Iudex clemens reae veniam dat, quia veritatem tandem fatetur.

Because reae is in the dative singular, which often marks the indirect object in Latin.

• veniam dat = gives pardon
• reae = to the female defendant

So:

• veniam is the thing being given
• reae is the person receiving it

A very literal translation would be The merciful judge gives pardon to the defendant.

Veniam is accusative singular of venia.

It is accusative because it is the direct object of dat:

• dat = gives
• what does he give? veniam = pardon / forgiveness

So veniam dat means gives pardon or more naturally grants pardon.

Because rea is the feminine form meaning female defendant or female accused person.

Latin often distinguishes masculine and feminine nouns for people:

• reus = male defendant
• rea = female defendant

So reae here means to the female defendant.

Clemens is an adjective meaning merciful, lenient, or kind.

It agrees with iudex:

• iudex = judge
• clemens = merciful

Both are nominative singular, so clemens describes the subject:

• iudex clemens = the merciful judge

Because clemens is a third-declension adjective, and third-declension adjectives often have forms that do not look like the common -us, -a, -um pattern.

Here:

• iudex is nominative singular
• clemens is also nominative singular

So they do match grammatically, even though the endings are different.

Quia means because.

It introduces a clause giving the reason for the main action:

• Iudex clemens reae veniam dat = The merciful judge grants pardon to the female defendant
• quia veritatem tandem fatetur = because she finally admits the truth

So the second clause explains why the judge grants the pardon.

The subject is not stated explicitly, so it has to be understood from context.

Here the most natural subject is the female defendant:

• because she finally admits the truth

That makes the whole sentence logical:

• the judge grants pardon to the defendant
• because she finally confesses/admit the truth

Latin often leaves subject pronouns unstated when they are clear from context.

Because fateor, fatērī, fassus sum is a deponent verb.

A deponent verb:

• has passive-looking forms
• but an active meaning

So fatetur looks passive, but it means:

• he/she admits
• he/she confesses

It does not mean is admitted here.

This is a very common feature of Latin, and learners often have to get used to it.

Veritatem is accusative singular of veritas, meaning truth.

It is accusative because it is the direct object of fatetur:

• fatetur veritatem = admits/confesses the truth

So just as veniam is the object of dat, veritatem is the object of fatetur.

Tandem means finally, at last, or sometimes after all this time.

It adds a sense that the admission has been delayed:

• veritatem tandem fatetur = she finally admits the truth

So tandem gives the sentence a stronger sense of resolution or delay.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because the endings show the grammatical roles.

In English, word order does most of the work:

• The judge gives pardon to the defendant

In Latin, endings show what each word is doing:

• iudex = subject
• veniam = direct object
• reae = indirect object

So Latin can arrange words for emphasis or style. This sentence is perfectly normal Latin, even though it does not follow strict English order.

Yes. A more idiomatic English translation would often be:

• The merciful judge grants the defendant pardon
• The merciful judge grants pardon to the defendant
• The merciful judge pardons the defendant

Latin often uses a noun where English might prefer a verb. So veniam dat literally means gives pardon, but in smoother English we often say pardons.

Because Latin often omits personal pronouns when the verb ending already shows the person and number.

• fatetur = he/she admits

Since the context points to the female defendant, Latin does not need to add ea (she).

This is normal Latin style. English usually needs the pronoun, but Latin often does not.

Yes. Here quia introduces a straightforward statement of fact:

• veritatem tandem fatetur = she finally admits the truth

So the verb is in the indicative.

That is what you would normally expect when the speaker presents the reason as an actual fact.

Here are the basic dictionary forms:

• iudex, iudicis = judge
• clemens, clementis = merciful, lenient
• rea, reae = female defendant
• venia, veniae = pardon, favor, forgiveness
• do, dare, dedi, datum = give
• quia = because
• veritas, veritatis = truth
• tandem = finally, at last
• fateor, fatērī, fassus sum = admit, confess

Knowing these dictionary forms helps you recognize how the words are being inflected in the sentence.