Latin declension

Latin declension
Latin grammar Conjugation Subjunctive by attraction Indirect statements Declension Uses of the ablative Uses of the dative

Latin is an inflected language, and as such has nouns, pronouns, and adjectives that must be declined in order to serve a grammatical function. A set of declined forms of the same word pattern is called a declension. There are five declensions, which are numbered and grouped by ending and grammatical gender. For simple declension paradigms, visit the Wiktionary appendices: First declension, Second declension, Third declension, Fourth declension, Fifth declension.

Grammatical cases
A complete Latin noun declension consists of seven grammatical cases: nominative, vocative, accusative, genitive, dative, ablative and locative. They are abbreviated to the first three letters. The sequence NOM-VOC-ACC-GEN-DAT-ABL has been the usual order taught in Britain and many Commonwealth countries since the publication of Hall Kennedy's Latin Primer (1866). It reflects the tendencies of different cases to share similar endings (see Syncretic trends below). For a discussion of other sequences taught elsewhere, see here. However, some schools teach it in the order NOM-GEN-DAT-ACC-ABL-VOC, as first given.

Comparisons to English usage

The nominative case marks the subject of a statement and performs the action of the verb in the sentence "Mary is going to the store" or "Mary is my sister". It also names the predicate nominative: "Mary is my sister". The vocative case is used to address someone or something in direct speech. In English, this function is expressed by intonation or punctuation: "Mary, are you going to the store?" or "Mary!" ("Mary" is vocative). Historically, English-language noun paradigms translated this case with a prefaced interjection such as "O Mary!" Note that some English words (notably "Sir" and "Madam") carry quite different connotations when used to address a person than when used to describe a person. The accusative case marks the direct object of a verb. In English, except for a small number of words which display a distinct accusative case (e.g., who/whom, I/me, he/him), the accusative and nominative cases are identical in form; they are usually distinguished only by word order. The genitive case (also known as the possessive case) expresses possession, measurement, or source. In English, the genitive case is represented analytically by the preposition of or by the enclitic "'s", which itself developed from the genitive case. This "'s" closely resembles the Latin third declension's genitive suffix "is". In Latin, as in English, the genitive singular may be identical to the nominative plural of a noun (apart from the apostrophe in English, which does not change pronunciation): e.g., "equi" = "horse's/ horses", insulae = "island's/ islands", etc. The dative case marks the recipient of an action, the indirect object of a verb. In English, the prepositions to and for tend to denote this case analytically. However, note that in English, the dative may be marked by word order without a preposition; contrast "Give me the book" with "Give the book to me" ("Give to me the book" would be incorrect or at least very unusual).

Latin declension The ablative case expresses separation, indirection, or the means by which an action is performed. In English, the prepositions by, with, from, in and on are most commonly used to indicate this case. The locative case expresses the place where an action is performed. The Latin locative case is extremely marginal, applying only to the names of cities and small islands and to a few other isolated words. The Romans considered all islands to be "small" except for Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Crete, and Cyprus. Much of the case's function had been absorbed into the ablative. For singular first and second declension, the locative is identical to the genitive singular form, and for the singular third declension, the locative is identical to the ablative singular form. For plural nouns of all declensions, the locative is also identical to the ablative form. The few fourth and fifth declension place-name words would also use the ablative form for locative case. However, there are a few rare nouns that use the locative instead of a preposition: Domus Dom (at home), Rs Rr (in the country), Humus Hum (on the ground), Militia Militiae (in military service, in the field), Focus Foc (at the hearth; at the center of the community). In archaic times, the locative singular of third declension nouns was actually interchangeable between ablative and dative forms, but in the Augustan Period, the use of the ablative form became fixed.

Syncretic trends
Syncretism, where one form in a paradigm shares the ending of another form in the paradigm, is common in Latin. The following are the most notable patterns of syncretism: The vocative is always identical to the nominative in the singular and plural, except in the second declension masculine nouns ending in -us or -ius and a few Greek nouns. For example, the vocative of Aenes is Aenea, although Aenes is first declension. The dative is always the same as the ablative in the plural, and in the singular in the second declension, the third-declension full i-stems (i.e. neuter i-stems, adjectives), and fourth-declension neuters. The genitive singular is the same as the nominative plural in first-, second-declension, and fourth declension nouns that are not neuter. The dative singular is the same as the genitive singular in first- and fifth-declension nouns. Plural neuter nominative/accusative always ends in -a (with a few exceptions: demonstrative hic and related istic and illic, relative/interrogative qu and friends; in all of them, the neuter plural takes the same form as feminine singular nominative). The accusative singular ends in short vowel plus -m, except for a few neuters with unusual base forms. The accusative plural (assuming not neuter) ends in a long vowel plus -s; so does the nominative plural of the third, fourth and fifth declensions (again assuming not neuter). The locative is identical to the ablative in the fourth and fifth declension. The locative, ablative, and dative are identical in the plural.

Latin declension

History of cases
Old Latin had only two patterns of endings. One pattern was shared by the first and second declensions, with a clear similarity to the first and second declensions of Ancient Greek. The other pattern was used by the third declension and was very different from Greek, even for direct cognates. When new words were absorbed into Latin, they were generally placed in the third declension.

