Regina civitatem cum iustitia regit.

Because regina is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject of a Latin sentence.

• regina = queen
• nominative singular ending here shows the queen is the one doing the action

So in Regina civitatem cum iustitia regit, regina is the person who rules.

Because civitatem is in the accusative singular, the case used for a direct object.

The verb regit means rules, so we ask: rules what?
Answer: civitatem.

This noun comes from civitas, civitatis (a 3rd-declension noun), and its accusative singular form is civitatem.

So:

• civitas = nominative form
• civitatem = accusative form

Iustitia is in the ablative singular because it follows the preposition cum.

In Latin, cum meaning with takes the ablative case. So:

• cum = with
• iustitia = justice, in the ablative form

Together, cum iustitia means with justice.

Latin often expresses an idea with a prepositional phrase where English might use an adverb.

So instead of saying something exactly like rules justly, Latin can say:

• cum iustitia = with justice

That emphasizes the quality or manner of the action. It is a very natural Latin way to say that the queen rules in a just way.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because the endings show each word’s role.

Putting the verb at the end is very common in Latin, especially in straightforward prose. So:

• Regina = subject
• civitatem = object
• cum iustitia = prepositional phrase
• regit = verb

Even though English usually wants The queen rules the state, Latin often prefers to place the verb last.

Regit is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood

It comes from the verb rego, regere, meaning to rule, guide, govern.

So regit means:

• she rules
• or the queen rules

Because the subject is regina, we understand regit here as she rules.

Latin has no articles like the or a/an. So regina by itself can mean:

• queen
• a queen
• the queen

The correct English translation depends on context. In a simple teaching sentence like this, the queen is usually the most natural choice.

The same is true for civitatem:

• the state
• a state
• the city/community

Context decides which English article sounds best.

Civitas can mean several related things, including:

• citizenship
• community
• state
• city-state
• sometimes simply city

Its exact meaning depends on context. In this sentence, civitatem is probably best understood as something like:

• the state
• the community
• the city

If the meaning has already been given to the learner, that translation should be followed, but it is useful to know that civitas has a wider range than just one English word.

Yes, often they could. Because Latin uses case endings, the grammar usually remains clear even if the order changes.

For example, these would still basically mean the same thing:

• Regina civitatem cum iustitia regit
• Civitatem regina cum iustitia regit
• Cum iustitia regina civitatem regit

However, changing the order can change emphasis. For instance:

• putting civitatem first may emphasize what is being ruled
• putting cum iustitia first may emphasize how she rules

So word order in Latin is flexible, but not meaningless.

In a common classroom pronunciation of Latin, regit is pronounced roughly REH-git, with the g always hard, as in get, never like the g in giant.

A fuller pronunciation of the whole sentence in a classical-style system would be roughly:

• reh-GEE-nah kee-wee-TAH-tem koom yoos-TEE-tee-ah REH-git

But pronunciation varies by teaching tradition, so your class may use a slightly different system.

It is attached to the verb. It tells us how the queen rules.

So the structure is:

• Regina = subject
• civitatem = direct object
• regit = verb
• cum iustitia = phrase describing the manner of ruling

In other words, it means the queen rules with justice, not that there is some separate noun phrase like the state with justice.