Ova cocta in mensa sunt.

Because ova is a neuter plural form.

The noun is ovum = egg. It is a second-declension neuter noun, and neuter nouns in the nominative plural usually end in -a.

So:

• ovum = egg
• ova = eggs

This is a very common pattern in Latin:

• bellum → bella
• verbum → verba
• templum → templa

So the -a ending here does not mean feminine singular; it means neuter plural.

Ova is nominative plural, and it is the subject of sunt.

We know this because:

• sunt means are, so it needs a subject
• ova is in a form that can be nominative plural
• the verb is plural, so the subject should also be plural

In this sentence, ova sunt = the eggs are.

Because cocta agrees with ova.

Latin adjectives and participles must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since ova is neuter plural nominative, cocta must also be neuter plural nominative.

So:

• ova = neuter plural nominative
• cocta = neuter plural nominative

That agreement shows that cocta belongs with ova: cooked eggs.

It is originally a participle, specifically the perfect passive participle of coquere = to cook.

Its basic meaning is cooked or having been cooked.

In this sentence, it works like an adjective describing ova. So ova cocta means cooked eggs.

Learners should know that a participle like this can feel halfway between an adjective and a verb:

• adjectival: the eggs are cooked
• verbal/passive: the eggs have been cooked

Here, with the meaning already supplied, you should understand cocta as describing the eggs.

Because the subject ova is plural.

• est = is
• sunt = are

Since ova means eggs, Latin uses the plural verb:

• Ova ... sunt = The eggs ... are

So the verb agrees with the plural subject.

Because in takes different cases depending on the meaning.

With location (in/on somewhere), in takes the ablative:

• in mensa = on the table

With motion toward (into/onto), in takes the accusative:

• in mensam = onto the table or into the table's space

Here the eggs are already located there, not moving there, so Latin uses in mensa.

Because Classical Latin has no articles like English the or a/an.

So ova can mean:

• eggs
• the eggs
• some eggs

The exact English translation depends on context.

In this sentence, English naturally says the cooked eggs are on the table, but Latin does not need a separate word for the.

The sentence is perfectly normal Latin.

A very literal order is:

• Ova = eggs
• cocta = cooked
• in mensa = on the table
• sunt = are

So literally: Eggs cooked on the table are.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order because the endings show the grammatical relationships. Here, putting cocta right after ova helps show that they belong together: cooked eggs.

Other orders are also possible, such as:

• In mensa ova cocta sunt
• Ova in mensa cocta sunt

The core meaning stays the same, though emphasis may shift.

It can look ambiguous at first, because cocta sunt can sometimes be understood as a passive verbal form: have been cooked or were cooked.

So, in isolation, a learner might wonder about that.

However, in this sentence, the most natural reading is that:

• cocta describes ova
• in mensa tells where the eggs are

So the sense is The cooked eggs are on the table.

The given meaning tells you which interpretation is intended. This is a useful example of how Latin participles can sometimes blur the line between a pure adjective and a verbal passive form.

A good set would be:

• ovum, ovi = egg
• coquo, coquere, coxi, coctum = to cook
• mensa, mensae = table
• sum, esse, fui = to be
• in = in, on; into, onto depending on case

And from coquo, you should recognize:

• coctus, cocta, coctum = cooked / having been cooked

That helps you see how cocta is formed and why it matches ova.