Latin declension explained

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 'good' use first-declension endings for the feminine, and second-declension for masculine and neuter. Other adjectives such as belong to the third declension. There are no fourth- or fifth-declension adjectives.

Pronouns are also of two kinds, the personal pronouns such as 'I' and 'you ', which have their own irregular declension, and the third-person pronouns such as 'this' and '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.

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

Grammatical cases

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.

The case names are often abbreviated to the first three letters, for example, "nom." for "nominative".

Order of cases

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

Latin: casus sunt sex: nominativus, genetivus, dativus, accusativus, vocativus, ablativus.[1]

"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 Latin: [[wikt:accusativus#Latin|accusativus]] from the Greek Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: [[wikt:αἰτιατικός|αἰτῐᾱτῐκή]].

This traditional order was formerly used in England, such as in The School and University Eton Latin Grammar (1861).[2] 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). It is also used in France[3] and Belgium. In Rosa (1962), a song in French by the Belgian singer Jacques Brel, Brel sings the declension of "Rosa" as Latin: rosa, rosa, rosam, following the modern British order of cases.

Syncretism

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-specific

Case-specific

History of cases

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.

Nouns

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:

First declension (a stems)

Nouns of this declension usually end in -a in the nominative singular and are mostly feminine, e.g. ('road') and ('water'). There is a small class of masculine exceptions generally referring to occupations, e.g. ('poet'), ('farmer'), ('auriga, charioteer'), ('pirate') and ('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-a -ae
Vocative
Accusative-am -ās
Genitive-ae -ārum
Dative-īs
Ablative
LocativeGen. Dat.

table

poet
SingularPluralSingularPlural
Nominativemensa mensae poēta poētae
Vocative
Accusativemensam mensās poētam poētās
Genitivemensae mensārum poētae poētārum
Dativemensīs poētīs
Ablativemensā poētā
The locative endings for the first declension are -ae (singular) and -īs (plural), similar to the genitive singular and ablative plural, as in 'in war' and 'at Athens'.[4]

First declension Greek nouns

See main article: Declension of Greek nouns in Latin.

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 ('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.

Second declension (o stems)

The second declension is a large group of nouns consisting of mostly masculine nouns like ('horse') and ('boy') and neuter nouns like ('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
SingularPlural
Masculine NeuterMasculine Neuter
Nominative-us -um -a
Vocative-e
Accusativecolspan="2"-um -ōs
Genitivecolspan="2"-ōrum
Dative-īs
Ablative
LocativeGen. Dat.
! colspan="4"

master
SingularPlural
Nominativedominus dominī
Vocativedomine
Accusativedominum dominōs
Genitivedominī dominōrum
Dativedominō dominīs
Ablative
! colspan="4"

war
SingularPlural
Nominativebellum bella
Vocative
Accusative
Genitivebellī bellōrum
Locativebellīs
Dativebellō
Ablative

The locative endings for the second declension are (singular) and -īs (plural); "at Corinth", "at Milan", and "at Philippi".[5]

Second-declension -ius and -ium nouns

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) is pronounced Vergílī, with stress on the penult, even though it is short.[6] In Old Latin, however, the vocative was declined regularly, using -ie instead, e.g. fīlie "[O] son", archaic vocative of .

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

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

Second-declension -r nouns

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 genitive and other cases. For example, ('father-in-law') keeps its e. However, the noun ('(school)master') drops its e in the genitive singular.

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


boy

field

man
SingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
Nominativepuer puerī ager agrī vir virī
Vocative
Accusativepuerum puerōs agrum agrōs virum virōs
Genitivepuerī puerōrum agrī agrōrum virī virōrum
(virum)
Dativepuerō puerīs agrō agrīs virō virīs
Ablative

The vocative puere is found but only in Plautus.[7] The genitive plural virum is found in poetry.[8]

Second-declension Greek nouns

See main article: Declension of Greek nouns in Latin.

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, can appear as theātrum.

Irregular forms

Deus

The inflection of ('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
SingularPlural
Nominativedeus deī
diī
Vocative
Accusativedeum deōs
Genitivedeī deōrum
deum
Dativedeō deīs
diīs
dīs
Ablative
Virus

The Latin word vīrus (the ī indicates a long i) means "1. slimy liquid, slime; 2. poison, venom", denoting the venom of a snake. This Latin word is probably related to the Greek (ios) meaning "venom" or "rust" and the Sanskrit word meaning "toxic, poison".[9]

Since vīrus 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.[10]

In Neo-Latin, a plural form is necessary in order to express the modern concept of 'viruses', which leads to the following declension:[11] [12] [13]


poison, venom, virus
SingularPlural
Nominativevīrus vīra
Vocative
Accusative
Genitivevīrī vīrōrum
Dativevīrō vīrīs
Ablative

Third declension

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 stems

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

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

Third declension paradigm
(consonant stems)
Masculine &<br />feminine Neuter
Singular PluralSingular Plural
Nominative(-s) -ēs -a
Vocative
Accusative-em
Genitive-is -um -is -um
Dative-ibus -ibus
Ablative-e -e
LocativeDat./Abl. Dat. Dat./Abl. Dat.

leader

virtue

name
SingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
Nominativedux ducēs virtūs virtūtēs nōmen nōmina
Vocative
Accusativeducem virtūtem
Genitiveducis ducum virtūtis virtūtum nōminis nōminum
Dativeducī ducibus virtūtī virtūtibus nōminī nōminibus
Ablativeduce virtūte nōmine

The locative endings for the third declension are or -e (singular) and -ibus (plural), as in 'in the country' and 'at Tralles'.[14]

Third declension i-stem and mixed 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 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: ('ship'); ('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: ('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: ('animal'); ('spoon'); ('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.[15]

    The accusative singular ending -im is found only in a few words: always in Latin: tussis 'cough', Latin: sitis 'thirst', Latin: Tiberis 'River Tiber'; usually in Latin: secūris 'axe', Latin: turris 'tower', Latin: puppis 'poop', Latin: febris 'fever'; occasionally in Latin: nāvis 'ship'. Most nouns, however, have accusative singular -em.[16]

    The ablative singular is found in nouns which have -im, and also, optionally, in some other nouns, e.g. Latin: in ignī or Latin: in igne 'in the fire'.

    There are two mixed-declension neuter nouns: ('heart') and ('bone'). Also, the mixed declension is used in the plural-only adjective ('most').

    Third declension paradigm
    (i-stem nouns)
    Masculine &<br />Feminine Neuter
    Singular PluralSingular Plural
    Nominativerowspan="2" -ēs -ia
    Vocative
    Accusative-em
    -im
    -ēs
    -īs
    Genitive-is -ium -is -ium
    Dative-ibus -ibus
    Ablative-e
    LocativeDat./Abl. Dat. Dat./Abl. Dat.
    Third declension paradigm
    (mixed nouns)
    Masculine &<br />Feminine Neuter
    Singular PluralSingular Plural
    Nominativerowspan="2" -ēs -a
    Vocative
    Accusative-em -ēs
    -īs
    Genitive-is -ium -is -ium
    Dative-ibus -ibus
    Ablative-e -e
    LocativeDat./Abl. Dat. Dat./Abl. Dat.

    tower (pure)

    part, piece (mixed)

    animal, living being (pure)
    Parisyllabic ruleDouble consonant ruleSpecial neuter ending
    SingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
    Nominativeturristurrēs pars partēs animal animālia
    Vocative
    Accusativeturrem
    turrim
    turrēs
    turrīs
    partem partēs
    partīs
    Genitiveturris turrium partis partium animālis animālium
    Dativeturrī turribus partī partibus animālī animālibus
    Ablativeturre
    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 ('dog') or ('youth'), which have genitive plural Latin: canum 'of dogs' and Latin: iuvenum 'of young men'. Likewise, ('father'), ('mother'), ('brother'), and ('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 'city, community' can have either consonant-stem or i-stem genitive plural: Latin: cīvitātum or Latin: cīvitātium 'of the cities'.[15]

    Peculiarities

    In the third declension, there are four irregular nouns.

    Case
    force, power

    swine, pig, hog

    ox, bullock

    Jupiter
    Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular
    Nominativevīs vīrēs sūs suēs bōs bovēs Iuppiter
    Iūpiter
    Vocative
    Accusativevim vīrēs
    vīrīs
    suem bovem Iovem
    Genitivevīs vīrium suis suum bovis boum
    bovum
    Iovis
    Dativevīribus suī suibus
    sūbus
    bovī bōbus
    būbus
    Iovī
    Ablativesue bove Iove

    Fourth declension (u stems)

