Nōmen ________________________
Latin I, Magistra Snyder / Magister Jaffe, R ______
Term 2, IA Review Packet
This packet belongs in the Reference Information section of your binder. It condenses all of the material
we have covered so far into one place.
Parts of Speech
We are concerned with SIX different parts of speech.
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Latin ADVERBS have only one form, and they modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
o e.g. ĪRĀTĒ dīcit – she speaks ANGRILY
Latin CONJUNCTIONS have only one form, and they separate and begin clauses.
o e.g. orāculum dīcit, SED vera verba nōn dīcit – she speaks a prophecy, BUT she does not
speak true words.
Latin ADJECTIVES modify a noun.
o They appear in a masculine, a feminine, and a neuter form – īrātus, īrātī, īrātum angry
 sometimes genders are combined – omnis (M & F), omne (N) all
o Latin adjectives agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case.
 e.g. deī ĪRĀTĪ ĪRĀTŌS mīlitēs caedunt – ANGRY gods slay ANGRY soldiers.
Latin PREPOSITIONS have only one form, and they are followed by a noun. Together, the
preposition and the noun form a PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE.
o The noun following a preposition is called the object of the preposition.
o The object of the preposition will always be in the ablative or accusative case, according to
the preposition.
o Prepositions are listed together with the case of the object that they take and their
meaning: sine, (+ABL), without / ad, (+ACC), towards
o e.g. amīcus IN SILVĀ petit – the friend seeks IN THE FOREST
o NB: The object of a preposition can never be a subject, a direct object, an ablative of means,
or anything else. It is ONLY the object of a preposition. Prepositional phrases are super
easy to translate once you have identified them!
Latin NOUNS name a person, a place, an abstract idea, or a thing.
o Nouns appear with their nominative singular form, their genitive singular form, their
gender, and then their meaning – vir, virī, m. man; husband
o Nouns change their form according to the grammatical role that they play in a clause. A
noun’s case identifies its grammatical role. Its number identifies it as singular or plural.
Latin VERBS describe an action or an occurrence.
o Verbs appear with four principal parts and then a meaning –
cupiō, cupere, cupīvī, cupītus want
o Verbs change endings to show their person and number. e.g. amās – YOU love.
o Verbs change form to show their tense, which tells us when the verb happened.
 amās – you ARE loving, you LOVE – present tense, vs.
 amāBĀs – you WERE loving – imperfect tense.
 amāBIs – you WILL love – future tense.
1
Declension and Translation of Nouns
The man gives cake to a dog in the house of his friend with a fork.
The heart of every clause in any human language is the VERB. Every clause must have a verb, and a
person or thing who is doing the verb. All nouns and parts of speech stand in relation to the verbal action
of the clause. Latin nouns can play the following roles in relation to the verb:
A Latin noun can act as a SUBJECT, when it is the do-er or be-er of the verb. The man is the subject of the
sentence above. He is the one doing the giving. Who or what is giving? The man is.
A Latin noun can act as a DIRECT OBJECT, when it is the recipient of the verbal action. The cake is the
direct object of the sentence above. It is the thing being given. Who or what is being given? Cake is.
A Latin noun can act as an INDIRECT OBJECT, when it is the indirect recipient of the verbal action. The
dog is the indirect object of the sentence above. To whom or for whom is the cake being given? The dog.
A Latin noun can be the OBJECT OF A PREPOSITION when it is part of a prepositional phrase. House is an
object of a preposition in the sentence above. Where is the action happening? In a house.
A Latin noun can MODIFY ANOTHER NOUN. The noun friend modifies the noun house. Whose house is
the action happening in? His friend’s.
A Latin noun can show the MEANS or WAY by which the verb happens. The word fork shows the means
by which the action happens. How is the man giving cake? With a fork.
In ENGLISH, we know which noun is acting as the SUBJECT, which noun is acting as the DIRECT OBJECT,
etc. because of the ORDER in which the words appear.
In EVERY English sentence, the subject is placed immediately before the verb, and the direct object is
placed immediately after the verb.
In LATIN, words can appear IN ANY ORDER.
The cake in of the friend the house to a dog with a fork the man gives.
Readers of Latin know which noun is acting as the subject, which noun is acting as the direct object, etc.
only because of the ENDINGS of the words. These endings tell readers the CASE of the noun (what role it
is playing in the sentence) and the NUMBER of the noun (singular vs. plural).
