Latin declension

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Template:Short description Template:Latin grammar

Latin declension is the set of patterns according to which Latin words are declined—that is, have their endings altered to show grammatical case, number and gender. Nouns, pronouns, and adjectives are declined (verbs are conjugated), and a given pattern is called a declension. There are five declensions, which are numbered and grouped by ending and grammatical gender. Each noun follows one of the five declensions, but some irregular nouns have exceptions.

Adjectives are of two kinds: those like Template:Wikt-lang 'good' use first-declension endings for the feminine, and second-declension for masculine and neuter. Other adjectives such as Template:Wikt-lang belong to the third declension. There are no fourth- or fifth-declension adjectives.

Pronouns are also of two kinds, the personal pronouns such as Template:Wikt-lang 'I' and Template:Wikt-lang 'you (Template:Abbr)', which have their own irregular declension, and the third-person pronouns such as Template:Wikt-lang 'this' and Template:Wikt-lang 'that' which can generally be used either as pronouns or adjectivally. These latter decline in a similar way to the first and second noun declensions, but there are differences; for example the genitive singular ends in -īus or -ius instead of or -ae and the dative singular ends in ..

The cardinal numbers Template:Wikt-lang 'one', Template:Wikt-lang 'two', and Template:Wikt-lang 'three' also have their own declensions (ūnus has genitive -īus and dative like a pronoun). However, numeral adjectives such as Template:Wikt-lang 'a pair, two each' decline like ordinary adjectives.

Grammatical casesEdit

A complete Latin noun declension consists of up to seven grammatical cases: nominative, vocative, accusative, genitive, dative, ablative and locative. However, the locative is limited to a few nouns: generally names of cities, small islands and a few other words.

Order of casesEdit

The Roman grammarian Aelius Donatus (4th century AD), whose work was used as standard throughout the Middle Ages, placed the cases in this order:

{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref>Aelius Donatus, Ars Major, 2.8.</ref>
"there are six cases: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, vocative and ablative."

This order was based on the order used by earlier Greek grammarians, with the addition of the ablative, which does not exist in Greek. The names of the cases also were mostly translated from the Greek terms, such as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} from the Greek {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

This traditional order was formerly used in England, such as in The School and University Eton Latin Grammar (1861).<ref>Mongan, James Roscoe (1861). The School and University Eton Latin Grammar, Explanatory and Critical. London 1861.</ref> That order is still followed in most other European countries. Gildersleeve and Lodge's Latin Grammar (1895) also follow this order. More recent Latin grammars published in the United States, such as Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar (1903) and Wheelock's Latin (first published in 1956) follow this order except they list the vocative last.

However, in Britain and countries influenced by Britain other than the United States, the Latin cases are usually given in the following order: nominative, vocative, accusative, genitive, dative, ablative. This order was introduced in Benjamin Hall Kennedy's Latin Primer (1866), with the aim of making tables of declensions easier to recite and memorise (the first three and the last two cases having identical forms in several declensions).Template:Full citation needed It is also used in France<ref>Paul Crouzet (1902), Grammaire Latine, simple et complète, p. 7.</ref> and Belgium. In Rosa (1962), a song in French by the Belgian singer Jacques Brel, Brel sings the declension of "rosa" as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, following the British order of cases.Template:Full citation needed

SyncretismEdit

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:

Gender-specificEdit

  • For neuter nouns, the nominative, vocative, and accusative cases are identical. The nominative, vocative, and accusative plural almost always ends in -a. (Both of these features are inherited from Proto-Indo-European, and so no actual syncretism is known to have happened in the historical sense, since these cases of these nouns are not known to have ever been different in the first place.)

Case-specificEdit

  • The vocative form is always the same as the nominative in the plural, and usually the same as the nominative in the singular except for second-declension nouns ending in -us and a few nouns of Greek origin. For example, the vocative of the first-declension Template:Wikt-lang is {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.
  • The genitive singular is the same as the nominative plural in first-, second-, and fourth-declension non-neuter Latin nouns.
  • The dative singular is the same as the genitive singular in first- and fifth-declension pure Latin nouns.
  • The dative is always the same as the ablative in the singular in the second declension, the third-declension full i-stems (i.e. neuter i-stems, adjectives), and fourth-declension neuters.
  • The dative, ablative, and locative are always identical in the plural.
  • The locative singular is identical to the genitive in the 1st and 2nd declensions; to the dative or ablative in the 3rd declension; to the ablative in the 5th declension.
  • The nominative and accusative plurals are identical for all nouns of the 4th declension (in -ūs) and 5th declension (in -ēs), and for many nouns of the 3rd declension (in -ēs; but a distinct accusative plural in -īs can be used in Classical Latin for some i-stem nouns).

History of casesEdit

Old Latin had essentially two patterns of endings. One pattern was shared by the first and second declensions, which derived from the Proto-Indo-European thematic declension. The other pattern was used by the third, fourth and fifth declensions, and derived from the athematic PIE declension.

NounsEdit

There are two principal parts for Latin nouns: the nominative singular and the genitive singular. Each declension can be unequivocally identified by the ending of the genitive singular (-ae, -i, -is, -ūs, -ei). The stem of the noun can be identified by the form of the genitive singular as well.

There are five declensions for Latin nouns:

Template:AnchorTemplate:Anchor First declension (a stems)Edit

Nouns of this declension usually end in -a in the nominative singular and are mostly feminine, e.g. Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('road') and Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('water'). There is a small class of masculine exceptions generally referring to occupations, e.g. Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('poet'), Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('farmer'), Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('auriga, charioteer'), Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('pirate') and Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('sailor').

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.

