Paucae horae supersunt ante cenam, et post longum diem etiam parva quies maxime expedit.

Because it agrees with horae.

• hora = hour
• horae = hours or the hours in the nominative plural
• paucae = few in the feminine nominative plural

In Latin, adjectives must match the noun they describe in gender, number, and case, so:

• paucae horae = few hours

If the noun were masculine plural, you would expect pauci; if neuter plural, pauca.

Yes. horae is the subject.

The core of the first clause is:

• Paucae horae supersunt = A few hours remain / There are a few hours left

Since horae is plural, the verb is also plural:

• supersunt = they remain / are left

supersunt is from superesse, literally to be left over, to remain, or to be left.

So:

• paucae horae supersunt = a few hours remain
• more naturally in English: there are only a few hours left

It is a compound of sum (to be) with the prefix super-. Like many compounds of sum, it keeps forms related to sum:

• sum → I am
• sunt → they are
• supersunt → they remain / are left over

Because ante is a preposition that takes the accusative when it means before.

So:

• cena = nominative/ablative singular
• cenam = accusative singular

Therefore:

• ante cenam = before dinner

This is a standard construction:

• ante bellum = before the war
• ante noctem = before nightfall

Because post also takes the accusative.

So:

• dies = nominative singular
• diem = accusative singular
• longus must agree with diem, so it becomes longum

Thus:

• post longum diem = after a long day

Yes, dies can be masculine or feminine, which often confuses learners.

In ordinary usage meaning day, dies is usually masculine, especially in the singular. That is why we get:

• longum diem

So in this sentence, masculine is the normal choice.

A simplified rule:

• dies is usually masculine
• it is sometimes feminine in certain special uses, often when referring to a specific date, appointed day, or similar idea

For a beginner, treating dies as usually masculine is a good default.

quies means rest, quiet, or repose.

It is a feminine noun, so the adjective must also be feminine:

• parva quies = a small rest / a little rest

Here parva is:

• feminine
• nominative singular

because it agrees with quies, which is the subject of expedit.

Yes. Latin often uses an adjective like parvus where English might prefer little or short.

So parva quies can be understood naturally as:

• a little rest
• a short rest

It does not have to mean physically small. Context makes it clear that it means a modest amount of rest.

Here expedit means is beneficial, is useful, helps, or is advisable.

In this sentence:

• parva quies maxime expedit = even a little rest helps greatly / is very beneficial

Grammatically, quies is the subject, so expedit is 3rd person singular:

• quies = singular
• expedit = it helps / it is useful

You may also see expedit used impersonally in other sentences, meaning it is advantageous or it is expedient, but here it is easiest to read it with quies as the subject.

maxime is an adverb. Its basic sense is most, but in actual Latin it often means:

• very
• especially
• greatly

So:

• maxime expedit = is very helpful
• or helps greatly

It strengthens the idea of usefulness.

etiam means even or also.

Here it adds the idea:

• even a little rest is beneficial

So the phrase:

• etiam parva quies

means:

• even a small/little rest

It emphasizes that after a long day, not much rest is needed for it to be worthwhile.

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

For example:

• Paucae horae supersunt ante cenam
• Ante cenam paucae horae supersunt

both mean essentially the same thing.

And in the second clause:

• post longum diem etiam parva quies maxime expedit

the phrase post longum diem is placed first to set the scene: after a long day.

The sentence’s order feels natural in Latin because it moves from:

1. time remaining before dinner
2. then the general statement about rest after a long day

It can mean simply a few hours, but paucus often carries the idea of few in a somewhat limiting sense.

So depending on context, paucae horae supersunt may sound like:

• a few hours remain
• only a few hours are left

That slightly restrictive feeling is common with paucus.

You can break it down like this:

First clause

• Paucae horae = subject
• supersunt = verb
• ante cenam = prepositional phrase

Second clause

• post longum diem = prepositional phrase
• etiam parva quies = subject
• maxime = adverb
• expedit = verb

So the sentence has two coordinated clauses joined by et:

• ..., et ... = ..., and ...