Nouns
First declension (a)
Nouns of this declension usually end in a and are typically feminine, e.g. 'road' (via, viae fem.) and 'water' (aqua, aquae fem.). There is a small class of masculine exceptions generally referring to occupations, e.g. 'farmer' (agricola, agricolae masc.) and 'sailor' (nauta, nautae masc.). The predominant letter in the ending forms of this declension is a. The nominative singular form consists of the stem and the ending -a, and the genitive singular form is the stem plus -ae.
aqua, -aewater f. Singular Nominative aqua Vocative aqua a a Plural aquae aquae ae ae s agricola, -aefarmer m. Singular agricola agricola a a Plural agricolae agricolae ae ae s

Accusative aquam Genitive Dative Ablative Locative aquae aquae aqu aquae

am aqus

agricolam am agricols ae ae -ae

[1] ae ae -ae

aqurum rum agricolae aqus aqus aqus s s s agricolae agricol agricolae

agricolrum rum agricols agricolas agricols s s s

mensa, -aetable f. Singular Nominative mensa Vocative mensa a a Plural mensae mensae ae ae s

Accusative mensam am menss Genitive Dative Ablative mensae mensae mens ae ae

mensrum rum menss menss s s

First declension Greek nouns The first declension also holds three types of Greek loanwords, derived from Ancient Greek's Alpha Declension. They are declined irregularly in the singular, but are sometimes treated as if they were native Latin nouns, e.g. nominative athlta instead of the original athlts. Interestingly, archaic (Homeric) first declension Greek nouns and adjectives are formed exactly the same way as in Latin: nephelgerta Zeus (Zeus the cloud-gatherer, in classical Greek, would be nephelgerts). For full paradigm tables and more detailed information, see the Wiktionary appendix First declension.

Latin declension

Second declension (o)

The second declension is a large group of nouns consisting of mostly masculine nouns like equus, equ ("horse") and puer, puer ("boy') and neuter nouns like castellum, castell ("fort"). There are several small groups of feminine exceptions, including names of gemstones, plants, trees, and some towns and cities. In the nominative singular, most masculine nouns consist of the stem and the ending -us, although some end in -er, which is not necessarily attached to the complete stem. Neuter nouns generally have a nominative singular consisting of the stem and the ending -um. However, every second-declension noun has the ending- attached as a suffix to the root of the noun in the genitive singular form. The predominant letter in the ending forms of this declension is o. Masculine:
dominus, master m. Singular Nominative dominus Vocative domine us e Plural domin domin s

Accusative dominum um domins Genitive Dative Ablative domin domin domin

dominrum rum domins domins s s

Neuter:
bellum, war n. Singular Nominative bellum um bella Vocative bellum um bella Plural a a a

Accusative bellum um bella Genitive Dative Ablative bell bell bell

bellrum rum bells bells s s

Nouns ending in -ius and -ium have a genitive singular in - in earlier Latin, which was regularized to -i in the later language. Masculine nouns in -ius have a vocative singular in - at all stages. These forms in - are stressed on the same syllable as the nominative singular, sometimes in violation of the usual Latin stress rule. For example, the genitive and vocative singular Vergil (from Vergilius) is pronounced [werili], with stress on the penult, even though it is short.[2] There is no contraction of -i(s) in plural forms.

Latin declension

flius, son m. Singular Nominative flius Vocative fl ius ium fli fli flis Plural i i is

auxilium, aid, help n. Singular auxilium auxilium auxilium ium ium ium auxilia auxilia auxilia Plural ia ia a

Accusative flium Genitive

fl flirum irum auxil auxilirum irum (later) fli (later) -i (later) auxili (later) -i fli fli i i flis flis is is auxili auxili i i auxilis auxilis is is

Dative Ablative

Second declension R nouns Some masculine nouns of the second declension end in an er or an ir in the nominative singular. For such nouns, the genitive singular must be learned to see if the E is dropped. For example, socer, er keeps its E. However, the noun magister, tr ("teacher") drops its E in the genitive singular. Nouns with ir in the nominative singular never drop the I. The declension of second declension R nouns is identical to that of the regular second declension, with the exception of the vocative singular, which is identical to the nominative rather than ending in an -e. For declension tables of second declension nouns, see the corresponding Wiktionary appendix. Second declension Greek nouns The second declension contains two types of masculine Greek nouns and one form of neuter Greek noun. These nouns are irregular only in the singular, as are their first declension counterparts. Greek nouns in the second declension are derived from Omicron Declension. Some Greek nouns may be declined as normal, Latin nouns. For example, thetron can appear as thetrum. Peculiarities In the older language, nouns ending with vus, quus and vum take o rather than u in the nominative and accusative singular.
servos, slave m. equos, horse m. aevom, eternity, age n. Singular Nominative servos Vocative serve os e om Singular equos eque equom equ equ equ os e om aevom aevom aevom aev aev aev Singular om om om

Accusative servom Genitive Dative Ablative serv serv serv

The plural of deus (god, deity) is irregular.

Latin declension

Nom. d/di/de Voc. Acc. Gen. Dat. Abl. d des derum/deum ds/dis/des ds/dis/des

The vocative singular of Deus is not attested in Classical Latin. In Ecclesiastical Latin the vocative is Deus. In poetry, -um may be substituted for -rum as the genitive plural ending.