    The fourth declension is a group of nouns consisting of mostly masculine words such as ('wave') and ('port') with a few feminine exceptions, including ('hand') and ('house'). The fourth declension also includes several neuter nouns including ('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 PluralSingular Plural
    Nominativerowspan="2" -us -ūs -ua
    Vocative
    Accusative-um
    Genitive-ūs -uum -ūs -uum
    Dative-uī -ibus
    -ubus
    -ibus
    Ablative
    LocativeDat. Dat.

    port

    knee
    SingularPluralSingularPlural
    Nominativeportus portūs genū genua
    Vocative
    Accusativeportum
    Genitiveportūs portuum genūs genuum
    Dativeportuī portibus genū genibus
    Ablativeportū

    Domus

    ('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 by the ablative singular and accusative plural, using and -ōs instead).[17]

    All possible declensions
    SingularPlural
    Nominativedomus domūs
    Vocative
    Accusativedomum domūs
    domōs
    Genitivedomūs
    domī
    domuum
    domōrum
    Dativedomuī
    domū
    domō
    domibus
    Ablativedomū
    domō
    Locativedomī
    Most common paradigm
    SingularPlural
    Nominativedomus domūs
    Vocative
    Accusativedomum domōs
    Genitivedomūs domuum
    Dativedomuī domibus
    Ablativedomō
    Locativedomī

    Fifth declension (e stems)

    The fifth declension is a small group of nouns consisting of mostly feminine nouns like ('affair, matter, thing') and diēs, diēī ('day'; but in names of days). Each noun has either the ending -ēī or -eī as a suffix attached to the root of the noun in the genitive singular form.

    Fifth declension paradigm
    -iēs ending nouns -ēs ending nouns
    Singular PluralSingular Plural
    Nominativerowspan="2" -iēs -iēs rowspan="2" -ēs -ēs
    Vocative
    Accusative-iem -em
    Genitive-iēī -iērum -eī -ērum
    Dative-iēbus -ēbus
    Ablative-iē
    LocativeAbl. Abl. Abl. Abl.

    day,

    thing
    SingularPluralSingularPlural
    Nominativediēs diēs rēs rēs
    Vocative
    Accusativediem rem
    Genitivediēī diērum reī rērum
    Dativediēbus rēbus
    Ablativediē
    Nouns ending in -iēs have long ēī in the dative and genitive, while nouns ending in a consonant + -ēs have short in these cases.

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

    Pronouns

    Personal pronouns

    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 PersonSecond PersonThird Person
    ,
    I, we
    ,
    you

    himself, herself, itself,
    oneself,
    themselves
    SingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
    Nominativeego
    egō
    nōs vōs
    Accusative
    sēsē
    Genitive
    complements
    meī nostrī tuī vestrī suī
    Genitive partitivenostrumvestrum
    Dativemihi
    mihī
    nōbīs tibi
    tibī
    vōbīs sibi
    sibī
    Ablative
    sēsē

    The genitive forms,,,, are used as complements in certain grammatical constructions, whereas, are used with a partitive meaning ('[one] of us', '[one] of you'). To express possession, the possessive pronouns (essentially adjectives),,, are used, declined in the first and second declensions to agree in number and case with the thing possessed, e.g. pater meus 'my father', māter mea 'my mother'. The vocative singular masculine of meus is : mī Attice 'my dear Atticus'.[18]

    Possessive pronouns' declensions


    my, mine
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativemeus mea meum meī meae mea
    Vocativemī (& meus)
    Accusativemeum meam meōs meās
    Genitivemeī meae meī meōrum meārum meōrum
    Dativemeō meō meīs
    Ablativemeā

    your, yours (for singular possessor)
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativetuus tua tuum tuī tuae tua
    Vocative
    Accusativetuum tuam tuōs tuās
    Genitivetuī tuae tuī tuōrum tuārum tuōrum
    Dativetuō tuō tuīs
    Ablativetuā

    his, her, its, theirs (reflexive)
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativesuus sua suum suī suae sua
    Vocative
    Accusativesuum suam suōs suās
    Genitivesuī suae suī suōrum suārum suōrum
    Dativesuō suō suīs
    Ablativesuā

    our, ours
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativenoster nostra nostrum nostrī nostrae nostra
    Vocative
    Accusativenostrum nostram nostrōs nostrās
    Genitivenostrī nostrae nostrī nostrōrum nostrārum nostrōrum
    Dativenostrō nostrō nostrīs
    Ablativenostrā

    The possessive adjective vester has an archaic variant, voster; similar to noster. Vocative of meus is usually , and rarely meus also, like the nominative.



