LATIN I: PRONUNCIATION AND INTRODUCTION

The Latin alphabet is like ours except that it does not have j and w. The letters k, y and z
are rare. They mostly appear in words of foreign origin.

All letters are sounded. There are no silent letters.
Pronunciation is completely
regular according to these simple rules:
o Pronunciation – consonants. Most consonants are exactly like English. The most
important exceptions are:
 V is pronounced like w !!!!
 C is always hard, as in cat. G is always hard, as in goat.
 R is “trilled”.
 I before a vowel is usually a consonant & sounds like y. Examples:


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Vestavia, vomit, vēnī, vīdī, vīcī
Gāius Iūlius Caesar
Cavē canem! (beware the dog.)
Iuppiter
Iūnō
Roma
o Pronunciation – vowels. There are long and short vowels.
 ā as in father.
a as in Dinah
 ē as in they (English “long a”)
e as in pet
 ī as in machine (English “long e”) i as in pin.
 ō as in clover.
o as in off
 ū as in rude.
u as in put.
 Example: Vēnī, vīdī, vīcī
o Pronunciation – diphthongs (vowel combinations).
 ae as in aisle (English “long i”)
 There are several other diphthongs that we will learn as we go along.
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
Practice and learn:
o Salvē (hello . . to one person) Salvēte (hello . . to more than one person)
o Valē (farewell. . to one person) Valēte (farewell . . to more than one person)
o Avē et valē (hail and farewell)
o Vēnī, vīdī, vīcī! (I came, I saw, I conquered), Gaius Iulius Caesar (Julius Caesar)
o Cavē canem! (beware the dog.)
o Vestavia
Vomit
o Iuppiter (king, sky); Iūnō (queen, marriage), Plūtō (death, underworld), Neptūnus (sea), Cerēs (grain,
earth), Vesta (hearth, home), Minerva (wisdom) , Venus (love), Diāna (moon, hunt), Apollō (sun, music,
poetry, prophesy), Mercurius (messenger, thieves), Mars (war), Volcānus (work, metal-working),
Bacchus (wine, theatre)

Some more things to know: hic, haec, and hoc= “this”; Est=is; dea=goddess; deus=god; ita
vērō=yes; minimē=no; if you add =-ne to the first word of a sentence, it becomes a question.
INTRODUCTION TO LATIN NOUNS
 Belong to one of 5 groups called declensions. We will learn declension 1-3 in Latin I
o 1st declension – ends in –a
o 2nd declension – most end in –us or –um. A few end in -er or -ir.
o 3rd declension – Usually ends in something besides –a, -us, or um. It can end in
anything
 Also have a gender: Masculine, feminine or neuter. The gender of a noun doesn’t change.
o Most 1st declension nouns are feminine-a few are masculine.
 Ex.: dea (f) -goddess, regīna (f)-queen, vīlla (f) -house, filia (f)-daughter
nd
o 2 declension includes both masc. and neuter nouns.
 Nouns of the 2nd decl. that end in us (also a few that end in er or ir) are masculine.
deus (m)-god, puer (m)-boy, filius (m) -son,
 2nd declension nouns that end in um are neuter. vinum (n)-wine
o 3rd declension includes masculine, feminine and neuter nouns. You learn the gender
when you learn the noun. Ex. rex (m)-king; arbor (f)-tree, flumen (n) river
o Some nouns have “natural” gender, such as the names of people. Words for inanimate
objects can be masc., fem. or neuter!
 Nouns also take cases, which depend how they are used in a sentence. The case of a noun
changes depending on how it is used in its sentence. Each declension has its own set of case
endings. We are going to learn the nominative and genitive singular endings
o
o
o
o
o
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Nominative (nom)-subject
Genitive (gen)-possessive (‘s, or __)
Dative (dat)-indirect object
Accusative (acc)-direct object
Ablative (abl)-objects of certain prepositions
When you look up a Latin word, you always see its nom. and gen. forms, and its gender.
The genitive ending tells for sure what declension the noun belongs to:
The genitive singular ending for the 1st declension is -ae.
o regīna, regīnae:queen May appear as regīna, -ae (f); filia, -filiae (f)-daughter
Nom.
2
Gen. gender
Regīnae means “of the queen”, or “the queen’s”