Third declension (i)

The third declension is the largest group of nouns. These nouns may end in a,e, , , y, c, l, n, r, s, t, or x . It consists of masculine, neuter, and feminine nouns of variable nominative cases and roots. The third declension includes flumen, fluminis neut. ("river"), flos, floris masc. ("flower"), and pax, pacis fem. ("peace"). Each noun has the ending -is as a suffix attached to the root of the noun in the genitive singular form. Masculine, feminine and neuter nouns each have their own special nominative singular endings. For instance, most masculine nouns end in an or (amor). Most feminine nouns end in an x (phoenx), and most neuter nouns end in an us (onus). As in all declensions, some nouns defy these rules.
prnceps, principisleader, chief, prince m. Singular Nominative prnceps Vocative prnceps -s1 -s1 Plural prncips prncips prncips prncipum s s s um phoenx, phoencisphoenix, fire-bird f. Singular phoenx phoenx phoenca -s1 -s1 [3] em is e Plural phoencs s cnmen, conaminis effort, struggle n. Singular cnmen cnmen cnmen 1 1 1,2 Plural cnmina a cnmina a cnmina a

Accusative prncipem em Genitive Dative Ablative Locative

1

prncipis prncip prncipe prncip

is e

phoencis phoenc phoence phoenc

cnminis is cnmin

prncipibus ibus prncipibus ibus prncipibus ibus

cnmine e cnmin

The nominative singular is formed in one of four ways: with -s, with no ending, or by one of these two with a different stem from the oblique

cases. The same is true of other forms that are the same as the nominative singular: the vocative singular and the neuter accusative singular.
2

The nominative and accusative of neuter nouns are always identical. It should not be assumed that en is always the appropriate ending, as it

might appear above.

Latin declension Third declension i-stem nouns The third declension also has a set of nouns that are declined differently. They are called i-stems. I-stems are broken into two subcategories: pure and mixed. Pure I-stems are indicated by the parisyllabic rule or special neuter endings. Mixed I-stems are indicated by the double consonant rule. Masculine & Feminine Parisyllabic Rule: Some masculine and feminine third declension i-stem nouns have the same number of syllables in the genitive as they do in the nominative. For example: amnis, is. The nominative ends in -is. Double-Consonant Rule: The rest of the masculine and feminine third declension i-stem nouns have two consonants before the is in the genitive singular. For example: pars, partis Neuter Special Neuter Ending: Neuter third declension i-stems have no rule. However, all of them end in al, ar or e. For example: animal, lis. This can be remembered with the help of the mnemonic involving a pirate named Al: "Al, ar' e' going pirating today?" Pure I-stems may exhibit peculiar endings in both singular and plural. Mixed I-stems employ normal (consonant) 3rd declension endings in the singular but I-Stem endings in the plural. Note the alternative I-stem endings indicated in parentheses.
amnis, amnis stream, torrent m. (Pure) Parisyllabic Rule Singular Nominative amnis Vocative amnis -s1 -s1 Plural amns amns s s pars, partis part, piece f. (Mixed) Double Consonant Rule Singular pars pars -s1 -s1 Plural parts parts s s s (-s) animal, animlis animal, living being n. (Pure) Special Neuter Ending Singular animal animal animal Plural ia ia ia

1 animlia 1 animlia 1 animlia

Accusative amnem em (-im) amns

s (-s) partem em parts partim -im partis part parte is e

Genitive Dative Ablative

amnis amn amne amn

is e(-i)

amnium ium amnibus ibus amnibus ibus

partium ium animlis is animlium ium partibus ibus animl partibus ibus animl animlibus ibus animlibus ibus

The nominative singular is formed in one of four ways: with -s, with no ending, or by one of these two with a different stem from the oblique

cases. The same is true of other forms that are the same as the nominative singular: the vocative singular and the neuter accusative singular.

The rules for determining I-stems from non-I-stems and "mixed" I-stems should be thought of more as "guidelines" than "rules": even among the Romans themselves, the categorization of a 3rd declension word as an I-stem or non-I-stem was quite fluid. The result is that many words that should be I-stems according to the parisyllabic and consonant stem rules actually are not, such as canis or iuvenis. By the parisyllabic rule, "canis" should be a masculine I-stem and thus differ from the non-I-stems by having an extra -i- in the plural genitive form: "canium". In reality, the plural genitive of "canis" is "canum", the form of a non-I-stem. This fluidity even in Roman times results in much more uncertainty in Medieval Latin, as scholars were trying to imitate what was fluid to begin with.

Latin declension Peculiarities In the third declension, there are four irregular nouns.
Case vs force, power f. ss, suis swine, pig, hog c. bs, bovis ox, bullock c. Iuppiter, Iovis Jupiter m. Singular Iuppiter Iuppiter Iovem Iovis [4] [4]

Singular Plural Singular Nominative vs Vocative vs vrs vrs vrs ss ss suem

Plural sus sus sus suum subus

Singular bs bs [4] [4]

Plural bovs bovs bovs boum

Accusative vim Genitive Dative

bovem bovis bov

vrium suis vribus su

Iov bbus [4] bbus Iove bbus [4] bbus

Ablative

vribus sue

subus

bove

Fourth declension (u)

The fourth declension is a group of nouns consisting of mostly masculine words like 'wave' (fluctus, flucts masc.) and 'port' (portus, ports masc.) with a few feminine exceptions, including 'hand' (manus, mans fem.). The fourth declension also includes several neuter nouns like 'knee' (genu, gens neut.). Each noun has the ending -s as a suffix attached to the root of the noun in the genitive singular form. The predominant letter in the ending forms of this declension is u.
portus, s port, haven, harbor m. Singular Nominative portus Vocative portus us us Plural ports ports ports s s s corn, s horn, strength n. Singular corn corn corn Plural cornua cornua cornua ua ua ua

Accusative portum um Genitive Dative Ablative ports portu port s u

portuum uum portibus ibus portibus ibus

corns s cornuum uum corn corn cornibus ibus cornibus ibus

In the dative and ablative plural, ibus is sometimes replaced with ubus. This is so for only a few nouns, such as artus, "the limbs". The declension of domus is irregular:

Latin declension

domus, s house, home f. Singular Nominative domus Vocative domus us us doms s / s Plural s

Accusative domum um doms / doms Genitive Dative Ablative doms domu dom s u

domrum / domuum rum / uum domibus domibus ibus ibus

Fifth declension (e)