    your, yours (for plural possessor)
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativevester
    voster
    vestra
    vostra
    vestrum
    vostrum
    vestrī
    vostrī
    vestrae
    vostrae
    vestra
    vostra
    Vocative
    Accusativevestrum
    vostrum
    vestram
    vostram
    vestrōs
    vostrōs
    vestrās
    vostrās
    Genitivevestrī
    vostrī
    vestrae
    vostrae
    vestrī
    vostrī
    vestrōrum
    vostrōrum
    vestrārum
    vostrārum
    vestrōrum
    vostrōrum
    Dativevestrō
    vostrō
    vestrō
    vostrō
    vestrīs
    vostrīs
    Ablativevestrā
    vostrā

    Usually, to show the ablative of accompaniment, 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: 'with me', 'with us', 'with you',, and (sometimes).

    Pronouns have also an emphatic form bi using the suffix -met (/,,), 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.

    has a possessive adjective:, meaning 'his/her/its/their own':

    Patrem suum numquam vīderat. (Cicero)[19]

    "He had never seen his [own] father."

    When 'his' or 'her' refers to someone else, not the subject, the genitive pronoun eius (as well as eōrum and eārum) 'of him' is used instead of suus:

    Fit obviam Clodiō ante fundum eius. (Cicero)[20]

    "He met Clodius in front of the latter's farm."

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

    Patrēs conscrīptī ... lēgātōs in Bīthȳniam miserunt quī ab rēge peterent, nē inimīcissimum suum secum haberet sibique dēderet. (Nepos)[21]

    "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 'he', see below.

    Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives

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

    These differences characterize the pronominal declension, and a few special adjectives ('whole', 'alone', 'one', 'no', 'another', '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, 'who?' and 'what?' are usually used for the pronominal form, and 'which?' for the adjectival form.

    Third person pronoun

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

    Third person

    he, she, it
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativeis ea id
    eae ea
    Accusativeeum eam eōs eās
    Genitiveeius eōrum eārum eōrum
    Dativeeīs
    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 īdem

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


    the same, same as
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativeīdem eadem idem eīdem
    īdem
    iīdem
    eaedem eadem
    Accusativeeundem eandem eōsdem eāsdem
    Genitiveeiusdem eōrundem eārundem eōrundem
    Dativeeīdem eīsdem
    īsdem
    iīsdem
    Ablativeeōdem eādem eōdem

    Other demonstrative pronouns


    this, this one (proximal)

    that, that one (distal)

    that of yours (medial)
    SingularPluralSingularPluralSingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativehic haec hoc hae haec ille illa illud illī illae illa iste ista istud istī istae ista
    Accusativehunc hanc hōs hās illum illam illōs illās istum istam istōs istās
    Genitivehuius hōrum hārum hōrum illīus illōrum illārum illōrum istīus istōrum istārum istōrum
    Dativehuic hīs illī illīs istī istīs
    Ablativehōc hāc hōc illō illā illō istō istā istō

    Similar in declension is 'another'.

    Intensive pronoun


    himself, herself, itself
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativeipse ipsa ipsum ipsī ipsae ipsa
    Accusativeipsum ipsam ipsōs ipsās
    Genitiveipsīus ipsōrum ipsārum ipsōrum
    Dativeipsī ipsīs
    Ablativeipsōipsā ipsō

    Interrogative pronouns

    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.

    ! colspan="2"

    who?, what?
    Masculine &<br />Feminine Neuter
    Nominativequis? quid?
    Accusativequem?
    Genitivecuius?
    Dativecui?
    Ablativequō?

    Relative pronouns


    who, which, that
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativequī quae quod quī quae quae
    Accusativequem quam quōs quās
    Genitivecuius quōrum quārum quōrum
    Dativecui quibus
    Ablativequō quā quō

    Adjectives

    First- and second-declension adjectives

    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 .

