Stage 1 Notes
Declensions
Latin nouns belong to 1 of 5 categories ("declensions"). The categories are based on the
noun's stem (the part that's left when you remove the ending. We won't meet 4th or
5th declension nouns this year.
1st declension
- stem ends in -a- mostly feminine nouns
- examples: puella fēminam in viā videt.
Nominative: -a; Accusative: -am; Ablative: -ā
2nd declension
- stem ends in -o- masculine nouns end in -us in normal form (nominative) (a few end in -r or -er)
- neuter nouns end in -um in nominative
- examples: servus cibum in tricliniō pōnit.
Nominative: -us/-r/-er (masc) or -um (neut)
Accusative: -um
Ablative: -ō
3rd declension
- stem ends in a consonant
- nominative form must be memorized since every 3rd decl. noun is different
- there are nouns of all genders in this declension
- examples: Grumio canem in arbore non videt.
Nominative: every noun different; can't separate stem from ending
Accusative: -em (except neuters have same form in both nom. and acc.)
Ablative: -e
Cases
A case is a form of a noun used based on its function in a sentence. Nouns in Latin will
always be in one of 5 cases.
- Nominative (the "normal" form of the noun) - used for subject of sentence
Examples: Metella dormit. Caecilius bibit. Grumio coquit.
- Genitive (we will learn later)
- Dative (we will learn later)
- Accusative (we will learn in Stage 2)
- Ablative - used when noun is the object of a preposition showing location
Examples: Metella in atriō est. Grumio in culīnā est.
Number
Nouns in Latin are singular or plural. They can be in any of the 5 cases both singular and
plural so they have a total of 10 possible forms.