When you translate Latin, your job is first to IDENTIFY the verb, the subject, the direct object, etc., and
then to simply PLACE THEM IN ORDER in English with the subject first, then the verb, and then the direct
object.
ONCE YOU HAVE CORRECTLY TRANSLATED THE SUBJECT, VERB, AND DIRECT OBJECT, ALL THE OTHER
PIECES WILL FALL INTO PLACE FOR YOU.
2
The Case System
Latin SUBJECTS appear in the NOMINATIVE CASE (as do PREDICATES NOMINATIVE)
Latin DIRECT OBJECTS appear in the ACCUSATIVE CASE.
Latin INDIRECT OBJECTS appear in the DATIVE CASE.
Latin OBJECTS OF PREPOSITIONS appear either in the ACCUSATIVE CASE or the ABLATIVE CASE,
depending on the preposition.
Latin nouns that MODIFY OTHER NOUNS appear in the GENITIVE CASE.
Latin nouns showing the MEANS by which the action happens appear in the ABLATIVE CASE.
The nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, and ablative cases take the endings shown below:
1st
Declension
2nd
Declension
2nd
Declension
(Neuter)
Dative Singular
-a
-ae
-ae
-us/r
-ī
-ō
-um
-ī
-ō
Accusat. Singular
-am
-um
-um
* (anything)
-is
-ī
-em
Ablative Singular
-ā
-ae
-ārum
-īs
-ās
-īs
-ō
-ī
-ōrum
-īs
-ōs
-īs
-ō
-a
-ōrum
-īs
-a
-īs
-e
-ēs
-um
-ibus
-ēs
-ibus
Nomin. Singular
Genitive Singular
Nomin. Plural
Genitive Plural
Dative Plural
Accusative Plural
Ablative Plural
3rd
Declension
3rd
Declension
(Neuter)
* (anything)
-is
-ī
(same as nom.
sing.)
-e
-a
-um
-ibus
-a
-ibus
When one puts Latin nouns into these different CASES and NUMBERS by switching their endings, one
DECLINES the noun.
Latin nouns belong to families called DECLENSIONS. A noun that belongs to the 1st DECLENSION always
takes the endings listed in the 1st DECLENSION column. You can only judge the CASE of a 1st declension
noun, and therefore how it should be translated, by considering 1st declension endings.
A noun that belongs to the 2nd declension will only ever take the endings listed in the 2nd DECLESION
column. You can only judge a 2nd declension noun’s case by considering 2nd declension endings.
A noun that belongs to the 3rd declension will only ever take the endings listed in the3rd DECLENSION
column. You can only judge a 3rd declension noun’s case by considering 3rd declension endings.
3
Neuter nouns belong to declensions like any other noun, but there are two special rules that apply always
and forever to every neuter noun:
1) The nominative singular and the accusative singular look identical.
2) The nominative plural and the accusative plural have the ending –a.
Together, we call these patterns the NEUTER RULE.
Let’s DECLINE nouns from the first, second, and third DECLENSIONS:
The noun fēmīna, fēmīnae, f. woman belongs to the 1st declension. We know this because the genitive
singular form ends in –ae, which is a 1st declension genitive singular ending.
Nom. Sg.
Gen. Sg.
Dat. Sg.
Acc. Sg.
Abl. Sg.
fēmīna
fēmīnae
fēmīnae
fēmīnam
fēmīnā
“a woman”
Nom. Pl.
“of a woman”
Gen. Pl.
“to/for a woman”
Dat. Pl.
“a woman” (d.o.)
Acc. Pl.
“by a woman”
Abl. Pl.
fēmīnae
fēmīnārum
fēmīnīs
fēmīnās
fēmīnīs
“women”
“of women”
“to/for women”
“women” (d.o.)
“by women”
The noun ager, agrī, m. field belongs to the 2nd declension. We know this because the genitive singular
form ends in –ī, which is a 2nd declension genitive singular ending.
Nom. Sg.
Gen. Sg.
Dat. Sg.
Acc. Sg.
Abl. Sg.
ager
agrī
agrō
agrum
agrō
“a field”
Nom. Sg.
“of a field”
Gen. Pl.
“to/for a field”
Dat. Pl.
“a field” (d.o)
Acc. Pl.
“by a field”
Abl. Pl.
agrī
agrōrum
agrīs
agrōs
agrīs
“fields”
“of fields”
“to/for fields”
“fields” (d.o.)
