Codex veterrimus in cista magna servatus est.

Because codex is in the nominative singular, which is the form Latin normally uses for the subject.

Here, codex means codex, book, or manuscript, and it is the thing being described as very old and preserved.

So:

• codex = subject
• veterrimus = adjective describing codex
• servatus est = what happened to it

In other words, the codex is the thing that was preserved.

Veterrimus is the superlative form of vetus, meaning old.

So:

• vetus = old
• vetustior = older
• veterrimus = oldest / very old

In a sentence like this, the superlative can often be translated in two ways:

• the oldest codex
• a very old codex

Which one sounds best depends on context. If the meaning has already been given to the learner, it is still useful to notice that Latin superlatives do not always have to be translated as a strict -est form in English.

Also, veterrimus is a somewhat irregular-looking superlative. A learner might expect something like *vetusissimus, but Latin actually uses veterrimus.

Because both words agree with codex, which is masculine singular nominative.

Latin adjectives usually match the nouns they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

So here:

• codex = masculine singular nominative
• veterrimus = masculine singular nominative
• servatus = masculine singular nominative

Even though servatus comes from a verb, in this construction it is a past participle and still has to agree with the subject.

Servatus est is the perfect passive.

It is made from:

• servatus = the perfect passive participle
• est = is, from esse

Together they mean:

• was preserved
• has been preserved
• sometimes was kept or was stored, depending on context

So this is not an active sentence like someone preserved the codex. It is passive: the codex was preserved.

Yes. The Latin perfect passive often covers both ideas.

Depending on context, servatus est may be translated as:

• was preserved
• has been preserved
• was kept
• has been kept

English forces us to choose a more specific tense, but Latin is often less narrow here. The surrounding context usually tells you which translation is best.

They are in the ablative because they follow in meaning in or inside, which takes the ablative when it expresses location.

So:

• in cista magna = in a large chest / in the large chest

Here:

• cista is ablative singular
• magna is also ablative singular, agreeing with cista

A useful rule:

• in + ablative = in, on where something is
• in + accusative = into, onto motion toward something

So this sentence describes location, not movement.

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

So both of these would mean the same basic thing:

• in cista magna
• in magna cista

The version in the sentence is perfectly natural. Latin often places adjectives after nouns, though adjectives can also come before nouns for emphasis, style, or rhythm.

So you should not assume that a Latin adjective must always come before the noun, as it usually does in English.

Because Latin often places the verb near the end, especially in straightforward narrative or formal style.

So:

• Codex veterrimus in cista magna servatus est literally has a word order something like:
• Codex very-old in chest large preserved is

That sounds strange in English, but it is normal in Latin.

Latin word order is often used for:

• emphasis
• style
• clarity
• rhythm

The endings, not the position alone, tell you the grammar.

Because Latin has no articles.

There is no separate word for:

• the
• a
• an

So codex can mean:

• the codex
• a codex

And in cista magna can mean:

• in the large chest
• in a large chest

The translator decides which English article fits best from the context.

Potentially all of those, depending on context.

The verb servo, servare has a range of meanings such as:

• save
• preserve
• keep
• store

So servatus est could suggest:

• the codex was preserved
• the codex was kept
• the codex was stored

Because the sentence also says in cista magna, the idea of kept/stored in a large chest feels very natural, though preserved may also fit well if the context is about safeguarding an old manuscript.