The fifth declension is a small group of nouns consisting of mostly feminine words like 'affair, matter, thing' (rs, re fem.) and 'day' (dis, di usually feminine, except on notable days when it is masculine). Each noun has either the ending - or e as a suffix attached to the root of the noun in the genitive singular form
effigis, effigy, ideal f. Singular Nominative effigis Vocative effigis s s Plural effigis effigis s -s s sps, e hope, anticipation f. Singular sps sps spem s s em e e sps sps sps Plural -s -s -s

Accusative effigiem em effigis Genitive Dative Ablative effigi effigi effigi

effigirum -rum spe effigibus -bus effigibus -bus spe sp

sprum -rum spbus -bus spbus -bus

Note that nouns ending in is have long in the dative and genitive, while nouns ending in a consonant + s have short e in these cases.

Pronouns
Relative and demonstrative pronouns are generally declined like first and second declension adjectives, with the following differences: the nominatives are often irregular the genitive singular ends in -us rather than -ae or -. the dative singular ends in -: rather than -ae or -. These differences identify the "pronominal" declension, and a few adjectives follow this pattern.

Personal pronouns
The first and second persons are irregular. They may be only masculine or feminine.

Latin declension

10

First Person

Second Person

ego, me I m. and f. ns, nostrum we m. and f. t, tu thou m. and f. vs, vestrum ye m. and f. Singular Nominative ego Vocative ns ns nostrum1 nbs nbs Plural t t t tu tibi t Singular vs vs vs vestrum1 vbs vbs Plural

Accusative m Genitive Dative Ablative

1

me mihi m

if the genitive is objective, nostr and vestr

Usually, to show the ablative of accompaniment, cum would be added to the ablative form. However, with personal pronouns and the interrogative (not with 3rd person), cum is added on to the end of the ablative form. For example: mcum, nbscum, tcum, vbscum and qucum (sometimes qucum).
is, ehe, they m. ea, eaeshe, they f. Plural eae es erum es, is es, is id, eait, they n. Singular Plural id id eius e e ea ea erum es, is es, is

Singular Plural Singular Nominative is Vocative e, i es ea eam

Accusative eum Genitive Dative Ablative eius e e

erum eius es, is e es, is e

The third person reflexive pronouns always refer back to the subject whether it be singular or plural.
, su himself, herself itself, oneself, themselves Nominative Vocative -

Accusative s, ss Genitive Dative Ablative su sibi s, ss

Latin declension

11

Interrogative pronouns
The interrogative pronouns are used strictly for asking questions. It is best not to confuse them with the relative pronoun and the interrogative adjective (which is declined like the relative pronoun). Interrogative pronouns rarely occur in the plural, though they may. The plural interrogative pronouns are the same as the plural relative pronouns.
quiswho? m. and f. quidwhat? n. only Singular Nominative quis Vocative quid quid cuius cu qu

Accusative quem Genitive Dative Ablative cuius cu qu

Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives

hic, haec, hoc this, this one Masculine Feminine Neuter ille, illa, illud that, that one Masculine Feminine Neuter iste, ista, istud that of yours Masculine Feminine Neuter

Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Nominative hic Vocative h hs haec hanc hae hs hoc hoc haec haec ille illum ill ills illa illam illae ills illud illud illa illa iste istum ist ists ista istam istae ists istud istud ista ista istrum ists ists

Accusative hunc Genitive Dative Ablative huius huic hc

hrum huius hs hs huic hc

hrum huius hs hs huic hc

hrum illus hs hs ill ill

illrum illus ills ills ill ill

illrum illus ills ills ill ill

illrum istus ills ills ist ist

istrum istus ists ists ist ist

istrum istus ists ists ist ist

Intensive pronouns
ipse, ipsa, ipsum himself, herself, itself Masculine Singular Nominative ipse Vocative Plural ips ipss Feminine Singular ipsa ipsam Plural ipsae ipss Neuter Singular ipsum ipsum Plural ipsa ipsa ipsrum ipss ipss

Accusative ipsum Genitive Dative Ablative ipsus ips ips

ipsrum ipsus ipss ipss ips ips

ipsrum ipsus ipss ipss ips ips

Latin declension

12

Relative pronouns
qu, quae, quodwho, which, that Masculine Feminine Neuter

Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Nominative qu Vocative qu qus quae quam quae qus quod quod quae quae qurum quibus quibus

Accusative quem Genitive Dative Ablative cius cui qu

qurum cius quibus quibus cui qu

qurum cius quibus quibus cui qu

Adjectives
First and second declension adjectives
First and second declension are inflected in the masculine, the feminine and the neuter; the masculine form typically ends in us (although some end in -er, see below), the feminine form ends in a, and the neuter form ends in um. Therefore, adjectives are given like altus, alta, altum.
altus, a, um high, long, tall Masculine Singular Nominative altus Vocative alte us e alt alt Plural s Feminine Singular alta alta a a altae altae Plural ae ae s Singular altum um alta altum um alta altum um alta Neuter Plural a a a

Accusative altum um alts Genitive Dative Ablative alt alt alt

altam am alts ae ae

altrum rum altae alts alts s s altae alt

altrum rum alt alts alts s s alt alt

altrum rum alts alts s s

First and second declension r adjectives Some first and second declension adjectives' masculine form end in an er. As with second declension nouns r nouns, some adjectives retain the e throughout inflection, and some omit it. Sacer, sacra, sacrum omits its e while miser, misera, miserum keeps it.

Latin declension

13

miser, era, erum sad, poor, unhappy Masculine Singular Nominative miser Vocative miser er er miser miser Plural s Singular misera misera a a Feminine Plural miserae miserae ae ae s Singular Neuter Plural a a a

miserum um misera miserum um misera miserum um misera

Accusative miserum um misers Genitive Dative Ablative miser miser miser

miseram am misers ae ae

miserrum rum miserae misers misers s s miserae miser

miserrum rum miser misers misers s s miser miser

miserrum rum misers misers s s

sacer, cra, crum sacred, holy Masculine Singular Nominative sacer Vocative sacer er er sacr sacr Plural s Singular sacra sacra a a Feminine Plural sacrae sacrae ae ae s Singular sacrum um sacra sacrum um sacra sacrum um sacra Neuter Plural a a a

Accusative sacrum um sacrs Genitive Dative Ablative sacr sacr sacr

sacram am sacrs ae ae

sacrrum rum sacrae sacrs sacrs s s sacrae sacr

sacrrum rum sacr sacrs sacrs s s sacr sacr

sacrrum rum sacrs sacrs s s

First and second us genitive adjectives Nine first and second declension adjectives are irregular in the genitive and the dative in all genders. They can be remembered by using the mnemonic acronym UNUS NAUTA. They are: llus, a, um; any nllus, a, um; no, none (of any) uter, tra, trum; which (of two) slus, a, um; sole, alone neuter, tra, trum; neither (of two) alius, a, ud; (gen. sing. alus; another) nus, a, um; one ttus, a, um; whole alter, era, erum; the other (of two)

Latin declension

14

llus, a, umany Masculine Singular Nominative llus Vocative lle us e ll ll Plural s Feminine Singular lla lla a a llae llae Plural ae ae s Singular llum um lla llum um lla llum um lla Neuter Plural a a a

Accusative llum um lls Genitive Dative Ablative

llam am lls

llus us llrum rum llus us llrum rum llus us llrum rum ll ll lls lls s s ll ll lls lls s s ll ll lls lls s s

Third declension adjectives

Third declension adjectives are normally declined like third declension i-stem nouns, except for the fact they always have a rather than an -e in the ablative singular (unlike i-stem nouns, in which only neuters have ). Some adjectives, however, like the one-ending vetus, veteris (old, aged), have an -e in the ablative singular (all genders), a -um in the genitive plural (all genders), and an -a in the nominative and accusative plural (neuter only). Third declension adjectives with one ending Third declension adjectives with one ending have single nominative ending for all genders. As with nouns, a genitive is given for the purpose of inflection.
atrx, cis terrible, mean, cruel Masculine & Feminine Singular Nominative atrx Vocative atrx x x Plural atrcs atrcs s s s1 Singular atrx atrx atrx Neuter Plural ia ia ia

x atrcia x atrcia x atrcia

Accusative atrcem em atrcs Genitive Dative Ablative

1

atrcis atrc atrc

is

atrcium ium atrcis is atrcibus ibus atrc atrcibus ibus atrc

atrcium ium atrcibus ibus atrcibus ibus

may end in s

may end in e

Third declension adjectives with two endings Third declension adjectives that have two endings have one form for the masculine and feminine, and a separate form for the neuter. The ending for the masculine and feminine is is, and the ending for the neuter is e. Because the sexed form ends in an is, we find the adjective genitive singular.

Latin declension

15

agilis, enimble, swift Masculine & Feminine Singular Nominative agilis Vocative agilis is is Plural agils agils s s s1 Singular Neuter Plural ia ia ia

agile e agilia agile e agilia agile e agilia

Accusative agilem em agils Genitive Dative Ablative

1

agilis agil agil

is

agilium ium agilis is agilium ium agilibus ibus agil agilibus ibus agil agilibus ibus agilibus ibus

may end in s

Third declension adjectives with three endings Third declension adjectives with three endings have three separate nominative forms for all three genders. Like third and second declension r nouns, the masculine ends in an er. The feminine ends in an ris, and the neuter ends in an re. With that information, we come upon the genitive singular needed for inflection, the feminine form.
celer, eris, ereswift, rapid, brash Masculine Singular Nominative celer Vocative celer er er Plural celers celers s s s1 Feminine Singular celeris celeris is is Plural celers celers s s s1 Singular Neuter Plural ia ia ia

celere e celeria celere e celeria celere e celeria

Accusative celerem em celers Genitive Dative Ablative celeris celer celer is

celerem em celers is

celerium ium celeris celeribus ibus celer celeribus ibus celer

celerium ium celeris is celerium ium celeribus ibus celer celeribus ibus celer celeribus ibus celeribus ibus

alacer, cris, crelively, jovial, animated Masculine Singular Nominative alacer Vocative alacer er er Plural alacrs alacrs s s s1 Feminine Singular alacris alacris is is Plural alacrs alacrs s s s1 Singular Neuter Plural ia ia ia

alacre e alacria alacre e alacria alacre e alacria

Accusative alacrem em alacrs Genitive Dative Ablative 1 alacris alacr alacr is

alacrem em alacrs is

alacrium ium alacris alacribus ibus alacr alacribus ibus alacr

alacrium ium alacris is alacrium ium alacribus ibus alacr alacribus ibus alacr alacribus ibus alacribus ibus

may end in s

Latin declension

16

Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives

As in English, adjectives have superlative and comparative forms. For regular first and second declension and third declension adjectives with one or two endings, the comparative is formed by adding an ior for the masculine and feminine, and an ius for the neuter to the base. The genitive for both are formed by adding an iris. Therefore, they are declined like the third declension. However, they are not declined as i-stems are. Superlatives formed by adding an issimus, a, um to the base. Now, we find that superlatives are declined like first and second declension adjectives. Adjective Positive Comparative Superlative

