Mater dicit hoc monile nimis carum esse.

Because after a verb like dicit (says), Latin often uses an indirect statement construction.

So instead of saying something literally like:

• Mother says that this necklace is too expensive

Latin says:

• Mother says this necklace to be too expensive

That is why you get:

• dicit ... esse = says ... to be

This is one of the most important Latin patterns to learn:

• a verb of saying, thinking, knowing, perceiving, etc.
• followed by an accusative + infinitive

Here:

• dicit = says
• hoc monile ... esse = this necklace to be ...

So esse is exactly what we expect in this construction.

It is an indirect statement, also called the accusative-and-infinitive construction.

The basic pattern is:

• [main verb] + [accusative subject] + [infinitive]

In this sentence:

• Mater = the person speaking
• dicit = says
• hoc monile = the subject of the indirect statement
• nimis carum = what is being said about it
• esse = to be

So the whole second part means:

• this necklace to be too expensive
• more naturally in English: that this necklace is too expensive

Because monile is a neuter noun, not masculine.

A learner might expect an accusative ending to look different, but with many neuter nouns:

• nominative singular and accusative singular are the same

So:

• monile can be nominative singular
• monile can also be accusative singular

And the demonstrative agrees with it:

• hoc monile = this necklace

Here, in the indirect statement, hoc monile is functioning as the accusative subject of esse.

It just happens that in the neuter singular, the accusative looks the same as the nominative.

Because carum agrees with monile.

In Latin, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since monile is:

• neuter
• singular

the adjective must also be:

• neuter
• singular

So:

• carum = expensive / dear in neuter singular

Also, because this is an indirect statement, monile is accusative in function, and the predicate adjective agrees with it there as well. But since neuter singular nominative and accusative often look the same, carum is the expected form either way.

Nimis means too, excessively, or overly.

It is an adverb, and it modifies the adjective carum:

• carum = expensive
• nimis carum = too expensive

So it works very much like English too in:

• too expensive

Because it is modifying carum, and placing it before the adjective is very natural.

Latin word order is more flexible than English, but words are often placed near the words they go with. So:

• nimis carum = too expensive

That said, Latin could vary the order for emphasis or style. The sentence is written in a very straightforward and readable order.

Mater is nominative singular.

It is the subject of the main verb dicit:

• Mater dicit = Mother says

So the sentence has:

• a main clause: Mater dicit
• an indirect statement: hoc monile nimis carum esse

This is a good example of how Latin can have one subject in the nominative for the main verb, and another subject in the accusative inside an indirect statement.

Because Latin usually does not use a conjunction like English that for this kind of sentence.

English says:

• Mother says that this necklace is too expensive

Latin normally uses the indirect statement construction instead:

• Mother says this necklace to be too expensive

So the idea of English that is built into the grammar of:

• accusative + infinitive

In other words, Latin does not need a separate word for that here.

In an indirect statement, the accusative noun is the subject of the infinitive.

So in:

• hoc monile nimis carum esse

the thing that is being something is hoc monile.

Ask yourself:

• What is said to be too expensive?

Answer:

• this necklace

That tells you hoc monile is the subject of esse, even though it is not nominative.

It is a third-declension neuter noun.

That matters because third-declension neuters have some very important patterns:

• nominative singular can have various endings
• accusative singular is the same as nominative singular
• nominative plural and accusative plural usually end in -a

So monile may look unusual if you are expecting first- or second-declension endings, but it is behaving normally for a third-declension neuter noun.

Yes, often it could.

Latin word order is relatively flexible because the grammar is shown by endings more than by position.

For example, the following would still be understandable Latin:

• Mater hoc monile nimis carum esse dicit.

This is probably the most natural alternative order for many learners, because it keeps the indirect statement together before the main verb at the end.

The original sentence:

• Mater dicit hoc monile nimis carum esse.

is also perfectly normal. The difference is mainly one of style and emphasis, not basic meaning.

Yes. Carus, -a, -um can mean both:

• dear / beloved
• costly / expensive

The exact meaning depends on context.

With monile (necklace), the meaning expensive is the natural one:

• hoc monile nimis carum esse = that this necklace is too expensive

So this is a good reminder that Latin words often have a range of meanings, and context tells you which one is intended.