First declension paradigm
Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative -a -ae
Accusative -am -ās
Genitive -ae -ārum
Dative -īs
Ablative
Locative Gen. Dat.
Template:Wikt-lang
table Template:Abbr
Template:Wikt-lang
poet Template:Abbr
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative mensa mensae poēta poētae
Accusative mensam mensās poētam poētās
Genitive mensaeTemplate:Efn-lr mensārum poētae poētārum
Dative mensīs poētīs
Ablative mensā poētā

Template:Notelist-lr The locative endings for the first declension are -ae (singular) and -īs (plural), similar to the genitive singular and ablative plural, as in Template:Wikt-lang 'in war' and Template:Wikt-lang 'at Athens'.<ref>Allen and Greenough. §43 c.</ref>

Template:Anchor First declension Greek nounsEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

The first declension also includes three types of Greek loanwords, derived from Ancient Greek's alpha declension. They are declined irregularly in the singular, but sometimes treated as native Latin nouns, e.g. nominative Template:Wikt-lang ('athlete') instead of the original athlētēs. Archaic (Homeric) first declension Greek nouns and adjectives had been formed in exactly the same way as in Latin: nephelēgeréta Zeus ('Zeus the cloud-gatherer') had in classical Greek become nephelēgerétēs.

For full paradigm tables and more detailed information, see the Wiktionary appendix First declension.

Template:AnchorTemplate:Anchor Second declension (o stems)Edit

The second declension is a large group of nouns consisting of mostly masculine nouns like Template:Wikt-lang ('horse') and Template:Wikt-lang ('boy') and neuter nouns like Template:Wikt-lang ('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.

Second declension paradigm
Singular Plural
Masculine Neuter Masculine Neuter
Nominative -us -um -a
Vocative -e
Accusative -um -ōs
Genitive -ōrum
Dative, Ablative -īs
Locative Gen. Dat.
Masculine
Template:Wikt-lang
master Template:Abbr
Singular Plural
Nominative dominus dominī
Vocative domine
Accusative dominum dominōs
Genitive dominī dominōrum
Dative, Ablative dominō dominīs
Neuter
Template:Wikt-lang
war Template:Abbr
Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative, Accusative bellum bella
Genitive bellī bellōrum
Locative bellīs
Dative, Ablative bellō

The locative endings for the second declension are (singular) and -īs (plural); Template:Wikt-lang "at Corinth", Template:Wikt-lang "at Milan", and Template:Wikt-lang "at Philippi".<ref>Allen and Greenough. §49 a.</ref>

Template:Anchor Second-declension -ius and -ium nounsEdit

Nouns ending in -ius and -ium have a genitive singular in in earlier Latin, which was regularized to -iī 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 Vergilī (from Template:Wikt-lang) is pronounced Vergílī, with stress on the penult, even though it is short.<ref>Gildersleeve & Lodge §15, Allen & Greenough §12, §49c</ref> In Old Latin, however, the vocative was declined regularly, using -ie instead, e.g. fīlie "[O] son", archaic vocative of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

There is no contraction of -iī(s) in plural forms and in the locative.

Template:Wikt-lang
son Template:Abbr
Template:Wikt-lang
aid, help Template:Abbr
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
Vocative lang}}
Accusative lang}} lang}}
Genitive lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}
Dative, Ablative lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}

In the older language, nouns ending with -vus, -quus and -vum take o rather than u in the nominative and accusative singular. For example, Template:Wikt-lang ('slave') could be servos, accusative servom.

Template:Anchor Second-declension -r nounsEdit

Some masculine nouns of the second declension end in -er or -ir in the nominative singular. The declension of these nouns is identical to that of the regular second declension, except for the lack of suffix in the nominative and vocative singular.

Some (but not all) nouns in -er drop the e in the genitive and other cases. For example, Template:Wikt-lang ('father-in-law') keeps its e. However, the noun Template:Wikt-lang ('(school)master') drops its e in the genitive singular.

For declension tables of second-declension nouns, see the corresponding Wiktionary appendix.

Template:Wikt-lang
boy Template:Abbr
Template:Wikt-lang
field Template:Abbr
Template:Wikt-lang
man Template:Abbr
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative,Vocative puer puerī ager agrī vir virī
Accusative puerum puerōs agrum agrōs virum virōs
Genitive puerī puerōrum agrī agrōrum virī virōrum
(virum)
Dative, Ablative puerō puerīs agrō agrīs virō virīs

The vocative puere is found but only in Plautus.<ref>Perseus database.</ref> The genitive plural virum is found in poetry.<ref>Gildersleeve & Lodge, Latin Grammar 3rd ed., p. 17.</ref>

Template:Anchor Second-declension Greek nounsEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

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 the Omicron declension.

Some Greek nouns may also be declined as normal Latin nouns. For example, Template:Wikt-lang can appear as theātrum.

Template:Anchor Irregular formsEdit

DeusEdit

The inflection of Template:Wikt-lang ('god') is irregular. The vocative singular of deus is not attested in Classical Latin. In Ecclesiastical Latin the vocative of Deus ('God') is Deus.

In poetry, -um may substitute -ōrum as the genitive plural ending.

deus, deī
god Template:Abbr
Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative deus deī
diī
Accusative deum deōs
Genitive deī deōrum
deum
Dative, Ablative deō deīs
diīs
dīs
VirusEdit

Three words, although second declension neuter, end in -us. These are {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} "common people, crowd", {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} "slime, poison", and (borrowed from Greek) {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} "sea".<ref>Ernout (1953), p. 34.</ref>

The word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} means "1. slimy liquid, slime; 2. poison, venom", denoting the venom of a snake. This Latin word is probably related to the Greek Template:Wikt-lang (ios) meaning "venom" or "rust" and the Sanskrit word Template:Wikt-lang Template:Transliteration meaning "toxic, poison".<ref>Chambers' Etymological Dictionary Enlarged Edition 1931.</ref>

Since {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in antiquity denoted something uncountable, it was a mass noun. Mass nouns pluralize only under special circumstances, hence the non-existence of plural forms in the texts.<ref>June 1999 issue of ASM News by the American Society for Microbiology</ref>

In Neo-Latin, a plural form is necessary in order to express the modern concept of 'viruses', which leads to the following declension:<ref>Nuntii Latini: Finnish Broadcasting Company (Radiophonia Finnica Generalis). Archiv I. 19.5.2000 – 6.12.2002: "NOVUM VIRUS COMPUTATORIUM
Novum viri computatorii genus nomine Code Red in praesenti in Interreti grassatur, ut nuntiavit institutum SANS, cuius est securitati retis informatici providere. Code Red II, quod per cursum electronicum diffunditur, priore viro acerbius est et, postquam in servitoria penetravit, in systema lacunam facit. Ita fieri potest, ut alia vira eaque etiam periculosiora in machinas computatorias irrepant. Iam vermis Code Red I molestissimus fuit, cum biduo in trecenta milia computatrorum in omni orbe terrarum invasit."</ref><ref>Pons: virus</ref><ref>William T. Stearn: Botanical Latin. History, Grammar, Syntax, Terminology and Vocabulary. David & Charles, third edition, 1983. Quote: "Virus: virus (s.n. II), gen. sing. viri, nom. pl. vira, gen. pl. vīrorum (to be distinguished from virorum, of men)."</ref>

