The Latin Alphabet & Classical Pronunciation
Latin consonants have only 1 sound.
Latin vowels have only 2 sounds (short and long).
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
k
about : father
bat
cat
dog
pet : they
fish
game
hat
pit : machine
kite
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
light
might
night
off : note
pet
quite
rrright
sight
tight
put : rule
v
x
y
z
ae
ai
au
ia
iu
oe
ch
like ‘w’ in wind
fox
yes
zoo
like ‘ai’ in aisle
like ‘ai’ in aisle
like ‘ou’ in house
like ‘ya’ in yacht
like ‘you’ in you
like ‘oy’ in boy
anchor
What’s in Nouns and Adjectives?
 Number : How Many : Singular (cat) or Plural (cats)
 Gender : masculine, feminine, neuter
 Case : grammatical function in sentence
 Nominative [the most commonly used case]
 subject : Marcus eats fish.
 subject compliment : Marcus is a fisherman.
 Genitive : usu. possession : Julia’s son
 Dative : usu. indirect object : I give fish to Julia.
 Accusative
 dir. obj.; obj. of preposition : I put kids into the car.
 Ablative
 obj. of preposition : I saw Julia with a fish.
 Vocative : direct address : Hey, Marcus; Hey, Julia...
A note about gender in Latin:
A Latin noun’s gender often depends
on how the noun is spelled.
For example…
• ‘woman’ (femina) is feminine in Latin,
but so is ‘spear’ (hasta).
• Both femina and hasta are
1st declension nouns, and
almost all 1st declension nouns
are feminine.
What’s a Declension?: The Basics
 group of nouns or adjectives
with similar spelling patterns
 Latin nouns > 5 declensions (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th)
 Latin adjectives > 2 declensions (1st & 2nd; 3rd)
 1st Declension nouns > via, viae; puella, puellae
 2nd Declension nouns > amicus, amici; donum, doni
Declensions > How to Tell?
Look at the genitive singular ending…
 1st Declension > via, viae; puella, puellae
 2nd Declension Masculine > amicus, amici; vir, viri
 2nd Declension Neuter > donum, doni; bellum, belli
LivelyLatin : Lesson 1
How to decline a 1st Declension Latin Noun
ursa, ursae, feminine
ursa
ursae
ursae
ursam
ursā
ursae
ursārum
ursīs
ursās
ursīs
1. write down the nominative singular
2. write down the genitive singular – ae
3. add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 1
How to decline a 1st Declension Latin Noun
nauta, nautae, masculine
nauta
nautae
nautae
nautam
nautā
nautae
nautārum
nautīs
nautās
nautīs
1. write down the nominative singular
2. write down the genitive singular – ae
3. add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 2
How to decline a 1st Declension Latin Noun
casa, casae, feminine
Case
singular
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
Ablative
casa
cas ae
cas ae
cas am
cas ā
plural
cas ae
cas ārum
cas īs
cas ās
cas īs
1. write down the nominative singular
2. write down the genitive singular – ae
3. add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 2
How to decline a 1st Declension Latin Noun
nauta, nautae, masculine
Case
singular
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
Ablative
nauta
naut ae
naut ae
naut am
naut ā
plural
naut ae
naut ārum
naut īs
naut ās
naut īs
1. write down the nominative singular
2. write down the genitive singular – ae
3. add endings
What’s in a Verb?
• Person & Number : Who & How Many
•1st Sg (I), 2nd Sg (you), 3rd Sg (he/she/it)
•1st Pl (we), 2nd Pl (you all), 3rd Pl (they)
• Tense : when action happens : I run (present tense)
• Voice : relationship of subject to verb action
-
Active : subject does action (We see the dog.)
-
Passive : subject acted upon (The dog is seen by us.)
• Mood : relationship of verb to reality
- Indicative : verb as fact (I saw the dog.)
- Imperative : verb as command (See the dog!)
- Subjunctive: verb as possibility (I may see the dog.)
What’s a Conjugation?
 a group of verbs with
similar spelling patterns
 1st Conjugation
 amo, amare
 do, dare
 2nd Conjugation
 moneo, monere
 valeo, valere
LivelyLatin : Lesson 3
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb
amō, amāre
Person singular
plural
1st
2nd
3rd
amā mus we love
amā tis
you all love
ama nt
they love
amō I love
amās you love
amat he loves
she loves
it loves
1.