benignus, a, um (kind, nice) benignior, ius benignissimus, a, um frgidus, a, um (cold, chilly) frgidior, ius calidus, a, um (hot, fiery) pugnx, cis (pugnacious) fortis, e (strong, robust) aequlis, e (equal, even) Comparatives and superlatives of er adjectives Adjectives (in the third and first and second declensions) that have masculine nominative singular forms ending in er have different forms. If the feminine and neuter forms drop the E, use that for the comparative form. The superlative is formed by adding a rimus onto the masculine form. Adjective Positive Comparative Superlative calidior, ius frgidissimus, a, um calidissimus, a, um

pugncior, ius pugncissimus, a, um fortior, ius fortissimus, a, um

aequlior, ius aequlissimus, a, um

pulcher, chra, chrum (pretty, beautiful) pulchrior, ius pulcherrimus, a, um sacer, cra, crum (sacred, holy) tener, era, erum (delicate, tender) cer, cris, cre (sharp) celber, bris, bre (celebrated, famous) celer, eris, ere (quick, fast) Comparatives and superlatives of lis adjectives Some third declension adjectives with two endings in lis in the sexed nominative singular have irregular superlative forms. The following are the only adjectives that have this unique form. Adjective Positive facilis, e (easy) difficilis, e (hard, difficult) similis, e (similar, like) Comparative facilior, ius difficilior, ius similior, ius Superlative facillimus, a, um difficillimus, a, um simillimus, a, um sacrior, ius tenerior, ius crior, ius sacerrimus, a, um tenerrimus, a, um cerrimus, a, um

celbrior, ius celberrimus, a, um celerior, ius celerrimus, a, um

dissimilis, e (unlike, dissimilar) dissimilior, ius dissimillimus, a, um gracilis, e (slender, slim) humilis, e (low, humble) gracilior, ius humilior, ius gracillimus, a, um humillimus, a, um

Latin declension Irregular comparatives and superlatives As in most languages, Latin has adjectives that have irregular comparatives and superlatives. Adjective Positive bonus, a, um (good) malus, a, um (bad, evil) magnus, a, um (great, large) parvus, a, um (small, slight) multus, a, um (much, many) mtrus, a, um (ripe, mature) nquam3 (worthless) posterus, a, um (next, future) superus, a, um (above, upper) Comparative melior, ius peior, ius maior, ius minor, us pls1 mtrior, ius nquior, ius posterior, ius superior, ius Superlative optimus, a, um pessimus, a, um maximus, a, um minimus, a, um plurimus, a, um mtrrimus, a, um2 nquissimus, a, um postremus, a, um supremus, a, um extremus, a, um novissimus, a, um

17

exterus, a, um (outer, outward) exterior, ius novus, a, um (new, strange) senex, senis (old, aged) iuvenis, is (young, youthful) novior, -ium senior, ius

iuvenior -ius / inior, ius

1: noun used with genitive to express more of something 2: often replaced by the regular form 'maturissimus, a, um' 3: indeclinable

Declension of dem
The adjective dem, eadem, idem means 'same.' It is a variant of the third person pronouns that were declined earlier. Generally, they are formed by adding dem to a declined third person pronouns. However, some forms have been changed to ease pronunciation.
dem, eadem, idemthe same, same as Masculine Singular Nominative dem Plural edem, idem edem, idem esdem Feminine Singular eadem Plural eaedem Neuter Singular idem Plural eadem

Vocative

dem

eadem

eaedem

idem

eadem

Accusative eundem Genitive Dative eiusdem edem

eandem

esdem

idem

eadem erundem esdem, isdem esdem, isdem

erundem eiusdem esdem, isdem esdem, isdem edem

erundem eiusdem esdem, isdem esdem, isdem edem

Ablative

edem

edem

edem

Latin declension

18

Declension of numerals
See also: Roman numerals for symbology. There are several different kinds of numeral words in Latin: the two most common are cardinal numerals, and ordinal numerals. There are also several more rare numerals such as distributive numerals and adverbial numerals Cardinal numerals All numerals, except num (one), duo (two), tria (three), centum (one hundred), and mlia (thousand, sing. mlle) are indeclinable adjectives. nus, na, num is declined like a first and second declension adjective with an us in the genitive, and in the dative. Duo is declined irregularly, and tria is declined like a third declension adjective.
duo, duae, duo two Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural Nominative duo Vocative duo duae duae dus duo duo duo durum dubus dubus

Accusative dus / duo Genitive Dative Ablative

durum / duum durum dubus dubus dubus dubus

It should be noted that amb, "both", is declined as duo is, though its o is long.
trs, tria Masculine & Feminine Neuter Plural Nominative trs Vocative trs tria tria tria trium tribus tribus

Accusative trs, trs Genitive Dative Ablative trium tribus tribus

The word mlle, is singular, an adjective and indeclinable. However, its plural, mlia, is a plural 3rd declension I-stem neuter noun.

