Mater me totiens vocat ut tandem respondeam.

Because me is the accusative form of the pronoun, and it is the direct object of vocat. The mother is doing the action, so mater is the subject; me is the person being called.

• ego = I when it is the subject
• me = me when it is the object

So Mater me vocat means Mother calls me, not Mother I calls.

totiens is an adverb. It means so many times, so often, or repeatedly.

Because it is an adverb, it does not change form to agree with a noun. It simply modifies the verb vocat and tells you how often the action happens.

So:

• vocat = calls
• totiens vocat = calls so many times / calls so often

Here ut introduces a subordinate clause that shows the result of the repeated calling.

The pattern is:

• totiens ... ut ... = so many times / so often ... that ...

So the sentence is structured like this:

• Mater me totiens vocat = Mother calls me so many times
• ut tandem respondeam = that I finally answer

Without ut, the relationship between the two actions would not be expressed in the same clear Latin way.

It is best understood here as a result clause.

A native English speaker often learns ut first as meaning in order that, but ut can also mean that in a result clause. In this sentence, totiens strongly points toward result:

• totiens ... ut ... = so often / so many times that ...

So the idea is not simply Mother calls me in order that I may answer, but rather Mother calls me so many times that I finally do answer.

Because ut clauses of purpose and result normally take the subjunctive in Latin.

So after ut, Latin does not use the ordinary indicative respondeo here. It uses the subjunctive respondeam.

Parsing respondeam:

• verb: respondeo
• person: first
• number: singular
• tense: present
• mood: subjunctive

So respondeam means that I may answer / that I answer, depending on context.

Because the subordinate clause has its own subject.

In the main clause:

• mater is the subject of vocat

In the ut clause:

• the subject is I, understood from the ending -eam

Latin often leaves subject pronouns unstated when the verb ending already makes them clear. So Latin does not need to say ego respondeam unless it wants extra emphasis.

tandem means finally, at last, or sometimes after all that.

It adds a feeling of delay or impatience. The idea is that the mother keeps calling, and only after all that does the speaker answer.

So tandem respondeam is stronger than just respondeam:

• respondeam = I answer
• tandem respondeam = I finally answer

vocat is present indicative: she calls / is calling.

Latin often uses the present tense for a general or vivid statement, just as English does. Depending on context, it can mean something like:

• Mother calls me so often...
• Mother is calling me so many times...

The exact English translation may vary, but the Latin form itself is simply present tense.

This is because of sequence of tenses.

The main verb vocat is a primary tense verb, so Latin normally uses the present subjunctive in the dependent ut clause:

• vocat ... ut respondeam

If the main verb were past, you would usually expect the imperfect subjunctive:

• Mater me totiens vocabat ut tandem responderem
• Mother was calling me so many times that I finally answered / would finally answer

So respondeam fits the present-tense main verb vocat.

Because Latin verb endings usually make the subject clear by themselves.

The ending -am in respondeam already tells you the subject is first person singular, so I is built into the verb form. Latin can say ego respondeam, but that would usually add emphasis, something like I myself answer.

So the absence of ego is completely normal.

Because Latin can leave it understood from the context.

The sentence already tells you that the mother is the one calling, so when the speaker finally answers, the listener naturally understands I answer her / I answer back / I respond.

Latin often omits pronouns or other words that are obvious from the situation. If the writer wanted to make it explicit, a form such as ei could be added, but it is not necessary here.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order. The endings show each word’s role, so Latin does not depend as heavily on position.

This sentence has a very natural Latin order:

• Mater = subject first
• me = object placed early
• totiens = adverb before the verb
• vocat = verb at the end

A different order could also be possible, such as Mater totiens me vocat, but the given order is perfectly normal and may give a bit of prominence to me.