Fraxinus, sub qua puella legit, prope stagnum stat.

Qua is a relative pronoun meaning under which or beneath which here. It refers back to fraxinus (ash tree).

So:

• fraxinus = the tree
• sub qua = under which

Latin often uses a relative clause where English might say the ash tree under which the girl reads.

Because sub can take either the ablative or the accusative, depending on the meaning.

• sub + ablative = location, under/beneath
• sub + accusative = motion toward a position under something

In this sentence, the girl is already under the tree, not moving to get under it, so Latin uses the ablative:

• qua = ablative feminine singular
• not quam = accusative feminine singular

So sub qua means under which, in the sense of where she is.

Fraxinus is nominative singular feminine.

You can tell this from two things:

1. It is the subject of stat (stands), so it should be in the nominative.
2. The relative pronoun is qua, which is feminine singular, so it agrees with fraxinus.

A useful point for learners: names of trees in Latin are very often feminine, even when they belong to the second declension.

Because prope is a preposition that takes the accusative.

So:

• prope = near
• stagnum = pond, in the accusative singular

Together, prope stagnum means near the pond.

This is something you usually just have to learn with the preposition: prope + accusative.

Legit is present tense, third person singular.

It can mean either:

• she reads
• she is reading

Latin present tense often covers both the simple present and the present progressive in English. The exact English translation depends on context.

So puella legit could be understood as either the girl reads or the girl is reading.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order. Putting the verb at the end is very common, especially in straightforward narrative or descriptive prose.

So:

• Fraxinus ... stat = The ash tree ... stands

The ending -t on stat already tells you it is he/she/it stands, so Latin does not need a fixed English-style order to show who is doing the action.

It is a relative clause describing fraxinus.

Main clause:

• Fraxinus prope stagnum stat = The ash tree stands near the pond

Relative clause:

• sub qua puella legit = under which the girl reads

So the full sentence has this structure:

• Fraxinus — the main noun
• sub qua puella legit — extra information about that noun
• prope stagnum stat — the main statement about the noun

The commas show that this is an inserted descriptive clause. In English, we often set off this kind of extra information with commas too.

So the sentence is organized like this:

• Fraxinus,
• sub qua puella legit,
• prope stagnum stat.

This helps the reader see that sub qua puella legit belongs together as a unit modifying fraxinus.

Latin has no definite article and no indefinite article.

So Latin does not have separate words for:

• the
• a
• an

That means:

• fraxinus can mean the ash tree or an ash tree
• puella can mean the girl or a girl
• stagnum can mean the pond or a pond

The context tells you which English article makes the best sense.

Yes. In context, fraxinus refers to the tree, so ash tree is often the clearest translation for a learner. But in good English, simply ash can also work if the meaning is obvious.

So both are possible:

• The ash tree stands near the pond
• The ash stands near the pond

For learning purposes, ash tree is often better because it makes the noun’s meaning unmistakable.