Hoc hospitium nocte tutissimum est.

Hoc is the neuter singular nominative form of hic, haec, hoc, meaning this.

It matches hospitium, which is also neuter singular nominative, so hoc hospitium means this inn / this lodging / this place of hospitality.

Latin demonstratives have to agree with the noun they go with in:

• gender
• number
• case

So:

• masculine: hic
• feminine: haec
• neuter: hoc

Because hospitium is neuter, Latin uses hoc.

Hospitium is a second-declension neuter noun. Many second-declension neuters end in -um, and -ium is just a slightly longer ending in this particular word.

Its nominative singular form is hospitium, and it is grammatically neuter regardless of whether the thing itself has any natural gender.

In Latin, grammatical gender does not always match real-world sex or animacy. A building, a concept, or a place can be masculine, feminine, or neuter simply because that is how the noun is classified.

Hospitium can mean several related things depending on context, such as:

• hospitality
• lodging
• guest-friendship
• sometimes a place of lodging, like an inn

In this sentence, because it is being described as very safe at night, it most naturally refers to a place to stay rather than the abstract idea of hospitality.

So although the exact English translation may vary, the context strongly suggests something like:

• this inn
• this lodging
• this place to stay

Nocte is the ablative singular of nox, noctis (night).

Here it is an example of the ablative of time when, which tells you when something is true. So nocte means:

• at night
• by night

Latin often uses the ablative without a preposition for time expressions like this.

So:

• nocte = at night
• die = by day / in the daytime
• aestate = in summer

Not necessarily. Latin often expresses time when with the bare ablative, with no preposition.

So English needs at night, but Latin can simply say nocte.

This is a very common pattern:

• prima luce = at first light
• tertia hora = at the third hour
• hieme = in winter
• nocte = at night

So the lack of a preposition is completely normal.

Because it agrees with hospitium.

The adjective here is tutissimum, the neuter singular nominative form of the superlative adjective from tutus (safe).

Since hospitium is:

• neuter
• singular
• nominative

the adjective describing it must also be:

• neuter
• singular
• nominative

That is why Latin says tutissimum est and not tutissimus est or tutissima est.

Tutissimum is the superlative form of tutus.

The basic forms are:

• tutus = safe
• tutior = safer (comparative)
• tutissimus, -a, -um = safest / very safe (superlative)

So tutissimum est can mean:

• is the safest
• is very safe

Which one sounds best in English depends on context. Latin superlatives can sometimes be translated either way.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order.

Putting est at the end is very common, especially in simple statements. It can give the sentence a neat, balanced feel:

• Hoc hospitium nocte tutissimum est.

English usually prefers:

• This inn is very safe at night.

But Latin often likes to save the verb for the end.

Yes, to a large extent.

Because Latin shows grammatical relationships through endings, not mainly through word order, several arrangements are possible:

• Hoc hospitium nocte tutissimum est.
• Nocte hoc hospitium tutissimum est.
• Tutissimum hoc hospitium nocte est.

These all basically mean the same thing, though the emphasis changes.

For example:

• putting nocte earlier can emphasize at night
• putting tutissimum earlier can emphasize very safe / safest

So word order in Latin often affects focus more than basic meaning.

Est is the third person singular present active indicative of sum, meaning is.

It links the subject hoc hospitium with the predicate adjective tutissimum.

So the structure is:

• hoc hospitium = subject
• tutissimum = predicate adjective
• est = linking verb

In other words, the sentence is saying that this lodging is very safe / the safest at night.

Here it is functioning as an adjective, because it directly modifies the noun hospitium.

So in:

• hoc hospitium = this lodging

But hoc can also be a pronoun in other contexts, for example if it stood alone and meant this thing.

A useful distinction is:

• with a noun: usually adjectival
• standing by itself: often pronominal

A very literal breakdown is:

• Hoc = this
• hospitium = lodging / inn / place of hospitality
• nocte = at night
• tutissimum = very safe / safest
• est = is

So literally:

• This lodging at night very safe is

That sounds unnatural in English, but it helps show how the Latin sentence is built.

Strictly speaking, it is a superlative, so its core meaning is safest.

But Latin superlatives are often used in a way that English translates more naturally as very safe, especially when no explicit comparison is being made.

So depending on context, you might understand it as:

• this inn is the safest at night
• this inn is very safe at night

If the broader passage compares several places, the safest may be better. If it is just making a strong description, very safe may sound more natural.

Because Latin uses case endings to express many ideas that English expresses with prepositions.

English says:

• at night

Latin says:

• nocte

The ablative ending already carries the idea of the time when something happens or is true. So the meaning of at is built into the case usage rather than stated with a separate word.