Signifer signum ante cohortem fert, et centurio eum laudat.

Latin usually shows the job of a word by its ending, not just by its position.

• signifer = subject of fert
• signum = direct object of fert
• centurio = subject of laudat
• eum = direct object of laudat

So:

• Signifer ... fert = The standard-bearer carries ...
• centurio eum laudat = the centurion praises him

Even if the word order changed, the endings would still tell you a lot.

They are related words.

• signum means sign, standard, or military standard
• signifer literally means standard-bearer

The word signifer is built from:

• signum = standard
• -fer = bearer, carrier

That -fer part is related to the verb ferre, meaning to carry or to bear.

So the first half of the sentence is very compact and natural in Latin: The standard-bearer carries the standard.

Yes. Signum is a neuter noun. In this sentence, signum is the direct object of fert, and in the singular the nominative and accusative forms of many neuter nouns are the same.

So:

• nominative singular: signum
• accusative singular: signum

That means the form does not change here, even though it is the object.

Because ante takes the accusative case when it means before or in front of.

So:

• cohors = a cohort
• cohortem = the accusative singular form

Thus ante cohortem means before the cohort or in front of the cohort.

This is not the direct object of the verb. It is the object of the preposition ante.

It means in front of the cohort or before the cohort in a spatial sense.

In a military context, the idea is that the standard-bearer is carrying the standard ahead of the unit. So ante here describes position, not time.

Eum refers to signifer.

It is:

• masculine
• singular
• accusative

That matches the idea him, and it is the object of laudat.

So:

• centurio eum laudat = the centurion praises him

The him is the standard-bearer.

Latin often uses a pronoun where English would use him instead of repeating the noun.

So instead of saying something like the centurion praises the standard-bearer, the Latin says the centurion praises him.

If Latin did repeat the noun, it would need the accusative form:

• signifer = nominative
• signiferum = accusative

But using eum is smoother and very natural.

Classical Latin has no articles.

So a noun like signifer can mean:

• a standard-bearer
• the standard-bearer

The same is true for signum, cohortem, and centurio.

You figure out whether to say a or the from the context and from the natural sense of the sentence.

Fert is the 3rd person singular present active indicative of ferre.

So it means:

• he carries
• he bears

Ferre is an important irregular verb, and some of its forms do not look very predictable at first:

• fero = I carry
• fers = you carry
• fert = he/she/it carries

So signifer signum fert means the standard-bearer carries the standard.

Yes. Laudat comes from laudare, meaning to praise.

It is:

• 3rd person singular
• present active indicative

So laudat means he praises.

This is a regular 1st-conjugation verb:

• laudo = I praise
• laudas = you praise
• laudat = he/she/it praises

It matters, but not in the same way as in English.

Latin word order is more flexible because endings carry so much grammatical information. This sentence could be rearranged in different ways and still keep the same basic meaning.

For example, Latin could move ante cohortem or eum for emphasis. But the given order is very natural:

• Signifer signum ante cohortem fert = first action
• et centurio eum laudat = second action

The order helps the sentence flow clearly, even though the endings are what really mark the grammar.

Yes, but in English before can sound ambiguous. It might mean:

• earlier than something in time, or
• in front of something in space

In this Latin sentence, the meaning is clearly spatial. So for a learner, in front of the cohort is often the clearest translation.

Because the verb ending already includes the subject idea.

• fert already means he/she/it carries
• laudat already means he/she/it praises

Latin does have pronouns such as is, ea, id, but they are usually not needed unless there is special emphasis or a need for clarity.

So signifer ... fert does not need an extra word for he.

Yes. Both are singular nominative forms.

• signifer = the standard-bearer
• centurio = the centurion

Each one is the subject of its own verb:

• signifer ... fert
• centurio ... laudat

So the sentence has two singular subjects joined by et.

Et simply means and.

It joins the two parts of the sentence:

• Signifer signum ante cohortem fert
• centurio eum laudat

So the whole sentence gives two linked actions:

1. the standard-bearer carries the standard in front of the cohort
2. the centurion praises him

No, not here.

Eum is masculine singular accusative, meaning him. But signum is neuter, not masculine. If the pronoun referred to signum, you would expect a neuter form, not eum.

So grammar tells you that eum refers to signifer, not signum.