is born / arises.

In this construction:

• amicitiam veram = the subject of the infinitive, but put in the accusative
• nasci = the infinitive verb

A native English speaker often expects a normal finite clause such as that true friendship is born, but Latin usually prefers this accusative-and-infinitive pattern after verbs like dicit, putat, audit, videt, and so on.

For the same reason: Latin often does not use a separate word meaning that after verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, perceiving, etc. Instead, it uses the indirect statement construction.

So English says:

• The teacher says that true friendship arises...

But Latin says more literally:

• The teacher says true friendship to arise...

That sounds strange in English, but it is completely normal in Latin.

Nasci is the present infinitive of the verb nascor, nasci, natus sum, meaning to be born, to arise, or to come into being.

In this sentence, nasci is not an active infinitive like amare or videre. It belongs to a special kind of verb called a deponent verb.

Deponent verbs:

• have passive-looking forms
• but active meanings

So nasci looks passive in form, but it means actively to be born / arise.

A deponent verb is a verb that uses passive forms but has an active meaning.

For nascor:

• nascor = I am born / I arise
• nasci = to be born / to arise

This is just how the verb works. You do not translate it as a passive like to be being born in a mechanical way. You simply learn that nascor is a deponent verb meaning to be born, spring up, or arise.

Many learners notice that nasci does not look like the more familiar infinitives amare, monere, ducere, audire. That is because it belongs to the deponent system.

Because veram agrees with amicitiam.

Amicitiam is:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative

So the adjective modifying it must also be:

• feminine
• singular
• accusative

That gives veram.

If the noun were nominative, you would get vera amicitia. But here the noun is accusative because of the indirect statement, so the adjective must match it: amicitiam veram.

We know by agreement.

Latin adjectives agree with their nouns in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• amicitiam = feminine singular accusative
• veram = feminine singular accusative

So they belong together.

Latin word order can be flexible, but agreement helps you see which words are connected.

Because ex is a preposition that takes the ablative case.

So:

• ex fide = from faith / from trust
• ex bona voluntate = from good will / from kindness / from goodwill

That is why the words after ex are ablative:

• fide = ablative of fides
• voluntate = ablative of voluntas
• bona = ablative feminine singular, agreeing with voluntate

Because the phrase is governed by ex, and ex requires the ablative.

So the correct form is:

• bona voluntate = ablative singular

If you had bonae voluntatis, that would be genitive singular, meaning something like of good will. But that is not what the preposition ex needs here.

Fides can mean several related things, depending on context:

• faith
• trust
• reliability
• loyalty
• good faith

In this sentence, many learners will understand ex fide best as something like:

• from trust
• from faithfulness
• from mutual trust

So yes, faith is possible, but in a sentence about friendship, trust or loyalty is often the most natural sense.

Literally it means good will.

In context, it suggests:

• kindness
• goodwill
• a favorable attitude
• sincere benevolence

So ex fide et bona voluntate describes the qualities from which true friendship grows: trust and goodwill.

Not by itself.

The whole clause amicitiam veram ex fide et bona voluntate nasci functions as what magistra says.

So it is better to think of the entire accusative + infinitive phrase as the content of the saying.

Inside that clause:

• amicitiam veram is the accusative subject of nasci
• nasci is the infinitive verb

So while learners may be tempted to call amicitiam the direct object of dicit, it is more accurate to say it is part of an indirect statement depending on dicit.

Magistra is nominative singular feminine.

It is the subject of dicit:

• Magistra = the teacher
• dicit = says

So The teacher says...

The form magistra tells you the speaker is referring to a female teacher.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Latin present tense often covers both:

• simple present: says
• progressive present: is saying

In a general statement like this, English usually translates dicit as says.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because Latin uses endings to show grammatical relationships.

English depends heavily on position:

• The teacher says that true friendship arises...

Latin can move words around more freely because the forms tell you their jobs:

• Magistra = nominative subject
• amicitiam veram = accusative subject of infinitive
• fide, voluntate = ablatives after ex
• nasci = infinitive

The placement here is quite natural:

• statement verb first: Magistra dicit
• then the indirect statement
• with nasci at the end, which is common in Latin

Yes, often it could.

For example, Latin could say something like:

• Magistra dicit veram amicitiam ex fide et bona voluntate nasci.

That would mean the same thing.

The endings still show the relationships:

• veram amicitiam = accusative
• fide and voluntate = ablative after ex

Different word orders may change emphasis slightly, but not the basic meaning.

Because Latin very often puts the verb, especially an infinitive in an indirect statement, near or at the end of the clause.

This is not a rigid rule, but it is very common and feels natural in Latin prose.

So:

• Magistra dicit ... nasci

has a very typical Latin shape.

A direct statement would use a normal finite verb, not an accusative + infinitive.

For example:

• Amicitia vera ex fide et bona voluntate nascitur.
• True friendship arises from trust and goodwill.

Notice the changes:

• amicitiam veram becomes amicitia vera because it is now the normal subject
• nasci becomes nascitur, a finite verb

Then if you report that statement after dicit, Latin turns it into the indirect statement:

• Magistra dicit amicitiam veram ex fide et bona voluntate nasci.

Yes.

When you look up words in a dictionary, you usually look for the nominative singular form:

• amicitia = friendship
• verus, vera, verum = true

In the sentence, they appear as:

• amicitiam veram

because the grammar requires the accusative forms.

So a good habit is to recognize both:

• dictionary form: amicitia vera
• sentence form here: amicitiam veram

A learner would probably take away these key points:

1. Indirect statement

   • dicit + accusative + infinitive

2. Accusative subject of the infinitive

   • amicitiam veram

3. Deponent infinitive

   • nasci

4. Preposition + ablative

   • ex fide et bona voluntate

5. Adjective agreement

   • veram with amicitiam
   • bona with voluntate

So even though the sentence is short, it contains several very important Latin patterns.