“by fields”
The noun dux, ducis, m. leader belongs to the 3rd declension. We know this because the genitive singular
form ends in –is, which is a 3rd declension genitive singular ending.
Nom. Sg.
Gen. Sg.
Dat. Sg.
Acc. Sg.
Abl. Sg.
dux
ducis
ducī
ducem
duce
“a leader”
Nom. Pl.
“of a leader”
Gen. Pl.
“to/for a leader”
Dat. Pl.
“a leader” (d.o.)
Acc. Pl.
“by a leader”
Abl. Pl.
ducēs
ducum
ducibus
ducēs
ducibus
“leaders”
“of leaders”
“to/for leaders”
“leaders” (d.o.)
“by leaders”
One can translate Latin ONLY IF ONE IS ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CASE AND NUMBER OF THE NOUNS
ONE SEES IN SENTENCES. By identifying the case and number, you will be able to place the nouns in the
correct order and translate properly.
THERE IS NO OTHER WAY!
4
Noun-Adjective Agreement
When adjectives modify, or agree with nouns, they must match that noun in gender, number, and case.
Adjectives show their gender, number, and case in their endings by declining just like nouns.
FIRST-SECOND declension adjectives take their endings from the 1st and 2nd declensions. Their
masculine forms follow the 2nd declension, their feminine forms follow the 1st declension, and their
neuter forms follow the 2nd declension with the neuter rule applied.
To match the 1st-2nd declension adjective fīdus, fīda, fīdum faithful to the feminine 3rd declension noun
navis, navis, f. ship, we will decline it according to the 1st declension, while declining the noun according
to the 3rd declension endings it always takes.
Nom.
Latin (Singular)
fīda navis
English
“the faithful ship”
Latin (Plural)
fīdae navēs
English
“faithful ships”
Gen.
fīdae navis
“of the faithful ship”
fīdārum navum
“of the faithful ships”
Dat.
fīdae navī
“to the faithful ship”
fīdīs navibus
“to the faithful ships”
Acc.
fīdam navem
“faithful ship” (d.o.)
fīdās navēs
“faithful ships” (d.o.)
Abl.
fīdā nave
“by the faithful ship”
fīdīs navibus
“by the faithful ships”
THIRD declension adjectives take their endings from the 3rd declension. Their forms only differ by
gender, sometimes, in the nominative singular. The adjective ācer, ācris, ācre harsh has the form ācer
for the masculine nominative singular, ācris for the feminine nominative singular, and ācre for the
neuter nominative singular.
The adjective iuvenis, iuvene young has the form iuvenis for the masculine and feminine nominative
singulars and iuvene for the neuter nominative singular.
The adjective fēlix, fēlīcis happy has the form fēlix for the masculine, feminine, and neuter nominative
singular. The form fēlīcis is the genitive singular for all genders and gives the stem of the adjective: fēlīc-.
To match the 3rd declension adjective omnis, omne, all, every to the neuter 2nd declension noun
rēgnum, rēgnī, n. kingdom, we will decline it according to the 3rd declension, while declining the noun
according to the 2nd declension endings it always takes.
In this case, both noun and adjective must follow the NEUTER RULE because they are neuter!
Nom.
Latin (Singular)
omne rēgnum
English
“every kingdom”
Latin (Plural)
omnia rēgna
English
“all kingdoms”
Gen.
omnis rēgnī
“of every kingdom”
omnium rēgnōrum
“of all kingdoms”
Dat.
omnī rēgnō
“to every kingdom”
omnibus rēgnīs
“to all kingdoms”
Acc.
omne rēgnum
“every kingdom” (d.o.)
omnia rēgna
“all kingdoms” (d.o.)
Abl.
omnī** rēgnō
“by every kingdom”
omnibus rēgnīs
“by all kingdoms”
** Note that 3rd declension adjectives all follow i-stem rules, and change form slightly.
5
Pronouns
PRONOUNS are nouns that refer to other nouns. Thus far we only know the 3rd person pronoun is, ea, id.
The forms of is, ea, id almost entirely follow the 1st and 2nd declensions:
CASE
Nom. Sg.
Masculine
is
English
“he”
Feminine
ea
English
“she”
Neuter
id
English
“it”
Gen. Sg.
eius
“of him / his”
eius
“of her / her”
eius
“of it / its”
Dat. Sg.
eī
“to him”
eī
“to her”
eī
“to it”
Acc. Sg.
eum
“him”
eam
“her”
id
“it” (d.o.)