2.
write down the first principle part
write down the stem of the second principle part – re
3.
add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 4
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb
clamō, clamāre
Person
1st
2nd
3rd
singular
plural
clamō I shout
clamās you shout
clamat he shouts
she shouts
it shouts
1.
2.
clamā mus
clamā tis
clama nt
we shout
you all shout
they shout
write down the first principle part
write down the stem of the second principle part – re
3.
add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 5
How to decline a 1st Declension Latin Noun
fabula, fabulae, feminine
Case
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
Ablative
singular
fabula
fabul ae
fabul ae
fabul am
fabul ā
plural
fabul ae
fabul ārum
fabul īs
fabul ās
fabul īs
1. write down the nominative singular
2. write down the genitive singular – ae
3. add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 6
How to decline a 1st Declension Latin Noun
fenestra, fenestrae, feminine
Case
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
Ablative
singular
fenestra
fenestr ae
fenestr ae
fenestr am
fenestr ā
plural
fenestr ae
fenestr ārum
fenestr īs
fenestr ās
fenestr īs
1. write down the nominative singular
2. write down the stem of the genitive singular – ae
3. add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 6
How to decline a 2nd Declension Latin Noun (-us)
dominus, dominī, masculine
Case
singular
Nominative dominus
Genitive
domin ī
Dative
domin ō
Accusative
domin um
Ablative
domin ō
plural
domin ī
domin ōrum
domin īs
domin ōs
domin īs
1. write down the nominative singular
2. write down the stem (= genitive singular – ī)
3. add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 6
How to decline a 2nd Declension Latin Noun (-us)
hortus, hortī, masculine
Case
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
Ablative
singular
hortus
hort ī
hort ō
hort um
hort ō
plural
hort ī
hort ōrum
hort īs
hort ōs
hort īs
1. write down the nominative singular
2. write down the stem (= genitive singular – ī)
3. add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 6
How to decline a 2nd Declension Latin Noun (-us)
equus, equī, masculine
Case
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
Ablative
singular
equus
equ ī
equ ō
equ um
equ ō
plural
equ ī
equ ōrum
equ īs
equ ōs
equ īs
1. write down the nominative singular
2. write down the stem (= genitive singular – ī)
3. add endings
Comparison of Nouns: Lessons 1-6
1st Decl. Fem. 2nd Decl. Mas. –us 2nd Decl. Mas. -r
ns
gs
ds
acs
abs
np
gp
dp
acp
abp
ursa, ursae, f. equus, equi, m.
ursa
equus
urs ae
equ ī
urs ae
equ ō
urs am
equ um
urs ā
equ ō
urs ae
equ ī
urs ārum
equ ōrum
urs īs
equ īs
urs ās
equ ōs
urs īs
equ īs
vir, viri, m.
vir
vir ī
vir ō
vir um
vir ō
vir ī
vir ōrum
vir īs
vir ōs
vir īs
1. write nom. sg. 2. write stem x 9 3. add endings
Let’s decline a
2nd Declension
Neuter noun.
Be careful:
ALL neuter words
have the same
spelling in their
nominatives and
accusatives.
LivelyLatin : Lesson 9
How to decline a 2nd Declension Latin Noun (-um)
donum, donī, neuter
Case
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
Ablative
singular
donum
don ī
don ō
donum
don ō
plural
don a
don ōrum
don īs
don a
don īs
1. write down the nominative singular x 2
2. write down the stem x 8 (= genitive singular – ī)
3. add endings
Now, let’s compare
the various types of
2nd Declension
nouns.
You’ll see that 2nd
Declension
masculine and neuter
nouns differ only in
their nominatives
and accusatives.
Comparison of 2nd Decl. Nouns : Lesson 9
ns
gs
ds
acs
abs
np
gp
dp
acp
abp
2nd Decl. Mas. –us
2nd Decl. Mas. –r
2nd Decl. Neu. -um
equus, equi, m.
equus
equ ī
equ ō
equ um
equ ō
equ ī
equ ōrum
equ īs
equ ōs
equ īs
vir, viri, m.
vir
vir ī
vir ō
vir um
vir ō
vir ī
vir ōrum
vir īs
vir ōs
vir īs
donum, doni, n.
donum
donī
donō
donum
donō
dona
donōrum
donīs
dona
donīs
1. write nom. sg. 2. write stem 3. add endings
Let’s conjugate a 1st
conjugation verb in
the Imperfect
Tense.
