Grus procul supra paludem volat.

Because grus is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject of a Latin sentence.

Here, grus means crane and is the thing doing the action of volat (flies), so it is the subject.

A learner may also notice that grus does not have the very common -a, -us, or -um ending of many nominatives. That is because it is a third-declension noun, whose nominative forms are often less predictable.

Because supra is a preposition here, and it takes its object in the accusative case. So the noun palus (marsh, swamp) changes to paludem in the accusative singular.

So:

• palus = nominative singular
• paludem = accusative singular

In this sentence, paludem is the object of supra: above the marsh.

In standard Latin, supra as a preposition usually takes the accusative and means above or over.

So:

• supra paludem = above the marsh

This is just something you learn with the preposition, much like learning that some English verbs or prepositions go with certain patterns. In Latin, case choice is a major part of grammar, so it is important to memorize prepositions together with the case they govern.

Procul is an adverb meaning far off, at a distance, or simply far.

In this sentence it adds the idea of distance:

• supra paludem = above the marsh
• procul supra paludem = far above the marsh / high above the marsh

So procul modifies the whole idea of where the crane is flying, not a noun by itself.

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

Putting the verb at the end is very common in Latin, especially in simple statements:

• Grus ... volat = The crane ... flies

Even though the order is different from normal English, the meaning is still clear because:

• grus is nominative, so it is the subject
• paludem is accusative after supra
• volat is the finite verb

So the sentence is perfectly natural Latin.

Yes, often they could.

For example, Latin could rearrange these elements in various ways without changing the basic meaning very much, because the endings still show the grammar. A few possible orders are:

• Grus procul supra paludem volat
• Grus volat procul supra paludem
• Supra paludem grus procul volat

These all still mean roughly the same thing: The crane flies far above the marsh.

However, changing the order can change the emphasis. Latin writers often use word order to highlight a particular word or create a certain rhythm.

Volat is:

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

It comes from volo, volare, meaning to fly.

So volat means he/she/it flies or is flying, depending on context.

Because the subject is grus (crane), the translation is the crane flies.

Classical Latin does not have articles like English the or a/an.

So grus can mean:

• a crane
• the crane

and paludem can mean:

• a marsh
• the marsh

The context determines which English article is most natural in translation.

That means when reading Latin, you should not expect a separate word for the or a.

You know from both the noun form and the verb.

• grus here is nominative singular
• volat is third person singular

If the subject were plural, you would expect a plural noun form and a plural verb form, such as a form meaning the cranes fly.

So the singular verb volat helps confirm that grus is one crane.

Yes. Supra paludem is a prepositional phrase.

It consists of:

• supra = preposition
• paludem = object of the preposition in the accusative

Together they express location: above the marsh.

Then procul adds the idea of distance, and volat gives the action.

A simple way to break it down is:

• Grus = subject
• procul = adverb
• supra paludem = prepositional phrase
• volat = verb

So the structure is essentially:

Subject + adverb + prepositional phrase + verb

Even though English would often put the verb earlier, Latin is happy to place it at the end.