![]() This new class of endings can be applied to adjectives, as well. The nouns in -is, -is, which are numerous, are never neuter. Note also that the ablative singular ends in -i, not -e, for such nouns. Confusing? Sometimes even Romans didn't know whether to use -um or -ium! All these nouns can be considered as having a stem ending in -i, which is why "i" is so popular with them. ![]() animal, animalis (n, living being) is just like mare, except that it has -ium. canis, canis (m, dog), panis, panis (m, bread), however, have -um. collis, collis (m, hill), for example, has collium. There is a rule, not a very strict one, that nouns with the same number of syllables in nominative and genitive have -ium in the genitive plural, while those that have an additional syllable in the genitive have -um. If you have a need for the word, you might as well use the regular marium, as Romans probably did. Poets are allowed to do things like this. Actually, the genitive plural is found in only one place in poetry, where the -i- may have been omitted just to suit the metre. ![]() Note that the genitive plural is not marium, though the ablative singular is mari. The word mare, maris (sea) is declined as in the table. An onus, oneris is a load or burden, and has become an English word. ![]() This is the kind of opera you go to, not an opus. Operae (plural) can be a gang or a hired mob. Opera, -ae (f) means pains, effort, exertion, work, leisure, help, workman. The ending -us is often third or fourth declension, not second this is why you have to recall the genitive. Remembering that neuter nouns are the same in nominative and accusative, and that the nominative plural ends in -a, decline nomen, nominis (name). For example, titio, titionis (firebrand) is masculine, not feminine as you might expect. There are many variations and exceptions in the third declension, but recognition of the case is usually not too difficult. Mulier, mulieris (f) is the feminine counterpart of vir, viri, which do mean "woman" and "man". Homo does't mean a male specifically it is used when sex is not an issue. This is a special case of nouns ending in -o, which are masculine unless they end in -io, -do, or -go, however: try leo, leonis (lion), or homo, hominis (human being), which are masculine. One very useful class of feminine nouns ends in - io, -ionis. The fact that culter is there in the ablative says that it was used for the deed. How would you say: the man kills the bear with a knife? Answer: vir ursum cultro necit. When somebody asks you how you came, reply in Latin: pedibus! The ablative case by itself, without any preposition, tells how or with what something was done. This gives us the useful case pedibus, meaning on or by foot. The -um is genitive plural (compare - arum and - orum), and the very memorable - ibus is dative and ablative plural. The nominative singular typically ends in s, often in the form of x. Canis, canis (dog) can also be masculine or feminine it depends on the dog. What does laus Deo mean?ĭecline fraus, fraudis (fraud, feminine) We have already used pumex, pumicis (pumice) which happens to be hermaphroditic - you can make it either masculine or feminine. Your job is only to recognize a case, not form it, and you will find this easy. So we usually remember a word as, for example, laus, laudis so we know the stem. It is a habit of the third declension for the real stem not to be obvious in the nominative singular, but to appear in the genitive and everywhere else. You've already seen the word laus (praise) in the case laude (ablative). For us, these will be just special cases of the third declension, as they really are. Some people assert that the letter "u" gives the fourth declension, and "e" the fifth, but this is superfluous for our purposes. The other 21 letters give you the third declension, which gives an idea of its importance. The "o" was absorbed by the endings except in things like puero or puerorum. The second was sponsored by the letter "o," which was not. The first declension was brought to you by the letter "a," which was usually visible.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |