![]() Because the functions of words are given by their inflectional endings, word order is not required to tell the function of words in a sentence. The point is this: word order is not nearly as important in Latin as it is in other languages. We can also write the sentence in the following ways: Notice that there is no definite or indefinite article in Latin (the, a, an), so it must be supplied in the translation.Now how would we translate this sentence? puellae - dative singular indirect object (translate with to/for) pecuniam - accusative singular direct object of datĤ. dat - 3rd person singular present active indicative of do, dare, dedi, datum.ģ. The meaning of the sentence is probably still not apparent, so let's analyze each word, listing the information that we can provide for each.Ģ. Now let's practice using a noun in a sentence. A dictionary entry consists of "nominative singular, genitive singular, gender, and meaning." The genitive singular allows you to determine to what declension the noun belongs (which will become more difficult when you learn other declensions). If you look up a 1st declension noun in the dictionary, you will find the following: puella, puellae f. Notice that to the stem puell- are added the inflectional endings for a 1st declension noun, and, voilá, we have a complete noun declension. Now let's decline our first noun, puella (girl). Note 1: The -a of the ablative singular, the -is of the dative and ablative plural, the -as of the accusative plural, and the 'a' in -arum of the genitive plural are all long vowels. Now we need to look at the endings ascribed to 1st Declension nouns and adjectives that designate their function in a sentence. Locative - indicates location exclusively for places and islandsįirst Declension Nouns and Adjectives Vocative - case of address (as in "John, be quiet.") In this lesson, we will only be dealing with the 1st Declension.ĭative - case of indirect object object of to or forĪccusative - case of direct object used with some prepositionsĪblative - many uses, the most basic of which is instrumental - shows by what means something happens or is performed also used with prepositions There are five patterns of declension for Latin nouns. (Nouns are declined verbs are conjugated). To list all twelve (6 singular + 6 plural) endings for a given noun is to decline a noun. This means that the endings of nouns are modified according to how the noun is being used in a sentence. ![]() Latin nouns exhibit six inflectional cases. In this respect, Latin nouns are like English nouns and the nouns of other Romance languages.ģ. Latin nouns exhibit number - singular and plural. As you progress in Latin, you will begin to notice characteristic endings and forms that will indicate a noun's gender to you.Ģ. Generally, females are feminine and males are masculine, but most of the time it is arbitrary. Latin nouns exhibit gender - masculine, feminine, or neuter. Latin nouns have many characteristics and qualities, some of which differ greatly from English nouns.ġ. ![]()
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