Infans, si mater abest, lacrimat; cum mater adest, demum tacet.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order. The sentence begins with infans to set the topic: the baby / child. Then the two time/condition clauses are inserted around the two main actions:

• si mater abest = if the mother is away
• cum mater adest = when the mother is present

So the structure is roughly:

• The baby, if the mother is absent, cries;
• when the mother is present, only then is silent.

This is perfectly natural Latin. Latin often places an important noun first for emphasis or topic-setting.

Infans is nominative singular because it is the subject of both main verbs:

• lacrimat = cries
• tacet = is silent

So infans is the one doing both actions.

A useful way to see it is:

• Infans lacrimat = The baby cries
• Infans tacet = The baby is silent

Because mater is the subject of abest and adest.

• mater abest = the mother is absent
• mater adest = the mother is present

So there are really three little clauses here:

1. Infans lacrimat
2. mater abest
3. mater adest
4. infans tacet

In each clause, the noun doing the action or being in the state is nominative.

They introduce different kinds of subordinate clauses:

• si = if
• cum = when

So:

• si mater abest means if the mother is away/absent
• cum mater adest means when the mother is present

In this sentence, si gives a condition, while cum gives a time circumstance.

No. Here cum is a conjunction, not a preposition.

Compare:

• cum matre = with the mother
  Here cum is a preposition and takes the ablative (matre).

• cum mater adest = when the mother is present
  Here cum is a conjunction introducing a clause.

A learner often needs to distinguish these two uses by looking at what follows:

• if a noun in the ablative follows, it may be the preposition cum = with
• if a full clause follows, it is probably the conjunction cum = when/since/although

Because they are compounds of sum.

• abest = ab + est = is away / is absent
• adest = ad + est = is present / is here

These are standard Latin compound verbs:

• absum, abesse, afui = to be away, be absent
• adsum, adesse, adfui = to be present, be near, be here

So they are not separate words in normal Latin spelling.

Because both are built from the verb sum, esse (to be) in the 3rd person singular present:

• est = he/she/it is

Then prefixes are added:

• ab- + est → abest
• ad- + est → adest

Since the subject is mater (mother, singular), the singular form est is used inside each compound.

Because the sentence expresses a general truth or habitual situation:

• when the mother is absent, the baby cries
• when the mother is present, the baby becomes quiet

Latin often uses the present tense for this kind of general statement, just as English does:

• If the mother is away, the baby cries.
• When the mother is present, the baby is finally quiet.

So the present tense here is not necessarily about one single moment only; it can describe what regularly happens.

Lacrimat means cries, weeps, or literally sheds tears.

It comes from lacrimo, lacrimare. In beginner Latin, it is usually best understood simply as cries.

So:

• Infans lacrimat = The baby cries

Tacet means is silent, keeps quiet, or falls silent, depending on context.

It comes from taceo, tacere = to be silent.

In this sentence, demum tacet suggests something like:

• only then is quiet
• finally becomes silent
• at last stops making noise

So tacet is not just the abstract idea of silence; in context it means the baby stops crying and becomes quiet.

Demum adds the sense of only then, at last, or finally.

So:

• cum mater adest, demum tacet

does not mean merely when the mother is present, it is quiet. It means something stronger:

• when the mother is present, only then does the baby become quiet
• when the mother is present, the baby is quiet at last

It emphasizes that the mother’s presence is what finally brings silence.

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

So:

• infans can mean a baby, the baby, or just baby/child, depending on context
• mater can mean a mother or the mother

The context tells you which English article makes best sense. In this sentence, English naturally uses the:

• the baby
• the mother

Because Latin usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb ending already tells you the person and number.

For example:

• lacrimat = he/she/it cries
• tacet = he/she/it is silent
• abest = he/she/it is absent
• adest = he/she/it is present

Since infans and mater are already stated, Latin does not need extra pronouns.

English often requires pronouns; Latin often leaves them out unless there is special emphasis.

Latin could sometimes omit it if the meaning were clear, but repeating mater makes the structure neat and balanced:

• si mater abest
• cum mater adest

This creates a strong contrast:

• absent mother → baby cries
• present mother → baby becomes quiet

So the repetition is clear, rhythmic, and stylistically effective.

It is a sentence with:

• a main clause: Infans ... lacrimat
• another main clause: ... demum tacet
• and two subordinate clauses:
  • si mater abest
  • cum mater adest

The semicolon separates the two main halves of the statement:

1. Infans, si mater abest, lacrimat
2. cum mater adest, demum tacet

So the sentence presents two contrasting situations involving the same baby.

Infans can mean infant, baby, or young child. Its basic sense is someone not yet speaking or very young.

In this sentence, English might translate it as:

• baby
• infant
• child

The most natural choice depends on the tone of the lesson or translation. Since the sentence involves crying and becoming quiet when the mother is present, baby is especially natural.

Yes. The commas and semicolon help show the structure, even though Latin itself does not rely on punctuation in quite the same way as modern English.

• Infans, si mater abest, lacrimat
  The conditional clause is inserted inside the main statement.

• ;
  The semicolon marks a strong division between the first and second half.

• cum mater adest, demum tacet
  The second half gives the contrasting situation.

So the punctuation helps the reader see the balance and contrast in the sentence.