The genitive singular ending for 2nd declension is ī
o Deus, deī (m)-god This may also appear as deus, -ī (m)
o Vinum, vinī (n)-wine
This may also appear as vinum –ī (n)
o Deī means “god’s” or “of the god”; vīnī means “wine’s” or “of the wine”

The genitive singular ending for the 3rd declension is –is.
The genitive singular form also gives us the “stem” to which all other endings are added.
o Pater, patris (m)-father
mater, matris (f)-mother
o Patris means “father’s” or of the father. Matris means “mother’s” or of the mother”.
CLASSWORK I ARRANGE THESE NAMES OF DEITIES BY DECLENSION. Look at the
genitive ending to determine the declension.
Iuppiter, Iovis (m)
Apollō, Apollinis (m)
Iūnō, Iūnōnis (f)
Diāna, Dianae (f)
Neptūnus, Neptunī (m)
Volcānus, Volcānī (m)
Plūtō, Plūtōnis (m)
Mars, Martis (m)
Vesta, Vestae (f)
Mercurius, Mercurī (m)
Cerēs, Cereris (f)
Venus, Veneris (f)
Minerva, -Minervae (f)
Bacchus, Bacchī, (m)
1st.
2nd
3rd
Nom-a, Gen-ae
Nom-us , Gen-ī
No Nom. ending, Gen.-is
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CLASSWORK II ARRANGE THESE WORDS BY DECLENSION
Caelum, caelī (n)-sky
Amor, amōris, (m)-love
Matrimonium, -ī (n)-marriage
Vīnum, vīnī (n)-wine
Pontus, pontī (m)-sea
Rex, regis (m)-king
Mors, mortis (f)-death
Regīna, regīnae (f)-queen
Focus, focī (m)-hearth
Deus, deī (m)-god
Terra, terrae (f)-earth
Dea, deae (f)-goddess
Frumentum, frumentī (n)-grain
Pater, patris (m)-father
Sōl, sōlis, (m)-sun
Māter, mātris (f)-mother
Luna, lunae (f)-moon
Frater, fratris (m)-brother
Labor, laboris (m)-work, labor
Soror, sororis (f)-sister
Bellum, bellī (n)-war
Fīlius,fīliī (m)-son
Nuntius, nuntiī (m) -messenger)
Filīa, filīae (f)-daughter
Sapientia, sapientiae (f)-wisdom
Uxor, uxoris (f)-wife
ARRANGE THESE NOUNS BY DECLENSION
1st.
2nd –masculine
2nd -neuter
3rd
Nom-a, Gen-ae
Nom-us, Gen-ī
Nom-um, Gen-ī
No Nom. ending, Gen.-is
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1.
CLASSWORK III TRANSLATE; est=is, he is, she is, it is; et=and
Iuppiter est rex deōrum (of the gods)
Iuppiter est deus caelī
deōrum=of the gods.
_________________________________________________________________________
2.
Iūnō, est regīna deārum.
Iūnō est dea matrimoniī . Est uxor Iovis.
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Neptūnus est deus pontī.
Neptūnus est frater Iovis et (and) Plūtōnis .
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Plūtō est deus mortis.
Plūtō est frater Neptunī et Iovis.
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Cerēs est dea frumentī et terrae. Cerēs est soror iūnōnis et Vestae.
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Vesta est dea focī.
Vesta est soror Iūnōnis et Cereris.
_________________________________________________________________________
7. Apollō est deus solis.
Est frater Diānae.
_________________________________________________________________________
8. Mercurius est nuntius deōrum.
Est filius Iovis et Maiae.
_________________________________________________________________________
9. Diāna, Diānae (f) Diāna est dea lunae. Est filia soror Apollinis.
_________________________________________________________________________
10. Minerva, -ae (f) Minerva est dea sapientiae. Est filia Iovis.
_________________________________________________________________________
11. Volcānus, -ī
(m) Volcānus est deus labōris. Est filius Iovis et Iunōnis.
_________________________________________________________________________
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12. Bacchus, -ī (m) Bacchus est deus vinī. Bacchus est filius Iovis.
_________________________________________________________________________
13. Mars, Martis (m) Mars est deus bellī. Est filius Iunōnis. Est pater Romulī et Remī.
_________________________________________________________________________
14. Venus, Veneris (f) Venus est dea amoris.
Est uxor Volcānī.
_________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION TO VERBS:
LINKING VERB – “to be”

