Haedus prope caprum est.

Because haedus is in the nominative singular, the case normally used for the subject.

In Haedus prope caprum est, the basic structure is:

• haedus = subject
• est = is
• prope caprum = near the goat

So haedus is the thing being described as being in a certain place.

Because prope takes the accusative case, and the accusative singular of caper is caprum.

So:

• dictionary form: caper = goat / he-goat
• accusative singular: caprum

This is very common in Latin: a noun may look different depending on its job in the sentence.

That is simply how this preposition works in Latin. Some prepositions take the ablative, some take the accusative, and prope takes the accusative when it means near.

So:

• prope caprum = near the goat

This is something learners usually just memorize along with the preposition:

• prope + accusative

Here prope means near, close to, or by.

So the sentence could be understood as:

• The kid is near the goat
• The kid is close to the goat
• The kid is by the goat

In other contexts, prope can also be used adverbially with a sense like almost or nearly, but that is not what is happening here.

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

So haedus can mean:

• a kid
• the kid

And caprum can mean:

• a goat
• the goat

Which one sounds best depends on context. If the meaning has already been given, the learner just needs to remember that Latin often leaves this unstated.

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

For example, these could mean essentially the same thing:

• Haedus prope caprum est
• Prope caprum haedus est
• Est haedus prope caprum

The sentence you were given is a straightforward and easy order:

• subject first
• then the prepositional phrase
• then est

We know from the grammar.

• haedus is nominative, so it is the subject
• caprum is accusative after prope

That means haedus is the one that is somewhere, and caprum is the object of the preposition prope.

So grammatically the sentence is:

• The kid is near the goat

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

So est means:

• he is
• she is
• it is

Here it is translated as is because the subject haedus is singular.

Sometimes, yes, especially in certain styles or when the meaning is obvious. But in a simple beginner sentence like this, including est is normal and helpful.

So:

• Haedus prope caprum est = full, clear sentence
• Haedus prope caprum might be understood in some contexts, but it is less explicit

For learners, it is best to read this as a normal sentence with the verb stated.

Yes, but they are not exactly the same word.

• haedus usually means a kid, that is, a young goat
• caper means a he-goat / billy goat

So the sentence describes a young goat being near an adult male goat.

That distinction can help make the vocabulary easier to remember.

Because it is a second-declension masculine noun in the nominative singular.

A very common pattern is:

• nominative singular: -us
• accusative singular: -um

So in this sentence:

• haedus = nominative singular
• caprum = accusative singular

This is a useful pattern to notice, even though you should not assume every Latin noun follows it.

A common classroom pronunciation would be something like:

HAI-dus PRO-peh KAH-prum est

A more classical-style pronunciation would treat ae in haedus like the ai in aisle, so:

• haedus ≈ ہائی-dus / AI-dus
• prope = PRO-peh
• caprum = KAH-prum
• est = est

The most important thing for a beginner is just to notice that ae is not pronounced like simple English ee.