Abl. Sg.
eō
“by him”
eā
“by her”
eō
“by it”
Nom. Pl.
eī
“they”
eae
“they”
ea
“they”
Gen. Pl.
eōrum
“of them”
eārum
“of them”
eōrum
“of them”
Dat. Pl.
eīs
“to them”
eīs
“to them”
eīs
“to them”
Acc. Pl.
eōs
“them” (d.o.)
eās
“them” (d.o.)
ea
“them” (d.o.)
Abl. Pl.
eīs
“by them”
eīs
“by them”
eīs
“by them”
Verb Conjugation
Nouns belong to DECLENSIONS and when they change form, they DECLINE.
Verbs belong to CONJUGATIONS and when they change form, they CONJUGATE.
A Latin verb will always show PERSON and NUMBER in its ending. Person indicates whether the action is
being done by the speaker(s), by the person(s) the speaker is addressing, or by other person(s) the
speaker is talking about. In the 1st Person, “I” or “we” are the subjects. In the 2nd Person, “you” or “you
all” are the subjects. In the 3rd Person, “he/she/it” or “they” are the subjects, or a nominative noun
mentioned in the clause.
A verb’s NUMBER indicates whether the subject is singular or plural (I vs. we, she vs. they, etc.)
PERSONAL ENDINGS are placed at the end of verbs to indicate their person and number.
SINGULAR
1st
2nd
3rd
-ō / -m
-s
-t
PLURAL
I
you
he/she/it
-mus
-tis
-nt
we
you all
they
A verb that ends in –ō will always have “I” as a subject translated right before the verb.
A verb that ends in –t will always have “he”, “she”, or “it”, OR a singular nominative noun in the clause as a
subject translated right before the verb.
A verb that ends in –nt will always have “they” OR a plural nominative noun in the clause as a subject
translated right before the verb.
6
To be able to conjugate a verb, we must be able to find its PRESENT STEM. To do so, simply chop off the
-re at the end of the second principal part.
e.g. iubē- is the present stem of iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus order, command
We must also be able to identify the CONJUGATION to which a verb belongs. To do so, simply look at the
vowel at the end of the present stem.
CONJUGATION NUMBER
PRESENT STEM VOWEL
PATTERN OF PRINCIPAL PARTS 1 & 2
1st
2nd
3rd
3rd-io
4th
-ā
-ē
-e
-e (with –iō) in 1st PP
-ī
-ō, -āre
-eō, -ēre
-ō, -ere
-iō, -ere
-iō, -īre
The Latin PRESENT TENSE talks about actions or occurrences happening right now.
“you VERB”, “you are VERBing”, “you do VERB” are all correct ways to translate the Latin present tense.
To form the present tense, follow the following simple formula:
PRESENT STEM + PERSONAL ENDING
*Exceptions*
1) In the 1st & 3rd conjugations, the present stem vowel disappears in the 1st person singular.
2) In the 3rd conjugation, the stem vowel –e- changes to –i- before the personal endings.
3) In the 3rd conjugation, the stem vowel changes to –u- in the 3rd person plural.
4) In the 3rd-io conjugation, an –i- appears in front of the personal ending in the 1st person singular, and
before the –u- in the 3rd person plural.
5) In the 4th conjugation, a –u- appears before the personal ending.
These exceptions are better understood simply by looking at the patterns of the present tense. Let’s
conjugate a verb from each conjugation in the present tense.
The verb amō, amāre, amāvī, amātus love has the present stem amā- and belongs to the 1st
conjugation. Its present tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
amō
I love
amāmus
We love
2nd
amās
You love
amātis
You all love
3rd
amat
He/she/it loves
amant
They love
The verb habeō, habēre, habuī, habitus have has the present stem habē- and belongs to the 2nd
conjugation. Its present tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
habeō
I have
habēmus
We have
2nd
habēs
You have
habētis
You all have
3rd
habet
He/she/it has
habent
They have
7
The verb caedō, caedere, cecidī, caesus strike; kill has the present stem caede- and belongs to the 3rd
conjugation. Its present tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
caedō
I strike
caedimus
We strike
2nd
caedis
You strike
caeditis
You all strike
3rd
caedit
He/she/it strikes
caedunt
They strike
The verb capiō, capere, cēpī, captus seize has the present stem cape- and an –iō at the end of the first
principal part. It belongs to the 3rd-io conjugation. Its present tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
capiō
I seize
capimus
We seize
2nd
capis
You seize
capitis
You all seize
3rd
capit
He/she/it seizes
capiunt
They seize
The verb veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus arrive, come has the present stem venī- and belongs to the 4th
conjugation. Its present tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
veniō
I arrive
venīmus
We arrive
2nd
venīs
You arrive
venītis
You all arrive
3rd
venit
He/she/it arrives
veniunt
They arrive
The Latin IMPERFECT TENSE talks about action that happened in the past that was ongoing.