LivelyLatin : Lesson 10
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb (Imperfect Tense)
amō, amāre
Person & Number
1S
2S
3S
1P
2P
3P
amābam
amābas
amabat
amābamus
amābatis
amabant
I was loving
you were loving
he/she/it was loving
we were loving
you all were loving
they were loving
1. Write down the stem of the second principal part – re
2. Add Imperfect Tense endings (bam, bas, bat, etc.)
Now, let’s compare
the present and
imperfect tenses.
LivelyLatin : Lesson 10
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb
(Present & Imperfect Tenses)
amō, amāre
Person & Number
1S amō
Present Tense
Imperfect Tense
I love
amābam
I was loving
2S
amās
you love
amābas
you were loving
3S
amat
he/she/it loves
amābat
he/she/it was loving
1P
amāmus
we love
amābamus
we were loving
2P
amātis
you all love
amābatis
you all were loving
3P
amant
they love
amābant
they were loving
Let’s conjugate a 1st
conjugation verb in
the Future Tense.
LivelyLatin : Lesson 11
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb (Future Tense)
amō, amāre
Person & Number
1S
2S
3S
1P
2P
3P
amābo
amābis
amābit
amābimus
amābitis
amābunt
I shall love
you will love
he/she/it will love
we shall love
you all will love
they will love
1. Write down the stem of the second principal part – re
2. Add Future Tense endings (bo, bis, bit, etc.)
Now, let’s compare the
present, imperfect, and
future tenses.
LivelyLatin : Lesson 11
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb
(Present, Imperfect, & Future Tenses)
amō, amāre
Person & Number
Present Tense
Imperfect Tense
Future Tense
1S
amō
amābam
amābo
2S
amās
amābas
amābis
3S
amat
amābat
amābit
1P
amāmus
amābamus
amābimus
2P
amātis
amābatis
amābitis
3P
amant
amābant
amābunt
Let’s conjugate
another 1st
conjugation verb in
the Imperfect Tense.
LivelyLatin : Lesson 11
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb (Imperfect Tense)
ululō, ululāre
Person & Number
1S
2S
3S
1P
2P
3P
ululābam
ululābas
ululābat
ululābamus
ululābatis
ululābant
I was howling
you were howling
he/she/it was howling
we were howling
you all were howling
they were howling
1. Write down the stem of the second principal part – re
2. Add Imperfect Tense endings (bam, bas, bat, etc.)
Let’s conjugate a 1st
conjugation verb in
the Future Tense.
LivelyLatin : Lesson 11
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb (Future Tense)
celō, celāre
Person & Number
1S
2S
3S
1P
2P
3P
celābo
celābis
celābit
celābimus
celābitis
celābunt
I shall hide
you will hide
he/she/it will hide
we shall hide
you all will hide
they will hide
1. Write down the stem of the second principal part – re
2. Add Future Tense endings (bo, bis, bit, etc.)
LivelyLatin : Lesson 12
How to decline a 2nd Declension Latin Noun (-us)
gladius, gladiī, masculine
Case
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
Ablative
singular
gladius
gladi ī
gladi ō
gladi um
gladi ō
plural
gladi ī
gladi ōrum
gladi īs
gladi ōs
gladi īs
1. write down the nominative singular
2. write down the stem (= genitive singular – ī)
3. add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 12
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb
(Present, Imperfect, & Future Tenses)
laudō, laudāre
Person & Number
Present Tense
Imperfect Tense
Future Tense
1S
laudō
laudābam
laudābo
2S
laudās
laudābas
laudābis
3S
laudat
laudābat
laudābit
1P
laudāmus
laudābamus
laudābimus
2P
laudātis
laudābatis
laudābitis
3P
laudant
laudābant
laudābunt
LivelyLatin : Lesson 12
How to conjugate the “be” verb (sum, esse)
(Present, Imperfect, & Future Tenses)
The conjugation of this verb is a bit irregular,
especially in the present tense.