Template:Wikt-lang
poison, venom, virus Template:Abbr
Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative, Accusative vīrus vīra
Genitive vīrīTemplate:Efn-lr vīrōrum
Dative, Ablative vīrō vīrīs

Template:Notelist-lr

Template:Anchor Third declensionEdit

The third declension is the largest group of nouns. The nominative singular of these nouns may end in -a, -e, , , -y, -c, -l, -n, -r, -s, -t, or -x. This group of nouns includes masculine, neuter, and feminine nouns.

Consonant stemsEdit

The stem of a consonant-stem noun may be found from the genitive case by removing the ending -is. For example, the stem of Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr 'peace' is pāc-, the stem of Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr 'river' is flūmin-, and the stem of Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr 'flower' is flōr-.

Masculine, feminine and neuter nouns often have their own special nominative singular endings. For instance, many masculine nouns end in -or (Template:Wikt-lang, 'love'). Many feminine nouns end in -īx (Template:Wikt-lang, 'phoenix'), and many neuter nouns end in -us with an r stem in the oblique cases (Template:Wikt-lang 'burden'; Template:Wikt-lang 'time').

Third declension paradigm
(consonant stems)
Masculine &
feminine
Neuter
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative (-s) -ēs Template:Efn-lr -a
Accusative -em
Genitive -is -um -is -um
Dative -ibus -ibus
Ablative -e -e
Locative Dat./Abl. Dat. Dat./Abl. Dat.

Template:Notelist-lr

Template:Wikt-lang
leader Template:Abbr
Template:Wikt-lang
virtue Template:Abbr
Template:Wikt-lang
name Template:Abbr
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative dux ducēs virtūs virtūtēs nōmen nōmina
Accusative ducem virtūtem
Genitive ducis ducum virtūtis virtūtum nōminis nōminum
Dative ducī ducibus virtūtī virtūtibus nōminī nōminibus
Ablative duce virtūte nōmine

The locative endings for the third declension are or -e (singular) and -ibus (plural), as in Template:Wikt-lang 'in the country' and Template:Wikt-lang 'at Tralles'.<ref>Allen and Greenough. §80.</ref>

Template:Anchor Third declension i-stem and mixed nounsEdit

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 special neuter endings. Mixed i-stems are indicated by the double consonant rule. Stems indicated by the parisyllabic rule are usually mixed, occasionally pure.

Masculine and feminine
Parisyllabic rule: Some masculine and feminine third-declension i-stem nouns have the same number of syllables in the genitive and the nominative. For example: Template:Wikt-lang ('ship'); Template:Wikt-lang ('cloud'). The nominative ends in -is or -ēs.
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: Template:Wikt-lang ('part').
Neuter
Special neuter ending: Neuter third-declension i-stems have no rule. However, all of them end in -al, -ar or -e. For example: Template:Wikt-lang ('animal'); Template:Wikt-lang ('spoon'); Template:Wikt-lang ('sea').

The mixed declension is distinguished from the consonant type only by having -ium in the genitive plural (and occasionally -īs in the accusative plural). The pure declension is characterized by having in the ablative singular, -ium in the genitive plural, -ia in the nominative and accusative plural neuter, and -im in the accusative singular masculine and feminine (however, adjectives have -em).

The accusative plural ending -īs is found in early Latin up to Virgil, but from the early empire onwards it was replaced by -ēs.<ref name=":0">Gildersleeve & Lodge (1895), p. 18.</ref>

The accusative singular ending -im is found only in a few words: always in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'cough', {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'thirst', {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'River Tiber'; usually in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'axe', {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'tower', {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'poop', {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'fever'; occasionally in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'ship'. Most nouns, however, have accusative singular -em.<ref>Gildersleeve & Lodge (1895), p. 27.</ref> The ending -im is not found in any adjectives, even those that have a separate feminine such as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'swift' or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'keen',<ref>Ernout, A. (1953), {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, p. 50.</ref> or in any masculine common nouns.

The ablative singular is found in nouns which have -im, and also, optionally, in some other nouns, e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'in the fire'.

There are two mixed-declension neuter nouns: Template:Wikt-lang ('heart') and Template:Wikt-lang ('bone'). The mixed declension is also used in the plural-only adjective Template:Wikt-lang ('most').

Third declension paradigm
(i-stem nouns)
Masculine &
Feminine
Neuter
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative -ēs -ia
Accusative -em
-im
-ēs
-īs
Genitive -is -ium -is -ium
Dative -ibus -ibus
Ablative -e
Locative Dat./Abl. Dat. Dat./Abl. Dat.
Third declension paradigm
(mixed nouns)
Masculine &
Feminine
Neuter
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative -ēs -a
Accusative -em -ēs
-īs
Genitive -is -ium -is -ium
Dative -ibus -ibus
Ablative -e -e
Locative Dat./Abl. Dat. Dat./Abl. Dat.
Template:Wikt-lang
tower Template:Abbr (pure)
Template:Wikt-lang
part, piece Template:Abbr (mixed)
Template:Wikt-lang
animal, living being Template:Abbr (pure)
Parisyllabic rule Double consonant rule Special neuter ending
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative turris turrēs pars partēs animal animālia
Accusative turrem
turrim
turrēs
turrīs
partem partēs
partīs
Genitive turris turrium partis partium animālis animālium
Dative turrī turribus partī partibus animālī animālibus
Ablative turre
turrī
parte
(partī)

The rules for determining i-stems from non-i-stems and mixed i-stems are guidelines rather than rules: many words that might be expected to be i-stems according to the parisyllabic rule actually are not, such as Template:Wikt-lang ('dog') or Template:Wikt-lang ('youth'), which have genitive plural {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'of dogs' and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'of young men'. Likewise, Template:Wikt-lang ('father'), Template:Wikt-lang ('mother'), Template:Wikt-lang ('brother'), and Template:Wikt-lang ('parent') violate the double-consonant rule. This fluidity even in Roman times resulted in much more uncertainty in Medieval Latin.