Latin declension

19

mlia, mlium(a) thousand n. Plural Nominative mlia Genitive mlium

Accusative mlia Dative Vocative Ablative mlibus mlia mlibus

Note that to write the phrase "four thousand horses" in Latin, the genitive is used: "quattuor milia equrum", literally, "four thousands of horses". As stated before, the rest of the numbers are indeclinable adjectives. They are also indeclinable as substantives.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I II III IV V VI VII nus, a, um 11 XI duo, ae, o trs, ia quattuor qunque sex septem 12 XII 13 XIII 14 XIV 15 XV 16 XVI 17 XVII ndecim duodecim trdecim 21 22 30 XXI XXII XXX XL L LX LXX nus et vigint 101 du et vigint trgint quadrgint qunqugint sexgint septugint 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 CI CC CCC CD D DC DCC centum et nus ducent, ae, a trecent quadrigent qungent sescent septingent

quattuordecim 40 qundecim sdecim septendecim 50 60 70 80 90

VIII oct IX novem decem

18 XVIII duodvigint 19 XIX 20 XX ndvigint vigint

LXXX octgint XC nngint centum

DCCC octingent CM nngent mlle

10 X

100 C

1000 M

Ordinal numerals Ordinal numerals all decline like normal 1st and 2nd declension adjectives. Primus = first Secundus = second Tertius = third Vicensimus = twentieth

Note: "secundus" only means "second" in the sense of "following". The adjective alter, -ra, -rum meaning "the other (of two)" was more frequently used in many instances that English would use "second". Ordinal numbers, not cardinal numbers, are commonly used to represent dates, because they are in the format of "in the tenth year of Caesar", etc. which also carried over into the Anno Domini system and Christian dating, i.e. "anno post Christum nato centensimo" = AD 100.

Latin declension Distributive numerals A rare numeral construction denoting an equal number distributed among several objects, e.g. "How many each?" "Two by two." They decline like normal 1st and 2nd declension adjectives, and are logically always plural. Bis, Bina = "twice two". A classical example would be "Uxores habent deni duo deniqui inter se communes" = "groups of ten or twelve men had wives in common" Gallic Wars, Julius Caesar Adverbial numerals Adverbial numerals are (as the name states) indeclinable adverbs, but because all of the other numeral constructions are adjectives, they are listed here with them. Adverbial numerals give how many times a thing happened. Semel = once, Bis = twice, Ter = thrice (three times), Quater = four times, etc.

20

Adverbs and their comparisons and superlatives

Adverbs are not declined. However, adverbs must be formed if one wants to make an adjective into an adverb.

First and second declension adjectives' adverbs

First and second declension adjectives' adverbs are formed by adding an onto their bases. Adjective clrus, a, um (clear, famous) validus, a, um (strong, robust) nfrmus, a, um (weak) solidus, a, um (complete, firm) Adverb clr (clearly, famously) valid (strongly, robustly) nfrm (weakly) solid (completely, firmly)

integer, gra, grum (whole, fresh) integr (wholly, freshly) lber, era, erum (free) lber (freely)

Third declension adjectives' adverbs

Typically, third declension adjectives' adverbs are formed by adding an iter onto their bases. However, most third declension adjectives with one ending simply add an er to their bases. Adjective prdns, entis (prudent) audx, cis (bold) Adverb prdenter (prudently) audcter (boldly)

virilis, e (courageous, spirited) viriliter (courageously, spiritedly) salbris, -e (wholesome) salbriter (wholesomely)

Latin declension

21

Adverbs' comparative and superlative forms

Adverbs' comparative forms are their neuter adjectives' comparative forms. Adverbs' superlative forms are made in the same way in which first and second declension adjectives' adverbs are made. First and second declension adjectives' adverbs are formed by adding an onto their bases. Positive clr (clearly, famously) Comparative Superlative clrius clrissim prudentissim salberissim

solid (completely, firmly) solidius lber (freely) prudenter (prudently) salbriter (wholesomely) lberius prudentius salberius

Irregular adverbs and their comparative and superlative forms

As so with adjectives, there are irregular adverbs with peculiar comparative and superlative forms. Positive bene (well) male (ill, badly) mgnoper (greatly) multum (much, a lot) parvum (little) nquiter (worthlessly) saepe (often) Comparative melius peius magis pls minus nquius saepius Superlative optim pessim maxim plrimum minim nquissim saepissim mturrim proxim nperrim potissim (especially)

mtr (seasonably, betimes) mtrius prope (near) nper (recently) potis (possible) secus (otherwise) propius potius (rather)

prius (before, previously) prmum /primo (first) stius / sequius (less)

Peculiarities within declension

Irregularity in number
Some nouns are declined in the singular only. This is the case with: Materials such as aurum (gold) and aes (copper) Abstract nouns such as celerits (speed) and scientia (knowledge) Proper names such as Iulius (Julius) and Clra (Clara) There are nouns that are declined only in the plural as well (plurale tantum): Many festivals, such as Saturnalia Words like castra (camp) and arma (arms) A few geographical names are plural such as Thbae (Thebes).

Latin declension

22

Indeclinable nouns
Indeclinable nouns are neuter nouns which occur only in the nominative and the accusative singular. There are only six such nouns: fs fate, divine law nstar likeness mne morning nefs sin, abomination nihil / nil nothing, none secus - sex, coitus

Heterogeneous nouns
Heterogeneous nouns are nouns which vary in respect to gender. A few nouns in the second declension occur in both the neuter and masculine. However, their meanings remain the same. Some nouns are one gender in the singular, but become another gender in the plural. They may also change in meaning.
Singular balneum n. bath Plural balneae f. or balnea n. bath-house

epulum n. feast, banquet epulae f. feasts, banquets frnum n. bridle, curb iocus m. joke, jest locus m. place, location rstrum n. hoe, rake frn m. bridle, curb ioca n. or ioci m. jokes, jests loca n. places, locations; loc region rstr m. hoes, rakes

