Aetas hominem mutat.

A word-by-word breakdown is:

• aetas = age, time of life, sometimes the passing of years
• hominem = a human being, a person, or sometimes man
  
  • this is the form of homo
• mutat = changes, alters

So the literal structure is:

• Aetas = subject
• hominem = object
• mutat = verb

Very literally: Age changes a person.

Because hominem is the accusative singular form, which marks the direct object.

In this sentence, age is doing the action, and the person is receiving the action:

• aetas = the thing doing the changing
• hominem = the one being changed

If you used homo instead, that would be the nominative form, normally used for the subject.

Compare:

• Aetas hominem mutat = Age changes a person
• Homo aetatem mutat = A person changes age

So hominem shows that the person is the object, not the subject.

We know from the case ending.

• aetas is nominative singular, the normal case for the subject
• hominem is accusative singular, the normal case for the direct object

Latin relies much more on endings than English does. In English, word order usually tells you who does what. In Latin, the endings often tell you that directly.

So even without translation, the grammar says:

• aetas = subject
• hominem = object

Latin does not normally use articles like English the, a, or an.

So hominem can mean:

• a person
• the person
• sometimes just person in a general sense

And aetas can mean:

• age
• the passing of time
• one's age/time of life

You choose the best English article from the context. In a general statement like this, English usually prefers something like Age changes a person.

Usually homo, hominis means human being or person.

That is important, because English learners often see man used in older translations, but in Latin:

• homo = a human being, a person
• vir = an adult male, a man in the specifically male sense

So in this sentence, hominem is often better understood as a person or a human being, not necessarily a male person.

Mutat is:

• present tense
• indicative mood
• active voice
• third person singular

It comes from the verb mutare, meaning to change or to alter.

So mutat means:

• he/she/it changes

Here the subject is aetas, which is singular, so the verb is also singular:

• aetas ... mutat = age changes ...

Yes, sometimes.

The Latin present tense often covers both:

• simple present: changes
• progressive present: is changing

In a general statement like this, English usually uses the simple present:

• Age changes a person

That sounds more natural than Age is changing a person, unless you are talking about a specific moment or situation.

So grammatically the Latin present is flexible, but the best English here is probably changes.

Yes, it could.

Latin word order is more flexible than English word order because the case endings already show the grammatical roles.

So all of these can mean the same basic thing:

• Aetas hominem mutat
• Hominem aetas mutat
• Mutat aetas hominem

The difference is usually one of emphasis, not basic meaning.

For example:

• Aetas hominem mutat = a fairly straightforward statement
• Hominem aetas mutat = puts extra attention on the person
• Mutat aetas hominem = can sound more dramatic or literary

So the order in your sentence is normal and clear, but not the only possible order.

Both nouns belong to the third declension.

Their dictionary forms are:

• aetas, aetatis = age
• homo, hominis = human being, person

Their forms here are:

• aetas = nominative singular
• hominem = accusative singular

So if you are learning noun patterns, this sentence is a good example of third-declension forms doing different jobs in the sentence.

It is singular in form, but it can express a general truth.

Latin often uses the singular to make a broad statement, much like English can say:

• A child needs love
• Time changes everything
• Age changes a person

So hominem does not have to mean one specific person. It can mean a person in general, or any human being.

That is one reason this sentence feels like a proverb or general observation.

In Classical Latin, a common pronunciation would be approximately:

• Aetas = EYE-tahs
• hominem = HO-mi-nem
• mutat = MOO-taht

A few helpful notes:

• ae in Classical Latin is usually like eye
• h is lightly pronounced
• c and g are always hard, though there are none here
• t stays a clear t

So the whole sentence is roughly:

EYE-tahs HO-mi-nem MOO-taht

If you are using Ecclesiastical Latin, the pronunciation may be somewhat different, especially for ae.

It is broader than just a number.

Aetas can refer to:

• age
• a stage of life
• lifetime
• the passing of years
• even an age/era in some contexts

In Aetas hominem mutat, it most naturally means something like:

• age
• growing older
• the passage of time through life

So the sentence is not just about a number like forty or sixty. It is about the effect of age or the years on a human being.