Some nouns in -tāt-, such as Template:Wikt-lang 'city, community' can have either consonant-stem or i-stem genitive plural: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'of the cities'.<ref name=":0"/>

PeculiaritiesEdit

In the third declension, there are four irregular nouns.

Case Template:Wikt-lang
force, power Template:Abbr
Template:Wikt-lang
swine, pig, hog Template:Abbr
Template:Wikt-lang
ox, bullock Template:Abbr
Template:Wikt-lang
Jupiter Template:Abbr
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular
Nominative, Vocative vīs vīrēs sūs suēs bōsTemplate:Efn-lr bovēs Iuppiter
IūpiterTemplate:Efn-lr
Accusative vim vīrēs
vīrīs
suem bovem Iovem
Genitive vīsTemplate:Efn-lr vīrium suis suum bovis boum
bovum
Iovis
Dative Template:Efn-lr vīribus suī suibus
sūbus
bovī bōbus
būbusTemplate:Efn-lr
Iovī
Ablative sue bove Iove

Template:Notelist-lr

Template:AnchorTemplate:Anchor Fourth declension (u stems)Edit

The fourth declension is a group of nouns consisting of mostly masculine words such as Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('wave') and Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('port') with a few feminine exceptions, including Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('hand') and Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('house'). The fourth declension also includes several neuter nouns including Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('knee'). Each noun has the ending -ūs 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, but the declension is otherwise very similar to the third-declension i stems.

Fourth declension paradigm
-us ending nouns ending nouns
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative -us -ūs -ua
Accusative -um
Genitive -ūs -uum -ūs -uum
Dative -uī -ibus
-ubusTemplate:Efn-lr
-ibus
Ablative
Locative Dat. Dat.

Template:Notelist-lr

Template:Wikt-lang
port Template:Abbr
Template:Wikt-lang
knee Template:Abbr
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative portus portūs genū genua
Accusative portum
Genitive portūs portuum genūs genuum
Dative portuī portibus genū genibus
Ablative portū
  • In the genitive singular, cornūs may in later times be replaced by cornū.
  • The locative endings for the fourth declension are (singular) and -ibus (plural); Template:Wikt-lang "at [the] senate", Template:Wikt-lang "at home".

DomusEdit

Template:Wikt-lang ('house, dwelling, building, home, native place, family, household, race') is an irregular noun, mixing fourth and second declension nouns at the same time (especially in literature). However, in practice, it is generally declined as a regular -us stem fourth declension noun, except for ablative singular , accusative plural -ōs, and the use of the locative.<ref>The Fourth Declension – tutorial by Ben Johnson of LatinTutorial</ref>

Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr
All possible declensions
Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative domus domūs
Accusative domum domōs
domūs
Genitive domūs domuum
domī domōrum
Dative domuī domibus
domō
domō
Ablative
domū
Locative domī
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr
Most common paradigm
Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative domus domūs
Accusative domum domōs
Genitive domūs domuum
Dative domuī domibus
Ablative domō
Locative domī

Template:Notelist-lr

Template:AnchorTemplate:Anchor Fifth declension (e stems)Edit

The fifth declension is a small group of nouns consisting of mostly feminine nouns like Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('affair, matter, thing') and diēs, diēī Template:Abbr ('day'; but Template:Abbr in names of days).

Fifth declension paradigm
-iēs ending nouns -ēs ending nouns
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative -iēs -iēs -ēs -ēs
Accusative -iem -em
Genitive -iēī -iērum -eī -ērum
Dative -iēbus -ēbus
Ablative, Locative -iē
Template:Wikt-lang
day Template:Abbr, Template:Abbr
Template:Wikt-lang
thing Template:Abbr
Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative, Vocative diēs diēs rēs rēs
Accusative diem rem
Genitive diēī diērum reī rērum
Dative diēbus rēbus
Ablative, Locative diē

Nouns ending in -iēs have long ēī in the dative and genitive, while nouns ending in a consonant + -ēs usually have short in these cases. Other forms of the genitive singular are also found, such as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Aeneid 1.636), {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Georgic 1.208), {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Ennius).<ref>Ernout (1953), p. 69.</ref>

The locative ending of the fifth declension was (singular only), identical to the ablative singular, as in Template:Wikt-lang ('today').

PronounsEdit

Personal pronounsEdit

The first and second persons are irregular, and both pronouns are indeclinable for gender; and the third person reflexive pronoun sē, suī always refers back to the subject, regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural.

First Person Second Person Third Person
Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang
I, we
Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang
you
Template:Wikt-lang
himself, herself, itself,
oneself,
themselves
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
Vocative vōs
Nominative ego
egō
nōs
Accusative
sēsē
Genitive
complements
meī nostrī tuī vestrī suī
Genitive partitive nostrum vestrum
Dative mihi
mihī
nōbīs tibi
tibī
vōbīs sibi
sibī
Ablative
sēsē

The genitive forms Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang are used as complements in certain grammatical constructions, whereas Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang are used with a partitive meaning ('[one] of us', '[one] of you'). To express possession, the possessive pronouns (essentially adjectives) Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang are used, declined in the first and second declensions to agree in number and case with the thing possessed, e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'my father', {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'my mother'. The vocative singular masculine of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'my dear Atticus'.<ref>Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum 6.1.20 etc.</ref>

Possessive pronouns' declensionsEdit

Template:Wikt-lang
my, mine
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative meus mea meum meī meae mea
Vocative

(& meus)

Accusative meum meam meōs meās
Genitive meī meae meī meōrum meārum meōrum
Dative meō meō meīs
Ablative meā
Template:Wikt-lang
your, yours (for singular possessor)
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative tuus tua tuum tuī tuae tua
Accusative tuum tuam tuōs tuās
Genitive tuī tuae tuī tuōrum tuārum tuōrum
Dative tuō tuō tuīs
Ablative tuā
Template:Wikt-lang
his, her, its, theirs (reflexive)
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative suus sua suum suī suae sua
Vocative
Accusative suum suam suōs suās
Genitive suī suae suī suōrum suārum suōrum
Dative suō suō suīs
Ablative suā
Template:Wikt-lang
our, ours
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative, Vocative noster nostra nostrum nostrī nostrae nostra
Accusative nostrum nostram nostrōs nostrās
Genitive nostrī nostrae nostrī nostrōrum nostrārum nostrōrum
Dative nostrō nostrō nostrīs
Ablative nostrā

The possessive adjective {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} has an archaic variant, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}; similar to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. Vocative of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is usually {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, and rarely {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} also, like the nominative.

Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang
your, yours (for plural possessor)
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative vester
voster
vestra
vostra
vestrum
vostrum
vestrī
vostrī
vestrae
vostrae
vestra
vostra
Accusative vestrum
vostrum
vestram
vostram
vestrōs
vostrōs
vestrās
vostrās
Genitive vestrī
vostrī
vestrae
vostrae
vestrī
vostrī
vestrōrum
vostrōrum
vestrārum
vostrārum
vestrōrum
vostrōrum
Dative vestrō
vostrō
vestrō
vostrō
vestrīs
vostrīs
Ablative vestrā
vostrā

Usually, to show the ablative of accompaniment, Template:Wikt-lang would be added to the ablative form. However, with personal pronouns (first and second person), the reflexive and the interrogative, -cum is added onto the end of the ablative form. That is: Template:Wikt-lang 'with me', Template:Wikt-lang 'with us', Template:Wikt-lang 'with you', Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang and Template:Wikt-lang (sometimes Template:Wikt-lang).

Pronouns have also an emphatic form bi using the suffix -met (Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang/Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang), used in all cases, except by the genitive plural forms.

In accusative case, the forms mēmē and tētē exist as emphatic, but they are not widely used.

Template:Wikt-lang has a possessive adjective: Template:Wikt-lang, meaning 'his/her/its/their own':

{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Cicero)<ref>Cicero, Pro Rabirio Postumo 4</ref>
"He had never seen his [own] father."

When 'his' or 'her' refers to someone else, not the subject, the genitive pronoun {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (as well as eōrum and eārum) 'of him' is used instead of suus:

{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Cicero)<ref>Cicero, Pro Milone 29</ref>
"He met Clodius in front of the latter's farm."

Despite its resemblance to the possessive adjectives {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} does not decline in agreement with the noun it refers to, in the way that an adjective would. For instance, "his father" in the accusative is {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (literally, "father of him"), not {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} *eium, in contrast with the reflexive formation {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ("his [own] father").

When one sentence is embedded inside another with a different subject, and suus can refer to either subject:

{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Nepos)<ref>Cornelius Nepos, Hannibal 12.2</ref>
"The senators ... sent ambassadors to Bithynia, who were to ask the king not to keep their greatest enemy with him but hand him over to them."

For the third-person pronoun Template:Wikt-lang 'he', see below.

Demonstrative pronouns and adjectivesEdit

Relative, demonstrative and indefinite pronouns are generally declined like first and second declension adjectives, with the following differences:

  • the nominatives are often irregular
  • the genitive singular ends in -īus rather than -ae or .
  • the dative singular ends in : rather than -ae or .

These differences characterize the pronominal declension, and a few special adjectives (Template:Wikt-lang 'whole', Template:Wikt-lang 'alone', Template:Wikt-lang 'one', Template:Wikt-lang 'no', Template:Wikt-lang 'another', Template:Wikt-lang 'another [of two]', etc.) are also declined according to this pattern.

All demonstrative, relative, and indefinite pronouns in Latin can also be used adjectivally, with some small differences; for example in the interrogative pronoun, Template:Wikt-lang 'who?' and Template:Wikt-lang 'what?' are usually used for the pronominal form, Template:Wikt-lang and Template:Wikt-lang 'which?' for the adjectival form.

Third person pronounEdit

The weak demonstrative pronoun Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang 'that' also serves as the third person pronoun 'he, she, it':

Third person
Template:Wikt-lang
he, she, it
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative is ea id
eae ea
Accusative eum eam eōs eās
Genitive eius eōrum eārum eōrum
Dative eīs
iīs
Ablative

This pronoun is also often used adjectivally, e.g. is homo 'that man', ea pecunia 'that money'. It has no possessive adjective; the genitive is used instead: pater eius 'his/her father'; pater eōrum 'their father'.

Declension of īdemEdit

The pronoun or pronominal adjective Template:Wikt-lang means 'the same'. It is derived from is with the suffix -dem. However, some forms have been assimilated.

Template:Wikt-lang
the same, same as
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative īdem eadem idem eīdem
īdem
iīdem
eaedem eadem
Accusative eundem eandem eōsdem eāsdem
Genitive eiusdem eōrundem eārundem eōrundem
Dative eīdem eīsdem
īsdem
iīsdem
Ablative eōdem eādem eōdem

Other demonstrative pronounsEdit

Template:Wikt-lang
this, this one (proximal)
Template:Wikt-lang
that, that one (distal)
Template:Wikt-lang
that of yours (medial)
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative hic haec hoc hae haec ille illa illud illī illae illa iste ista istud istī istae ista
Accusative hunc hanc hōs hās illum illam illōs illās istum istam istōs istās
Genitive huiusTemplate:Efn-lr hōrum hārum hōrum illīus illōrum illārum illōrum istīus istōrum istārum istōrum
Dative huic hīs illī illīs istī istīs
Ablative hōc hāc hōc illō illā illō istō istā istō

Template:Notelist-lr Similar in declension is Template:Wikt-lang 'another'.

Intensive pronounEdit

Template:Wikt-lang
himself, herself, itself
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative ipse ipsa ipsum ipsī ipsae ipsa
Accusative ipsum ipsam ipsōs ipsās
Genitive ipsīus ipsōrum ipsārum ipsōrum
Dative ipsī ipsīs
Ablative ipsō ipsā ipsō

Interrogative pronounsEdit

The interrogative pronouns are used strictly for asking questions. They are distinct from the relative pronoun and the interrogative adjective (which is declined like the relative pronoun). Interrogative pronouns rarely occur in the plural. The plural interrogative pronouns are the same as the plural relative pronouns.