    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).


    high, long, tall
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativealtus alta altum altī altae alta
    Vocativealte
    Accusativealtum altam altōs altās
    Genitivealtī altae altī altōrum altārum altōrum
    Dativealtō altō altīs
    Ablativealtā

    First- and second-declension -r adjectives

    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. omits its e while keeps it.


    sad, poor, unhappy
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativemiser misera miserum miserī miserae misera
    Vocative
    Accusativemiserum miseram miserōs miserās
    Genitivemiserī miserae miserī miserōrum miserārum miserōrum
    Dativemiserō miserō miserīs
    Ablativemiserā

    sacred, holy
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativesacer sacra sacrum sacrī sacrae sacra
    Vocative
    Accusativesacrum sacram sacrōs sacrās
    Genitivesacrī sacrae sacrī sacrōrum sacrārum sacrōrum
    Dativesacrō sacrō sacrīs
    Ablativesacrā

    First and second declension pronominal adjectives

    Nine first and second declension pronominal adjectives are irregular in the genitive and the dative in all genders. They can be remembered by using the mnemonic acronym ūnus nauta. They are:


    any
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativeūllus ūlla ūllum ūllī ūllae ūlla
    Accusativeūllum ūllam ūllōs ūllās
    Genitiveūllīus ūllōrum ūllārum ūllōrum
    Dativeūllī ūllīs
    Ablativeūllō ūllā ūllō

    Third-declension adjectives

    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 ('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 ending

    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.


    terrible, mean, cruel
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativeatrōx atrōx atrōcēs atrōcia
    Vocative
    Accusativeatrōcem atrōcēs
    atrōcīs
    Genitiveatrōcis atrōcium
    Dativeatrōcī atrōcibus
    Ablative
    Non-i-stem variant

    old, aged
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativevetus vetus veterēs vetera
    Vocative
    Accusativeveterem
    Genitiveveteris veterum
    Dativeveterī veteribus
    Ablativevetere

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


    nimble, swift
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativeagilis agile agilēs agilia
    Vocative
    Accusativeagilem agilēs
    agilīs
    Genitiveagilis agilium
    Dativeagilī agilibus
    Ablative

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


    swift, rapid, brash
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativeceler celeris celere celerēs celeria
    Vocative
    Accusativecelerem
    Genitiveceleris celerium
    Dativecelerī celeribus
    Ablative

    lively, jovial, animated
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativealacer alacris alacre alacrēs alacria
    Vocative
    Accusativealacrem alacrēs
    alacrīs
    Genitivealacris alacrium
    Dativealacrī alacribus
    Ablative

    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 -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 comparatives


    higher, deeper (comparative of)
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativealtior altius altiōrēs altiōra
    Vocative
    Accusativealtiōrem
    Genitivealtiōris altiōrum
    Dativealtiōrī altiōribus
    Ablativealtiōre

    highest, deepest (superlative of)
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativealtissimus altissima altissimum altissimī altissimae altissima
    Vocativealtissime
    Accusativealtissimum altissimam altissimōs altissimās
    Genitivealtissimī altissimae altissimī altissimōrum altissimārum altissimōrum
    Dativealtissimō altissimō altissimīs
    Ablativealtissimā

    Comparatives and superlatives with normal endings

    PositiveComparativeSuperlative
    ('clear, bright, famous')
    ('cold, chilly')
    ('pugnacious')
    ('kind, benevolent')
    ('strong, robust')
    ('equal, even')

    Comparatives and superlatives of -er adjectives

    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.

    PositiveComparativeSuperlative
    ('pretty, beautiful')
    ('sacred, holy')
    ('delicate, tender')
    ('valliant, fierce')
    ('celebrated, famous')
    ('quick, fast')

    Comparatives and superlatives of -lis adjectives

    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.

    PositiveComparativeSuperlative
    ('easy')
    ('hard, difficult')
    ('similar, like)
    ('unlike, dissimilar')
    ('slender, slim')
    ('low, humble')

    Comparatives and superlatives of -eus/-ius adjectives

    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, ('more') and ('most'), the comparative and superlative degrees of ('much, greatly'), respectively, are used.

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

    PositiveComparativeSuperlative
    ('suitable, fitting, proper')magis idōneusmaximē idōneus
    ('solitary, lonely')magis sōlitāriusmaximē sōlitārius
    ('drunk')magis ebriusmaximē ebrius
    ('meritorious')magis meritōriusmaximē meritōrius
    ('grassy')magis grāmineusmaximē grāmineus
    ('warlike, bellicose')magis bellātōriusmaximē bellātōrius
    ('lofty, steep')magis arduusmaximē arduus

    Irregular comparatives and superlatives

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

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

    Declension of numerals

    See also: Roman numerals and Latin numerals (linguistics).