“you were VERBing” or “you used to VERB” are both correct ways to translate the Latin imperfect tense.
To form the imperfect tense, follow the following simple formula:
PRESENT STEM + -BĀ- + PERSONAL ENDING
*Exceptions*
1) In the first person singular, use the alternate personal ending –m.
2) In the 3rd-io and 4th conjugations, the vowel at the end of the present stem becomes –iēThe verb dō, dare, dedī, datus give has the present stem da- and belongs to the 1st conjugation. Its
imperfect tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
dabam
I was giving
dabāmus
We were giving
2nd
dabās
You were giving
dabātis
You all were giving
3rd
dabat
H/S/I was giving
dabant
They were giving
The verb fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitus flee, escape has the present stem fuge- and an –iō at the end of the
first principal part. It belongs to the 3rd-io conjugation. Its imperfect tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
fugiēbam
I was fleeing
fugiēbāmus
We were fleeing
2nd
fugiēbās
You were fleeing
fugiēbātis
You all were fleeing
3rd
fugiēbat
H/S/I was fleeing
fugiēbant
They were fleeing
8
The Latin FUTURE TENSE talks about action that will happen in the future.
“you will VERB” or “you will be VERBing” are both correct ways to translate the Latin future tense.
To form the future tense for 1ST and 2ND CONJUGATION VERBS, follow the following simple formula:
PRESENT STEM + -BI- + PERSONAL ENDING
*Exceptions*
1) In the first person singular, the –i- drops before the personal ending –ō.
2) In the third person plural, the –i- changes to –u- to avoid the sound –int.
To form the future tense for 3RD and 4TH CONJUGATION VERBS, follow the following simple formula:
PRESENT STEM + -Ē- + PERSONAL ENDING
*Exceptions*
1) In the first person singular, the vowel before the personal ending becomes –a-.
2) In the first person singular, the personal ending used is –m.
3) In the 3rd-io and 4th conjugations, the hidden –i- in the stem appears before the infix.
The verb stō, stāre, stetī, status stand has the present stem stā- and belongs to the 1st conjugation. Its
future tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
stābō
I will stand
stābimus
We will stand
2nd
stābis
You will stand
stābitis
You all will stand
3rd
stābit
H/S/I will stand
stābunt
They will stand
The verb iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus command, order has the present stem iubē- and belongs to the 2nd
conjugation. Its future tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
iubēbō
I will command
iubēbimus
We will command
2nd
iubēbis
You will command
iubēbitis
You all will command
3rd
iubēbit
H/S/I will command
iubēbunt
They will command
The verb gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus bear, carry has the present stem gere- and belongs to the 3rd
conjugation. Its future tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
geram
I will carry
gerēmus
We will carry
2nd
gerēs
You will carry
gerētis
You all will carry
3rd
geret
H/S/I will carry
gerent
They will carry
The verb cupiō, cupere, cupīvī, cupītus want, desire has the present stem cupe- and –iō at the end of its
first principal part. It belongs to the 3rd-io conjugation. Its future tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
cupiam
I will want
cupiēmus
We will want
2nd
cupiēs
You will want
cupiētis
You all will want
3rd
cupiet
H/S/I will want
cupient
They will want
9
The verb sciō, scīre, scīvī, scītus know has the present stem scī- and belongs to the 4th conjugation. Its
future tense is:
LATIN
ENGLISH
LATIN
ENGLISH
1st
sciam
I will know
sciēmus
We will know
2nd
sciēs
You will know
sciētis
You all will know
3rd
sciet
H/S/I will know
scient
They will know
The IRREGULAR verb sum, esse, fuī, futūrus, to be has the following forms in our three tenses:
1st
2nd
3rd
LATIN
sum
es
est
ENGLISH
1st
2nd
3rd
LATIN
eram
erās
erat
I was
You were
He/she/it was
LATIN
erāmus
erātis
erant
1st
2nd
3rd
LATIN
erō
eris
erit
ENGLISH
I will be
You will be
He/she/it will be
LATIN
erimus
eritis
erunt
I am
You are
He/she/it is
ENGLISH
LATIN
sumus
estis
sunt
ENGLISH
We are
You all are
They are
ENGLISH
We were
You all were
They were
ENGLISH
We will be
You all will be
They will be
Compound Verbs
Latin verbs frequently take a preposition as a prefix which changes the meaning of the verb. For example,
the verb navigō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus sail and the preposition circum (+ACC) around combine to form the
verb circumnavigō sail around. The meaning of most compound verbs is logically derivable from the
meaning of the verb and the meaning of the prefix.