Singular
Template:Wikt-lang
who?, what?
Masculine &
Feminine
Neuter
Nominative quis? quid?
Accusative quem?
Genitive cuius?Template:Efn-lr
Dative cui?
Ablative quō?

Relative pronounsEdit

Template:Wikt-lang
who, which, that
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative quī quae quod quī quae quae
Accusative quem quam quōs quās
Genitive cuiusTemplate:Efn-lr quōrum quārum quōrum
Dative cui quibus
Ablative quō quā quō

Template:Notelist-lr

AdjectivesEdit

First- and second-declension adjectivesEdit

First- and second-declension adjectives 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, some adjectives are given like Template:Wikt-lang.

Adjectives ending -ius use the vocative -ie (ēbrie, "[O] drunk man", vocative of ēbrius), just as in Old Latin all -ius nouns did (fīlie, "[O] son", archaic vocative of fīlius).

Template:Wikt-lang
high, long, tall
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative altus alta altum altī altae alta
Vocative alte
Accusative altum altam altōs altās
Genitive altī altae altī altōrum altārum altōrum
Dative altō altō altīs
Ablative altā

First- and second-declension -r adjectivesEdit

Some first- and second-declension adjectives' masculine forms end in -er. As with second-declension -r nouns, some adjectives retain the e throughout inflection, and some omit it. Template:Wikt-lang omits its e while Template:Wikt-lang keeps it.

Template:Wikt-lang
sad, poor, unhappy
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative miser misera miserum miserī miserae misera
Vocative
Accusative miserum miseram miserōs miserās
Genitive miserī miserae miserī miserōrum miserārum miserōrum
Dative miserō miserō miserīs
Ablative miserā
Template:Wikt-lang
sacred, holy
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative sacer sacra sacrum sacrī sacrae sacra
Vocative
Accusative sacrum sacram sacrōs sacrās
Genitive sacrī sacrae sacrī sacrōrum sacrārum sacrōrum
Dative sacrō sacrō sacrīs
Ablative sacrā

First and second declension pronominal adjectivesEdit

Nine first and second declension pronominal adjectives are irregular in the genitive and dative singular in all genders. They can be remembered by using the mnemonic acronym {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. They are:

Template:Wikt-lang
any
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative ūllus ūlla ūllum ūllī ūllae ūlla
Accusative ūllum ūllam ūllōs ūllās
Genitive ūllīus ūllōrum ūllārum ūllōrum
Dative ūllī ūllīs
Ablative ūllō ūllā ūllō

Third-declension adjectivesEdit

Third-declension adjectives are normally declined like third-declension i-stem nouns, except for the fact they usually have rather than -e in the ablative singular (unlike i-stem nouns, in which only pure i-stems have ). Some adjectives, however, like the one-ending Template:Wikt-lang ('old, aged'), have -e in the ablative singular, -um in the genitive plural, and -a in the nominative and accusative neuter plural.

Third-declension adjectives with one endingEdit

These have a single nominative ending for all genders, although as usual the endings for the other cases vary. As with nouns, a genitive is given for the purpose of showing the inflection.

Template:Wikt-lang
terrible, mean, cruel
Singular Plural
Masculine, Feminine Neuter Masculine, Feminine Neuter
Nominative, Vocative atrōx atrōx atrōcēs atrōcia
Accusative atrōcem atrōcēs
atrōcīs
Genitive atrōcis atrōcium
Dative, Ablative atrōcī atrōcibus
Non-i-stem variantEdit
Template:Wikt-lang
old, aged
Singular Plural
Masculine, Feminine Neuter Masculine, Feminine Neuter
Nominative, Vocative vetus vetus veterēs vetera
Accusative veterem
Genitive veteris veterum
Dative veterī veteribus
Ablative vetere

Third-declension adjectives with two endingsEdit

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. It is not necessary to give the genitive, as it is the same as the nominative masculine singular.

Template:Wikt-lang
nimble, swift
Singular Plural
Masculine, Feminine Neuter Masculine, Feminine Neuter
Nominative, Vocative agilis agile agilēs agilia
Accusative agilem agilēs
agilīs
Genitive agilis agilium
Dative, Ablative agilī agilibus

Third-declension adjectives with three endingsEdit

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 -er. The feminine ends in -ris, and the neuter ends in -re. The genitive is the same as the nominative feminine singular.

Template:Wikt-lang
swift, rapid, brash
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative, Vocative celer celeris celere celerēs celeria
Accusative celerem
Genitive celeris celerium
Dative, Ablative celerī celeribus
Template:Wikt-lang
lively, jovial, animated
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative, Vocative alacer alacris alacre alacrēs alacria
Accusative alacrem alacrēs
alacrīs
Genitive alacris alacrium
Dative, Ablative alacrī alacribus

Comparative and superlative forms of adjectivesEdit

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 -ior for the masculine and feminine, and -ius for the neuter to the stem. The genitives for both are formed by adding -iōris. Therefore, they are declined in the third declension, but they are not declined as i-stems. Superlatives are formed by adding -issimus, -issima, -issimum to the stem and are thus declined like first and second declension adjectives.

General pattern for comparativesEdit

Template:Wikt-lang
higher, deeper (comparative of Template:Wikt-lang)
Singular Plural
Masculine, Feminine Neuter Masculine, Feminine Neuter
Nominative, Vocative altior altius altiōrēs altiōra
Accusative altiōrem
Genitive altiōris altiōrum
Dative altiōrī altiōribus
Ablative altiōre
Template:Wikt-lang
highest, deepest (superlative of Template:Wikt-lang)
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative altissimus altissima altissimum altissimī altissimae altissima
Vocative altissime
Accusative altissimum altissimam altissimōs altissimās
Genitive altissimī altissimae altissimī altissimōrum altissimārum altissimōrum
Dative altissimō altissimō altissimīs
Ablative altissimā

Comparatives and superlatives with normal endingsEdit

Positive Comparative Superlative
Template:Wikt-lang ('clear, bright, famous') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('cold, chilly') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('pugnacious') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('kind, benevolent') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('strong, robust') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('equal, even') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang

Comparatives and superlatives of -er adjectivesEdit

Adjectives (in the first and second as well as third declensions) that have masculine nominative singular forms ending in -er are slightly different. As with normal adjectives, the comparative is formed by adding -ior to the stem, but for the superlative, -rimus is added to the nominative masculine singular.

