Neque pater neque mater ad forum ire volunt.

Neque ... neque means neither ... nor.

So:

• neque pater = neither the father
• neque mater = nor the mother

Latin often uses this doubled structure to join two things negatively, just as English does with neither ... nor.

Because Latin regularly pairs the two negatives:

• neque X neque Y = neither X nor Y

Using neque before both words makes the pairing clear. It is the normal balanced way to say this.

Because together they form a compound subject:

• pater = father
• mater = mother

Even though each noun is singular by itself, father and mother together are plural in meaning, so the verb is plural:

• volunt = they want / are willing

This is exactly like English: Neither the father nor the mother wants/want...
In Latin, with two singular subjects joined like this, a plural verb is very normal.

Volunt is:

• 3rd person plural
• present tense
• from volo, velle = to want

So it means they want or they are willing.

In this sentence, the understood subject of volunt is pater and mater together.

Because volo is commonly followed by an infinitive to show what someone wants to do.

So:

• volunt ire = they want to go

Here:

• volunt tells you the wanting
• ire tells you the action wanted

This is very similar to English want to go.

Ire is the present active infinitive of eo, which means to go.

So ire simply means to go.

It is an irregular verb, so the forms may look a little surprising if you are expecting something more regular.

Ad means to or toward, and it is often used with places when there is movement toward them.

So:

• ad forum = to the forum

This makes the direction very clear.

Latin sometimes uses the accusative without a preposition for certain kinds of motion, but with a common noun like forum, ad is the normal straightforward choice.

Because ad takes the accusative case, and forum is accusative singular here.

The noun is:

• nominative: forum
• accusative: forum

Since forum is a neuter second-declension noun, its nominative and accusative singular happen to look the same. So the form does not change visibly here, even though the case has changed.

Because they are the subjects of the sentence, so they are in the nominative case.

• pater = nominative singular, father
• mater = nominative singular, mother

They are the ones doing the wanting, so nominative is the correct case.

Latin does not have definite or indefinite articles like English the or a/an.

So:

• pater can mean father or the father
• mater can mean mother or the mother
• forum can mean forum or the forum

You figure out the most natural English wording from the context.

Yes. Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order because the grammatical endings show how words function.

So this sentence could appear in other orders and still mean the same basic thing, for example:

• Neque mater neque pater ad forum ire volunt.
• Ad forum neque pater neque mater ire volunt.

The exact order can affect emphasis or style, but not usually the core meaning.

Latin often places the finite verb near the end of the sentence, although this is not mandatory.

Ending with volunt is a very natural Latin pattern. It lets the sentence build up and then finish with the main verb.

So the structure is roughly:

• Neither father nor mother
• to the forum
• to go
• want

That sounds odd in English, but it is normal in Latin.

Yes, essentially. Neque and nec both mean and not or, in pairs, neither ... nor.

So you may also see:

• nec pater nec mater

That would mean the same thing. Neque is just the fuller form.

Not in exactly the same way.

• non is the ordinary word for not
• neque ... neque is the paired expression for neither ... nor

So if you want to negate both father and mother together, neque ... neque is the natural choice.

Using non would require a differently structured sentence.

It can potentially suggest either idea, because volo covers both wanting and being willing. In this sentence, the most natural translation is simply want.

So:

• ire volunt = they want to go

But depending on context, it could sometimes carry a nuance closer to are willing to go.