Emblema variegatum est.

Because emblema is a neuter noun, not a feminine one. It is a Greek loanword in Latin, and nouns of this type often end in -ma in the nominative singular.

So even though -a often suggests first-declension feminine nouns, that is not what is happening here.

A learner should remember:

• emblema = nominative singular
• gender: neuter
• genitive singular: emblematis

So this noun belongs to the third declension, not the first.

It is nominative singular.

In this sentence, emblema is the subject of est, so nominative is exactly what we expect.

Structure:

• emblema = the subject
• variegatum = predicate adjective
• est = is

So the basic pattern is:

subject + predicate adjective + linking verb

Because variegatum must agree with emblema.

Latin adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since emblema is:

• neuter
• singular
• nominative

the adjective must also be:

• neuter
• singular
• nominative

That is why we get variegatum.

A quick comparison:

• variegatus = masculine singular
• variegata = feminine singular
• variegatum = neuter singular

It can be understood as an adjective, and historically it is related to a participial form.

For a beginner, the most useful way to read it here is simply as a predicate adjective meaning something like variegated, multicolored, or ornamented with different colors/patterns.

In this sentence, it functions exactly like an adjective in English:

• The emblem is variegated.

So grammatically, the important point is that it is describing emblema and agreeing with it.

Est is the third-person singular present tense of esse, to be.

So est means is.

Here it acts as a linking verb, connecting the subject emblema with the description variegatum.

So the sentence works like:

• Emblema = subject
• est = is
• variegatum = the quality being assigned to the subject

In other words, est does not show an action here; it links the subject to a description.

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

So emblema by itself can mean:

• the emblem
• an emblem

Which one is meant depends on the context.

That is completely normal in Latin.

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

So these could all be possible, depending on style or emphasis:

• Emblema variegatum est.
• Variegatum est emblema.
• Emblema est variegatum.

The most straightforward prose order here is the one you were given, but Latin is not as rigid as English.

Putting the verb at the end is very common in Latin, especially in simple statements.

Latin often prefers a pattern where the verb comes last, although this is not required.

So Emblema variegatum est is a very natural Latin sentence.

An English speaker may expect is earlier, but Latin often saves the verb for the end.

It is using it predicatively.

Compare:

• attributive: emblema variegatum = the variegated emblem
• predicative: emblema variegatum est = the emblem is variegated

In your sentence, the presence of est makes variegatum a predicate adjective.

Emblema is a third-declension neuter noun of Greek origin.

Important forms include:

• nominative singular: emblema
• genitive singular: emblematis
• nominative/accusative plural: emblemata

This matters because a learner might wrongly assume it is first declension because of the -a ending. It is not.

Sometimes Latin can omit a form of to be, especially in certain styles, but in a normal simple sentence like this, est is very naturally expressed.

So:

• Emblema variegatum est = full, normal statement

A shortened form without est might occur in some contexts, but a beginner should learn the sentence with est included.

In a simple Classical-style pronunciation, you could say it approximately like:

em-BLE-ma wa-ri-e-GA-tum est

A few helpful points:

• v is pronounced like English w in Classical Latin
• g is always hard, as in go
• the stress in variegatum falls on ga

So a fuller Classical approximation is:

em-BLE-ma wa-ri-e-GA-tum est

If you are learning Ecclesiastical Latin, the pronunciation will be somewhat different, especially for v.