Mercator lucrum quaerit, sed pater damnum timet, si pretium nimium est.

They are the subjects of their verbs, so they are in the nominative case.

• mercator = the subject of quaerit
• pater = the subject of timet
• pretium = the subject of est in the si clause

So Latin is marking who is doing or being something.

Because they are direct objects and are in the accusative singular.

Here they answer the question what?

• Mercator lucrum quaerit = the merchant seeks what? → lucrum
• pater damnum timet = the father fears what? → damnum

Both lucrum and damnum are neuter second-declension nouns, so their nominative singular and accusative singular are both -um.

Because pretium is a neuter singular noun, and the adjective has to agree with it.

• pretium = neuter singular
• nimium = neuter singular

So nimium matches pretium in gender, number, and case.

If the noun were masculine singular, you might expect nimius instead. But with pretium, nimium is the correct agreeing form.

Here it is best understood as an adjective.

Why?

Because it goes with pretium and completes the idea after est:

• pretium nimium est = the price is excessive / too high

So nimium is describing pretium, not modifying the verb est.

A learner may think of nimium as too much in an adverbial sense, but in this sentence it functions as a predicate adjective.

Because Latin has no articles.

So:

• mercator can mean a merchant or the merchant
• pater can mean a father or the father
• pretium can mean a price or the price

English has to choose based on context, but Latin usually leaves that unstated.

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

English depends heavily on position:

• The merchant seeks profit

Latin can move words around more freely because the endings already show what each word is doing:

• mercator = subject
• lucrum = object
• quaerit = verb

So Mercator lucrum quaerit is perfectly natural, even though it feels more like Merchant profit seeks if read word-for-word in English.

Yes, often it could.

For example, Latin could also say things like:

• Lucrum mercator quaerit
• Pater damnum timet, sed mercator lucrum quaerit
• Si pretium nimium est, pater damnum timet

The basic meaning would stay the same because the case endings still show the roles of the nouns.

However, changing word order can change emphasis. Latin writers often put important words in noticeable positions, such as at the beginning or end of a clause.

All three are present indicative forms.

• quaerit = he/she/it seeks
• timet = he/she/it fears
• est = he/she/it is

More specifically:

• quaerit = 3rd person singular present active indicative
• timet = 3rd person singular present active indicative
• est = 3rd person singular present indicative of sum

Because the subjects are singular (mercator, pater, pretium), the verbs are singular too.

si means if and introduces a conditional clause.

So:

• si pretium nimium est = if the price is too high

This is a simple real condition: if this condition is true, then the main statement applies. Latin often uses the indicative mood for this kind of straightforward condition, just as it does here with est.

Yes, literally it means to seek profit, but idiomatically it can mean something like:

• to look for profit
• to pursue gain
• to try to make money

Latin often uses verbs like quaerere in ways that are a little broader than a very literal English gloss might suggest.

So a merchant who lucrum quaerit is not necessarily physically searching for profit; he is aiming at profit.

Yes. Latin often uses the singular of an abstract or general idea where English might use either singular or plural depending on style.

So damnum timet means he fears loss, or possibly a loss, or in some contexts even losses in a broader sense.

The singular here is completely natural in Latin and expresses the idea of suffering loss in general.

They are not all from the same declension.

• mercator, mercatoris = third declension
• pater, patris = third declension
• lucrum, lucri = second declension, neuter
• damnum, damni = second declension, neuter
• pretium, pretii = second declension, neuter

This matters because different declensions use different endings for case and number.

In a common classroom Classical Latin pronunciation, roughly:

• Mercator = mer-kah-tor
• lucrum = loo-kroom
• quaerit = kwai-rit or kweh-rit, depending on teaching tradition
• sed = sed
• pater = pah-ter
• damnum = dahm-noom
• timet = tee-met
• si = see
• pretium = preh-tee-um
• nimium = nim-ee-um
• est = est

The exact pronunciation may vary a bit depending on whether your course uses Classical or Ecclesiastical Latin.