Positive Comparative Superlative
Template:Wikt-lang ('pretty, beautiful') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('sacred, holy') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('delicate, tender') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('valliant, fierce') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('celebrated, famous') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('quick, fast') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang

Comparatives and superlatives of -lis adjectivesEdit

Some third declension adjectives with two endings in -lis in the masculine–feminine nominative singular have irregular superlative forms. The following are the only adjectives that do.

Positive Comparative Superlative
Template:Wikt-lang ('easy') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('hard, difficult') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('similar, like) Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('unlike, dissimilar') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('slender, slim') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('low, humble') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang

Comparatives and superlatives of -eus/-ius adjectivesEdit

First and second declension adjectives that end in -eus or -ius are unusual in that they do not form the comparative and superlative by taking endings at all. Instead, Template:Wikt-lang ('more') and Template:Wikt-lang ('most'), the comparative and superlative degrees of Template:Wikt-lang ('much, greatly'), respectively, are used.

Many adjectives in -uus, except those in -quus or -guus, also follow this rule.

Positive Comparative Superlative
Template:Wikt-lang ('suitable, fitting, proper') magis idōneus maximē idōneus
Template:Wikt-lang ('solitary, lonely') magis sōlitārius maximē sōlitārius
Template:Wikt-lang ('drunk') magis ebrius maximē ebrius
Template:Wikt-lang ('meritorious') magis meritōrius maximē meritōrius
Template:Wikt-lang ('grassy') magis grāmineus maximē grāmineus
Template:Wikt-lang ('warlike, bellicose') magis bellātōrius maximē bellātōrius
Template:Wikt-lang ('lofty, steep') magis arduus maximē arduus

Irregular comparatives and superlativesEdit

As in most languages, Latin has adjectives that have irregular comparatives and superlatives.

Positive Comparative Superlative
Template:Wikt-lang ('good') Template:Wikt-lang ('better') Template:Wikt-lang ('best')
Template:Wikt-lang ('bad, evil') Template:Wikt-lang ('worse') Template:Wikt-lang ('worst')
Template:Wikt-lang ('great, large') Template:Wikt-lang ('greater') Template:Wikt-lang ('greatest')
Template:Wikt-lang ('small, slight') Template:Wikt-lang ('lesser') Template:Wikt-lang ('least')
Template:Wikt-lang ('much, many') Template:Wikt-langTemplate:Efn-lr ('more') Template:Wikt-lang ('most')
Template:Wikt-lang ('near, close') Template:Wikt-lang ('nearer') Template:Wikt-lang ('nearest, next')
Template:Wikt-lang ('ripe, mature') Template:Wikt-lang ('riper') Template:Wikt-langTemplate:Efn-lr ('ripest')
Template:Wikt-langTemplate:Efn-lr ('worthless') Template:Wikt-lang ('more worthless') Template:Wikt-lang ('most worthless')
Template:Wikt-lang ('next, future') Template:Wikt-lang ('later') Template:Wikt-lang ('last, latest')
Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('above') Template:Wikt-lang ('upper') Template:Wikt-lang ('uppermost')
Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('outward') Template:Wikt-lang ('outer') Template:Wikt-lang ('outermost')
Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('below') Template:Wikt-lang ('lower') Template:Wikt-lang ('lowest')
Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('old, aged') Template:Wikt-lang ('older, elder') Template:Wikt-lang ('oldest, eldest')
Template:Wikt-lang ('young, youthful') Template:Wikt-lang ('younger')
Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('youngest')Template:Efn-lr

Template:Notelist-lr

Declension of numeralsEdit

Template:See also

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, e.g., distributive numerals and adverbial numerals.

Cardinal numeralsEdit

All cardinal numerals are indeclinable, except Template:Wikt-lang ('one'), Template:Wikt-lang ('two'), Template:Wikt-lang ('three'), plural hundreds Template:Wikt-lang ('two hundred'), Template:Wikt-lang ('three hundred') etc., and Template:Wikt-lang ('thousand'), which have cases and genders like adjectives. Template:Wikt-lang is declined like a first- and second-declension pronoun with -īus or -ius in the genitive, and in the dative. Template:Wikt-lang is declined irregularly, Template:Wikt-lang is declined like a third-declension plural adjective, -centī ('hundred') numerals decline like first- and second-declension adjectives, and Template:Wikt-lang is invariable in the singular and declined like a third-declension i-stem neuter noun in the plural:

The plural endings for ūnus are used with plūrālia tantum nouns, e. g. ūna castra (one [military] camp), ūnae scālae (one ladder).

Template:Wikt-lang
one
Singular Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative ūnus ūna ūnum ūnī ūnae ūna
Vocative ūne
Accusative ūnum ūnam ūnōs ūnās
Genitive ūnīus / ūnius ūnōrum ūnārum ūnōrum
Dative ūnī ūnīs
Ablative ūnō ūnā ūnō

The word Template:Wikt-lang ('both'), is declined like duo except that its o is long. Both declensions derive from the Indo-European dual number, otherwise defunct in Latin, rather than the plural.

Template:Wikt-lang
two
Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative, Vocative duo duae duo
Accusative duō(s) duās
Genitive duōrum duārum duōrum
Dative, Ablative duōbus duābus duōbus
Template:Wikt-lang
both
Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative, Vocative ambō ambae ambō
Accusative ambō(s) ambās
Genitive ambōrum ambārum ambōrum
Dative, Ablative ambōbus ambābus ambōbus
Template:Wikt-lang
three
Plural
Masculine, Feminine Neuter
Nominative, Vocative trēs tria
Accusative trēs / trīs
Genitive trium
Dative, Ablative tribus

The numeral Template:Wikt-lang ('one hundred') is indeclinable, but all the other hundred numerals are declinable (Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang, Template:Wikt-lang).

Template:Wikt-lang
two hundred
Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative, Vocative ducentī ducentae ducenta
Accusative ducentōs ducentās
Genitive ducentōrum ducentārum ducentōrum
Dative, Ablative ducentīs

The word mīlle 'thousand' is a singular indeclinable adjective. However, its plural, mīlia, is a plural third-declension i-stem neuter noun. To write the phrase "four thousand horses" in Latin, the genitive is used: quattuor mīlia equōrum, literally, "four thousands of horses".