The verb sum, esse appears in common compound forms such as adsum be present, absum be absent,
and possum be able. These compound verbs conjugate as always but with a prefix on the front.
The prefix of the verb possum is pot- (“possible, able”). When and only when pot- comes in front of the
letter s before the 1st person singular sum, 1st person plural sumus, and 3rd person plural sunt, it
changes into an s itself, yielding the forms possum, possumus, and possunt.
Some verbs, frequently compound verbs, take DATIVE OBJECTS. When a verb is marked in a gloss with
the identifier (+DAT), look for a dative noun acting as its object. You will box that noun and translate it
directly after the verb as an object, without the words “to” or “for.”
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Annotation and Translation Strategy
The job of a Latin translator is to do two things:
1) Translate the person, number, and tense of the verb that is the heart of the clause correctly.
2) Translate the information that the case of the various nouns gives you.
To do these things we need to be comfortable with our verb forms, and have a system to organize the
nouns in their various cases.
ANNOTATION is a tool to aid translation. If you can annotate a sentence, then you can translate it.
Similarly, if you understand a sentence well enough to translate it, then by definition you can annotate it.
To translate ANY Latin sentence, FIRST:
1) COUNT the verbs. There are exactly as many clauses in a sentence as there are verbs. Use
conjunctions, punctuation, and other clues to divide the sentence into its clauses. You will
annotate and translate only ONE clause at a time!
(INFINITIVES – the second principal part of a verb, such as facere “to make,” cupere “to want,”
and iubēre “to command,” does not stand on its own as a verb and does not count.
2) UNDERLINE the verb of the clause you are working on. Check its personal ending. If the personal
ending is plural, the subject will have to be a plural nominative noun. If the personal ending is
singular, the subject will have to be a singular nominative noun. If no noun in the clause matches
that description, the subject is implied in the personal ending.
3) IDENTIFY any PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES. A noun in a prepositional phrase can’t be a subject, a
direct object, or anything else, and we don’t want to get confused. Find any prepositions and put
PARENTHESES around it and its object (at least two words). Save these phrases for later, and do
nothing with them until you are ready to translate.
4) IDENTIFY the SUBJECT. Every verb has a subject, a person or thing doing the action. Look through
the words in the clause for one or more with a nominative ending. That is your subject. CIRCLE it.
If there is no nominative word that matches the verb, CIRCLE the verb’s personal ending.
5) IDENTIFY the DIRECT OBJECT. Most clauses have a direct object. Look through the words in the
clause for one or more with an accusative ending. BOX it.
(PREDICATES NOMINATIVE – the verb to be never takes a direct object! Instead you should expect
to see another noun in the nominative case which will be translated instead of a direct object.)
6) IDENTIFY any GENITIVE NOUNS. Genitive nouns modify a nearby noun. HOOK the genitive noun
to the noun that it modifies.
7) IDENTIFY and DATIVE INDIRECT OBJECTS, if there is a verb of giving, showing, or telling.
THEN
8) Write the SUBJECT (paying attention to its number).
9) Write the VERB (paying attention to its tense).
10)Write the DIRECT OBJECT (paying attention to its number) OR write the predicate nominative.
11) Write an INDIRECT OBJECT (if there is one, paying attention to its number) using “to” or “for.”
12) Decide where the PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES will make sense and add them in (paying attention
to the number of the object of the preposition).
13) Add in GENITIVES by translating them next to the noun to which they are hooked (paying
attention to the number of genitives).
14) Translate any lingering ABLATIVES OF MEANS using BWIOF – “by, with, in, on, from.”
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