Plurals with alternative meanings

Nouns whose plural meaning is different from the singular meaning are called plrlia tantum.
Singular aeds, is f. building, temple auxilium, n. help, aid carcer, eris m. prison, cell castrum, n. fort, castle, fortress cpia, ae f. plenty, much, abundance fnis, is m. end, boundary fortna, ae f. luck, chance grtia, ae f. charm, favor Plural aeds, ium rooms, house auxilia, rum auxiliary troops carcers, um starting-place of a chariot race castra, rum milit. camp, encampment cpiae, rum troops fns, ium territory fortnae rum wealth grtiae, rum thanks

impedmentum, m. impediment, hindrance impedmenta, rum baggage littera, ae f. letter (as in A, B, C, etc.) ms, mris m. habit, inclination opera, ae f. trouble, pains opis f. [5] help litterae, rum epistle, scholarship, literature mrs, um m. morals, character operae, rum workmen ops, ium resources, wealth

Latin declension

23
pars, partis f. part, piece sl, salis m. salt, sea water parts, ium office, function sals, um wit, smarts

Notes
[1] The archaism aquai occurs frequently in Virgil, Cicero, Lucretius and others, to evoke the style of older writers. [2] Gildersleeve & Lodge 15, Allen & Greenough 12, 49c [3] Being a Greek word, the accusative form is phoenica (Ovid, Metamorphoses, 15.393 (http:/ / www. thelatinlibrary. com/ ovid/ ovid. met15. shtml)). Greek -a, like Latin -em, comes from the PIE athematic ending -m, which was pronounced as a vowel after consonants. [4] Here or come from Old Latin ou. Thus b-/b- and I- before consonant endings are alternate developments of the bov- and Iov- before vowel endings. The double pp in the preferred form Iu-ppiter "Father Jove" is an alternate way of marking the length of the u in the etymological form I-piter. i is weakened from a in pater (Allen and Greenough, sect. 79 b). [5] (gen.; nom. and dat. do not occur) the goddess Ops (pers.)

References
Latin declensor (http://molinarium.es/declinador.html) (Spanish) New Latin Grammar (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15665), an eBook, originally written by Charles Edwin Bennett, at the Project Gutenberg Latin grammar - interactive (http://latinskirecnik.110mb.com/latingram/substantiva_eng.html) A Student's Latin Grammar, by Cambridge Latin Course's Robin m. Griffin, Third Edition Gildersleeve, B. L.; Gonzalez Lodge (1895). Gildersleeve's Latin Grammar (3rd ed.). Macmillan. ISBN0-333-09215-5. Greenough, J. B.; G. L. Kittredge, A. A. Howard, Benj. L. D'Ooge (1903). Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04. 0001). Ginn and Company.

Article Sources and Contributors

24

Article Sources and Contributors

Latin declension Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=484041305 Contributors: 208.168.16.xxx, 212.25.85.xxx, 4pq1injbok, 7th Declension, A. Parrot, Aetherlur, Aeusoes1, Ahoerstemeier, Alexmoorehead42, Anakata, AneleZeravla, Angr, AnonMoos, Antandrus, Aramgar, Arda Xi, Asclepius, Attilios, AugPi, Benlisquare, Benwing, Bill3000, Billiot, Bjankuloski06en, Blurrzuki, Bombshell, Brion VIBBER, Brusegadi, Burschik, CSWarren, CanisRufus, CapnPrep, Carolus, Chris386, ChristopherWillis, Christophore, Ciacchi, Closedmouth, Cmdrjameson, Conversion script, Count Truthstein, Cynwolfe, DanMS, Darthanakin, David Martin Chao, Dev920, Dnik, Don4of4, Donarreiskoffer, Dpc01, Edcolins, Ehrenkater, Ekwos, EncycloPetey, Endorf, Epbr123, Erutuon, Ettrig, Fabullus, FilipeS, Foolman89, Furrykef, Gandalf1491, Gbnogkfs, Gerbrant, Getf42, Gilgamesh, GlobeGores, GoGi, Graham87, Grblomerth, Hairy Dude, Hao2lian, HappyInGeneral, Harryboyles, Horsieluvr77, Igodard, Ihcoyc, Inspector Baynes, Iridescent, J. Finkelstein, JSpung, Jaberwocky6669, Jason131813, Jed 20012, Jeffq, Jfblanc, Jheald, Jim1138, Jobber, JoergenB, Jogloran, John Riemann Soong, Jonathan Schfer, Joriki, Jusdafax, Ka Faraq Gatri, Karenbudde, Kbolino, Kenyon, Kinzcg12, Kongming819, Kwamikagami, La Pianista, Laogeodritt, Largoplazo, Latintemplate, Laudaka, Lawrence King, Lesgles, Lexor, Lindsay1999, Literaturepitome, Looxix, Lotje, Makerowner, Marnanel, Mboverload, Mecv, Mhss, Mild Bill Hiccup, Mirage GSM, Mirv, Mochattez, Moogwrench, Moyogo, Mygerardromance, Naddy, Nightstallion, Nik42, Oda Mari, Pajamacore, Pajast, PaulGS, Penarc, Peter Chastain, Philx, Pinnerup, Prudentius, Psyche825, Quellyn, RPlunk2853, Radagast3, Reinyday, Rich Farmbrough, Richwales, Rodii, Rsvk, Ruakh, SJK, Salt Yeung, Sburke, Schoen, Shanes, Smilers, SomethingWittyHere, Sotades, Starnestommy, Stephen MUFC, StradivariusTV, Subtilior, Tarquin, Tb, Tbone762, Tedius Zanarukando, The penguin boy, Theelf29, TimNelson, Ttownfeen, Turgan, UNIT A4B1, UnDeadGoat, Vanisaac, VashiDonsk, Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici, Wally787, Wasabe3543, Wavelength, Weatherman1126, Wik, Wombat1138, Wordsmith, Xiaq, Yeom0609, Yolgnu, 393 anonymous edits

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