    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 numerals

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


    one
    SingularPlural
    MasculineFeminineNeuterMasculineFeminineNeuter
    Nominativeūnus ūna ūnum ūnī ūnae ūna
    Vocativeūne
    Accusativeūnum ūnam ūnōs ūnās
    Genitiveūnīus / ūnius ūnōrum ūnārum ūnōrum
    Dativeūnī ūnīs
    Ablativeūnō ūnā ūnō

    The word ('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.


    two
    Plural
    Masculine Feminine Neuter
    Nominativeduo duae duo
    Vocative
    Accusativeduōs
    duo
    duās
    Genitiveduōrum duārum duōrum
    Dativeduōbus duābus duōbus
    Ablative

    both
    Plural
    Masculine Feminine Neuter
    Nominativeambō ambae ambō
    Vocative
    Accusativeambōs
    ambō
    ambās
    Genitiveambōrum ambārum ambōrum
    Dativeambōbus ambābus ambōbus
    Ablative

    three
    Plural
    Masculine Feminine Neuter
    Nominativetrēs tria
    Vocative
    Accusativetrēs / trīs
    Genitivetrium
    Dativetribus
    Ablative

    The numeral ('one hundred') is indeclinable, but all the other hundred numerals are declinable .


    two hundred
    Plural
    Masculine Feminine Neuter
    Nominativeducentī ducentae ducenta
    Vocative
    Accusativeducentōs ducentās
    Genitiveducentōrum ducentārum ducentōrum
    Dativeducentīs
    Ablative

    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".


    (one) thousand

    x thousand,
    thousands
    Nominativemīlle mīlia
    mīllia
    -ia
    Vocative
    Accusative
    Genitivemīlium
    mīllium
    -ium
    Dativemīlibus
    mīllibus
    -ibus
    Ablative

    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 superlatives

    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 adjectives

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

    AdjectiveAdverb
    ('clear, famous') ('clearly, famously')
    ('strong, robust') ('strongly, robustly')
    ('weak') ('weakly')
    ('complete, firm') ('completely, firmly')
    ('whole, fresh') ('wholly, freshly')
    ('free') ('freely')

    Adverbs from third declension adjectives

    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.

    AdjectiveAdverb
    ('prudent') ('prudently')
    ('bold') ('boldly')
    ('courageous, spirited') ('courageously, spiritedly')
    ('wholesome') ('wholesomely')

    Comparative and superlative of adverbs

    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 and as opposed to distinct endings.

    PositiveComparativeSuperlative
    ('clearly, famously')
    ('completely, firmly')
    ('suitably, properly')magis idōneēmaximē idōneē
    ('prudently')
    ('wholesomely')

    Irregular adverbs and their comparative and superlative forms

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

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

    Peculiarities within declension

    Irregularity in number

    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 nouns

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

    Heterogeneous nouns

    Heterogeneous nouns are nouns which vary in respect to gender.

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

    Plurals with alternative meanings

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

    See also

    References

    Notes and References

    1. https://archive.org/details/corpusgrammatico01linduoft/page/n28/mode/1up Aelius Donatus, Ars Major, 2.8.
    2. Mongan, James Roscoe (1861). The School and University Eton Latin Grammar, Explanatory and Critical. London 1861.
    3. Paul Crouzet (1902), Grammaire Latine, simple et complète, p. 7.
    4. Allen and Greenough. §43 c.
    5. Allen and Greenough. §49 a.
    6. Gildersleeve & Lodge §15, Allen & Greenough §12, §49c
    7. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/searchresults?target=la&all_words=puere Perseus database.
    8. Gildersleeve & Lodge, Latin Grammar 3rd ed., p. 17.
    9. Chambers's Etymological Dictionary Enlarged Edition 1931
    10. June 1999 issue of ASM News by the American Society for Microbiology
    11. https://web.archive.org/web/20170728043240/interrete.de/latein/nuntiifinarch1.html Nuntii Latini: Finnish Broadcasting Company (Radiophonia Finnica Generalis). Archiv I. 19.5.2000 – 6.12.2002
    12. https://de.pons.com/%C3%BCbersetzung?l=dela&q=virus Pons: virus
    13. 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)."
    14. Allen and Greenough. §80.
    15. Gildersleeve & Lodge (1895), p. 18.
    16. Gildersleeve & Lodge (1895), p. 27.
    17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33n1qYq9Liw The Fourth Declension
    18. [Cicero]
    19. [Cicero]
    20. [Cicero]
    21. [Cornelius Nepos]
    22. Gildersleeve & Lodge (1903), Gildersleeve's Latin Grammar, p. 39.