Person & Number
Present Tense
Imperfect Tense
Future Tense
1S
sum
eram
erō
2S
es
erās
eris
3S
est
erat
erit
1P
sumus
erāmus
erimus
2P
estis
erātis
eritis
3P
sunt
erant
erunt
LivelyLatin : Lesson 13
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb
(Present, Imperfect, & Future Tenses)
habitō, habitāre
Person & Number
Present Tense
Imperfect Tense
Future Tense
1S
habitō
habitābam
habitābo
2S
habitās
habitābas
habitābis
3S
habitat
habitābat
habitābit
1P
habitāmus
habitābamus
habitābimus
2P
habitātis
habitābatis
habitābitis
3P
habitant
habitābant
habitābunt
LivelyLatin : Lesson 14
How to conjugate the “be” verb in Latin (Imperfect Tense)
sum, esse
Person & Number
1S
2S
3S
1P
2P
3P
eram
eras
erat
eramus
eratis
erant
I was
you were
he/she/it was
we were
you all were
they were
THE CONJUGATION OF THIS VERB IS IRREGULAR.
1. Write down era x 6
2. Add the endings (m, s, t, mus, tis, nt)
LivelyLatin : Lesson 14
How to conjugate the “be” verb in Latin (Future Tense)
sum, esse
Person & Number
1S
2S
3S
1P
2P
3P
ero
eris
erit
erimus
eritis
erunt
I shall be
you will be
he/she/it will be
we shall be
you all will be
they will be
THE CONJUGATION OF THIS VERB IS IRREGULAR.
1. Write down er x 6
2. Add the endings (o, is, it, imus, itis, unt)
1st & 2nd Declension Adjective : Lesson 15
2nd Decl. Mas. –us
ns
gs
ds
acs
abs
np
gp
dp
acp
abp
bonus, m.
bonus
bon ī
bon ō
bon um
bon ō
bon ī
bon ōrum
bon īs
bon ōs
bon īs
1st Decl. Fem. –a
bona, f.
bona
bon ae
bon ae
bon am
bon ā
bon ae
bon ārum
bon īs
bon ās
bon īs
2nd Decl. Neu. -um
bonum, n.
bonum
bonī
bonō
bonum
bonō
bona
bonōrum
bonīs
bona
bonīs
1. write nom. sg. 2. write stem 3. add endings
1st & 2nd Declension Adjective : Lesson 15
2nd Decl. Mas. –us
ns
gs
ds
acs
abs
np
gp
dp
acp
abp
latus, m.
latus
lat ī
lat ō
lat um
lat ō
lat ī
lat ōrum
lat īs
lat ōs
lat īs
1st Decl. Fem. –a
2nd Decl. Neu. -um
lata, f.
lata
lat ae
lat ae
lat am
lat ā
lat ae
lat ārum
lat īs
lat ās
lat īs
latum, n.
latum
latī
latō
latum
latō
lata
latōrum
latīs
lata
latīs
1. write nom. sg. 2. write stem 3. add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 16
How to decline a 2nd Declension Latin Noun (-um)
vexillum, vexillī, neuter
Case
Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative
Ablative
singular
vexillum
vexill ī
vexill ō
vexillum
vexill ō
plural
vexill a
vexill ōrum
vexill īs
vexill a
vexill īs
1. write down the nominative singular x 2
2. write down the stem x 8 (= genitive singular – ī)
3. add endings
LivelyLatin : Lesson 16
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb (Future Tense)
cantō, cantāre
Person & Number
1S
2S
3S
1P
2P
3P
cantābo
cantābis
cantābit
cantābimus
cantābitis
cantābunt
I shall sing
you will sing
he/she/it will sing
we shall sing
you all will sing
they will sing
1. Write down the stem of the second principal part – re
2. Add Future Tense endings (bo, bis, bit, etc.)
LivelyLatin : Lesson 16
How to conjugate a 1st Conjugation Latin Verb (Present Tense)
iuvō, iuvāre
Person & Number
1S
2S
3S
1P
2P
3P
iuvō
iuvās
iuvat
iuvāmus
iuvātis
iuvant
I help
you help
he/she/it help
we help
you all help
they help
1. write down the first principal part
2. write down the stem of the second principal part – re
3. add endings