Mater infantem intro fert; cum imber desinit, puellae iterum foras exeunt.

Because mater, matris is a third-declension noun, not a first-declension one. Its nominative singular form is mater, and here it is the subject because it goes with the singular verb fert.

So:

• mater = nominative singular, mother
• fert = she carries / brings / takes

Latin noun class and grammatical gender do not always match the patterns English speakers first expect.

Infantem is the accusative singular of infans, infantis. It is in the accusative because it is the direct object of fert: the mother is carrying the baby/child.

So the pattern is:

• mater = subject
• infantem = object

A native English speaker often has to get used to the fact that Latin shows the job of the noun mainly by its ending, not by word order.

Because intro and foras are adverbs of motion.

• intro = inside / indoors / inward
• foras = outside / out of doors / out

Latin often uses these adverbs where English might use a preposition plus another word, such as into the house or outside. So:

• infantem intro fert = she carries the baby inside
• foras exeunt = they go outside

You do not need in or ad here.

Yes. Fert is from the irregular verb fero, ferre, which means carry, bear, bring, take.

Here fert is:

• third person singular
• present tense
• active voice

So mater infantem intro fert means the mother carries/brings/takes the baby inside. English may choose different words depending on context, but the Latin form is the same.

No. Here cum is a conjunction, not the preposition with.

In this sentence, cum means when:

• cum imber desinit = when the rain stops

Compare:

• cum amico = with a friend → here cum is a preposition
• cum imber desinit = when the rain stops → here cum is a conjunction

So you have to decide which meaning cum has from the grammar around it.

Because this is a simple temporal clause: when the rain stops.

With cum meaning when, Latin often uses the indicative for a straightforward time relationship. So:

• cum imber desinit = when the rain stops

The subjunctive with cum is common in other kinds of clauses, especially in past narrative, where cum can mean something more like when, since, or although in a more descriptive or circumstantial way. But here the sentence is simple and direct, so the indicative desinit is normal.

Latin often expresses weather more concretely than English does.

Here:

• imber = rain / rainstorm / shower
• desinit = stops

So Latin says literally the rain stops. English often prefers it stops raining, but Latin does not need a dummy subject like English it.

So this is a very natural Latin way to express the idea.

Because puellae is a form that can be ambiguous by itself, but the verb makes it clear.

Puellae could be:

• nominative plural = the girls
• genitive singular = of the girl
• dative singular = to/for the girl

But the verb is exeunt, which is third person plural = they go out. That tells us the subject must be plural, so puellae here is nominative plural:

• puellae exeunt = the girls go out

Exeunt is the third person plural present active of exeo, exire, meaning go out.

So:

• exit = he/she/it goes out
• exeunt = they go out

It is built from ex- + eo. English speakers sometimes recognize exit, but in Latin exit is a verb form, not just a noun on a sign.

In this sentence, puellae ... exeunt means the girls go out.

Iterum means again.

It modifies the action of the verb:

• puellae iterum foras exeunt = the girls go outside again

Like many adverbs in Latin, iterum can often move around without changing the basic meaning very much. Its position here is perfectly natural.

Because Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order.

English depends heavily on order:

• the mother carries the baby

Latin depends more on endings:

• mater shows the subject
• infantem shows the object

So Latin can place words in ways that sound unusual to an English speaker:

• Mater infantem intro fert
• Puellae iterum foras exeunt

This does not make the sentence unclear, because the endings already show what each word is doing. Word order in Latin often helps with emphasis, rhythm, or style, rather than basic grammar.

The semicolon separates two closely connected parts of the sentence:

• Mater infantem intro fert
• cum imber desinit, puellae iterum foras exeunt

They belong together in meaning, but they are still distinct actions. A semicolon is a natural way to show that relationship in modern punctuation.

Also, punctuation in printed Latin is often partly an editorial choice. The grammar itself does not depend on the semicolon; it simply helps the reader see the structure more easily.