Template:Wikt-lang
(one) thousand
Template:Wikt-lang
x thousand,
thousands
Nominative, Vocative mīlle mīl(l)ia -ia
Accusative
Genitive mīl(l)ium -ium
Dative, Ablative mīl(l)ibus -ibus

The rest of the numbers are indeclinable whether used as adjectives or as nouns.

For further information on the different sets of Latin numerals, see Latin numerals (linguistics).

Adverbs and their comparatives and superlativesEdit

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

Adverbs from first- and second-declension adjectivesEdit

First and second declension adjectives' adverbs are formed by adding onto their stems.

Adjective Adverb
Template:Wikt-lang ('clear, famous') Template:Wikt-lang ('clearly, famously')
Template:Wikt-lang ('strong, robust') Template:Wikt-lang ('strongly, robustly')
Template:Wikt-lang ('weak') Template:Wikt-lang ('weakly')
Template:Wikt-lang ('complete, firm') Template:Wikt-lang ('completely, firmly')
Template:Wikt-lang ('whole, fresh') Template:Wikt-lang ('wholly, freshly')
Template:Wikt-lang ('free') Template:Wikt-lang ('freely')

Adverbs from third declension adjectivesEdit

Typically, third declension adjectives' adverbs are formed by adding -iter to the stem. However, most third declension adjectives with one ending simply add -er to the stem.

Adjective Adverb
Template:Wikt-lang ('prudent') Template:Wikt-lang ('prudently')
Template:Wikt-lang ('bold') Template:Wikt-lang ('boldly')
Template:Wikt-lang ('courageous, spirited') Template:Wikt-lang ('courageously, spiritedly')
Template:Wikt-lang ('wholesome') Template:Wikt-lang ('wholesomely')

Comparative and superlative of adverbsEdit

Adverbs' comparative forms are identical to the nominative neuter singular of the corresponding comparative adjective. Adverbs' superlative forms are simply formed by attaching the regular ending to the corresponding superlative adjective. As with their corresponding adjectival forms, first and second declensions adjectives ending in -eus or -ius use Template:Wikt-lang and Template:Wikt-lang as opposed to distinct endings.

Positive Comparative Superlative
Template:Wikt-lang ('clearly, famously') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('completely, firmly') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('suitably, properly') magis idōneē maximē idōneē
Template:Wikt-lang ('prudently') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('wholesomely') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Wikt-lang

Irregular adverbs and their comparative and superlative formsEdit

As with adjectives, there are irregular adverbs with peculiar comparative and superlative forms.

Positive Comparative Superlative
Template:Wikt-lang ('well') Template:Wikt-lang ('better') Template:Wikt-lang ('best')
Template:Wikt-lang ('badly, ill') Template:Wikt-lang ('worse') Template:Wikt-lang ('worst')
Template:Wikt-lang ('greatly') Template:Wikt-lang ('more') Template:Wikt-lang ('most')
Template:Wikt-lang ('much, a lot') Template:Wikt-lang ('more') Template:Wikt-lang ('most')
Template:Wikt-lang ('little') Template:Wikt-lang ('less') Template:Wikt-lang ('least')
Template:Wikt-lang ('worthlessly') Template:Wikt-lang ('more worthlessly') Template:Wikt-lang ('most worthlessly')
Template:Wikt-lang ('often') Template:Wikt-lang ('more often') Template:Wikt-lang ('most often')
Template:Wikt-lang ('seasonably, betimes') Template:Wikt-lang ('more seasonably') Template:Wikt-lang ('most seasonably')
Template:Wikt-lang ('near') Template:Wikt-lang ('nearer') Template:Wikt-lang ('nearest, next')
Template:Wikt-lang ('recently') Template:Wikt-lang ('most recently, previously')
Template:Wikt-lang ('possible') Template:Wikt-lang ('rather') Template:Wikt-lang ('especially')
Template:Wikt-lang ('before, previously') Template:Wikt-lang ('first')
Template:Wikt-lang ('otherwise') Template:Wikt-lang
Template:Wikt-lang ('less')

Peculiarities within declensionEdit

Irregularity in numberEdit

Some nouns are only used in the singular (singulare tantum) such as:

Some nouns are only used in the plural (plurale tantum), or when plural have a singular meaning such as:

Indeclinable nounsEdit

Indeclinable nouns are nouns which only have one form in all cases (of the singular).

Heterogeneous nounsEdit

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 Plural
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('bath') balneae Template:Abbr or balnea Template:Abbr ('bathhouse')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('feast, banquet') epulae Template:Abbr ('feast, banquet')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('bridle, curb') frēnī Template:Abbr ('bridle, curb')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('joke, jest') ioca Template:Abbr or ioci Template:Abbr ('jokes, fun')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('place, location') loca Template:Abbr ('region'); locī Template:Abbr ('places in books, arguments')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('hoe, rake') rāstrī Template:Abbr ('hoes, rakes')

Plurals with alternative meaningsEdit

Singular Plural
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('building, temple') Template:Wikt-lang ('rooms, house')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('help, aid') Template:Wikt-lang ('auxiliary troops')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('prison, cell') Template:Wikt-lang ('starting traps')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('fort, castle, fortress') Template:Wikt-lang ('military camp, encampment')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('plenty, much, abundance') Template:Wikt-lang ('troops')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('luck, chance') Template:Wikt-lang ('wealth, fortune')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('charm, favor') Template:Wikt-lang ('thanks')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('impediment, hindrance') Template:Wikt-lang ('baggage, baggage train')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('letter [alphabet]') Template:Wikt-lang ('letter [message], epistle, scholarship, literature')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('habit, inclination') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('morals, character')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('trouble, pains') Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('workmen')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:AbbrTemplate:Efn-lr ('help') Template:Wikt-lang ('resources, wealth')
Template:Wikt-lang Template:Abbr ('part, piece') Template:Wikt-lang ('office, function')

Template:Notelist-lr

See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

Template:Reflist

ReferencesEdit

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la:Declinatio (grammatica)