Per saepem ad agrum non itur, sed per portam.

Itur is the impersonal passive of eo, ire (to go).

Literally, it would be something like it is gone, but that sounds unnatural in English. In real translation, it means:

• one goes
• people go
• it is possible/customary to go

So in this sentence, non itur means one does not go or people do not go.

Because itur is impersonal.

Latin often uses an impersonal verb form when making a general statement. Instead of saying they do not go to the field through the fence, Latin can simply say through the fence to the field it is not gone, meaning people do not go that way.

So the sentence is not about one specific person. It gives a general rule or usual practice.

They are accusative because they are objects of prepositions:

• per takes the accusative
• ad takes the accusative

So:

• per saepem = through the fence/hedge
• ad agrum = to the field
• per portam = through the gate

Their dictionary forms are:

• saepes → saepem
• ager → agrum
• porta → portam

They express different ideas:

• per = through, by way of, along
• ad = to, toward

So:

• per saepem describes the route or way through
• ad agrum describes the destination
• per portam again describes the route

The sentence is saying that the way to the field is not through the fence, but through the gate.

Because the fence and the gate are not the destination. They are the means of passage.

• ad saepem would mean to the fence
• ad portam would mean to the gate

But the sentence means through the fence and through the gate as ways of getting to the field, so per is the right preposition.

Ad agrum means to the field or toward the field.

Latin often uses ad when the focus is simply reaching a place.
In agrum would mean into the field, which emphasizes entering it.

Depending on context, English may not strongly distinguish these, but Latin can. Here ad agrum is the destination phrase used with the route phrases per saepem and per portam.

Sed means but.

It sets up a contrast:

• non itur = one does not go
• sed per portam = but through the gate

This is a very common Latin pattern:

non ..., sed ...
= not ..., but ...

So the sentence means: not this way, but that way.

Because non normally negates the word or idea that follows, and here it negates the verb:

• non itur = one does not go

Latin word order is more flexible than English, but this placement is very natural. The sentence first mentions the route and destination, then denies that route, and finally gives the correct one.

Yes, but not in the same rigid way as in English.

Latin word order is flexible, so the sentence could be rearranged without changing the basic meaning. But the chosen order gives a natural flow:

• Per saepem = first route mentioned
• ad agrum = destination
• non itur = that route is denied
• sed per portam = correct route is given

So the order helps with emphasis and contrast: not through the fence, but through the gate.

Saepes can mean a fence, hedge, enclosure, or similar barrier.

So per saepem could mean:

• through the fence
• through the hedge

The exact English word depends on context. If the meaning has already been given to you as fence, that is fine; just remember that the Latin word can be a little broader.

Latin uses the singular because the noun is singular: porta = gate.

So per portam is through the gate. English might sometimes say through the gate or, in another context, through the gates, but that would require a plural in Latin: per portas.

Here the sentence clearly refers to one gate.

Yes. A very literal translation would be:

Through the fence to the field one does not go, but through the gate.

That is not the most natural English, but it shows the Latin structure clearly.

A smoother English translation would be:

One does not go to the field through the fence, but through the gate.