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The linking verb does not show action. It links a subject to a predicate adjective or
predicate nominative. Example: My sister is pretty. Marcus and Iulius are my brothers.
My grandfather was in the army. I will be the best Latin student ever! I want to be an
astronaut.
Learn these Latin forms!!
Singular
Plural
Latin
English
Latin
English
st
1 Person
sum I am
sumus
We are
nd
2 Person es
You are
estis
You (plural-y’all) are
rd
3 Person est
He/she/it is
sunt
They are
(or any singular
(or any plural noun) are
noun) is
1st Person
2nd Person
3rd Person
eram erās
erat
I was
You were
He/she/it was
(or any singular
noun was)
erāmus
erātis
erant
We were
You (plural-y’all) were
They were
(or any plural noun were
1st Person
2nd Person
3rd Person
erō eris
erit
I will be
You will be
He/she/it will be
(or any singular
noun will be
erimus
eritis
erunt
We will be
You (plural-y’all) will be
They will be
(or any plural noun will be

In Latin, if the subject of a verb is a pronoun---I, you (singular), he, she it, we, ya’ll/you
all, (plural), they---it isn’t usually expressed. It is actually a part of the verb! The verb
ending tells the subject. However, there are pronouns, and they can be used for
emphasis.
o (I) Ego sum
(We) Nos sumus
o (You) Tū es
(Y’all) Vōs estis
o (He/she/it) Is/Ea/Id est
(They) Eī/Eae/Ea sunt.
o For example:
 Ego sum gladiator! I am a gladiator!
 Tu es senator! You are a senator!
Read these aloud & translate. You can figure out the meaning of these nouns from related
words in English and from the signs of the zodiac.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sum Venus.
Es fungus.
Sunt gladiatorēs.
Sumus senatorēs
Est spectator.
Erat virgō.
Estis geminī.
Eram leō.
Erant leonēs.
Erit peninsula.
Erāmus impostorēs
Erō cancer.
Erimus oratorēs.
Eris dictator.
Practice this dialogue with a partner:
1. Salvē!
2. Salvē!
3. Quis es?
4. Sum __(insert identity)___, nomine _(insert name)_________. Quis es?
5. Sum __(insert identity)___, nomine _(insert name)_________.
6. Valē!
7. Valē!
Puella, -ae (f)=girl Puer, -ī (m)=boy; monstrum (n)=monster; canis(m): dog; feles(f)=cat
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INTRODUCTION TO LATIN VERBS
A little more about Latin verbs:
Latin verbs have endings that tell us something about the subject of the verb.
Ending
Subject is
Ending
subject is
ō or m
I
mus
we
s
you
tis
y’all
t
he/she/it/singular noun
nt
they/plural noun
1. Amō means “I love”. What do the following mean?
(1)Amō=_________
Amāmus=_________
(2)Amās=________
Amātis=__________
(3)Amat=________
Amant=___________
*When we show the forms of a verb in this order,
we are “conjugating” the verb.
2. Videō means I see. What do the following mean?
(1)
Videō ___________
vidēmus ______________
(2)
Vidēs ___________
vidētis ______________
(3)
Videt ___________
vident
______________
3. Audiō means “I hear”. What do these mean? These are not in order.
Audīmus=___________________
Audiunt=___________________
Audīs=_____________________
Auditis=____________________
Audīs=_____________________
Audiō=_____________________
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LATIN – INTRODUCTION - HOMEWORK I Nomen__________________________
across
1. this letter sounds like w in Latin!
4. god of the underworld
8. god of metal-working
11. I came, I saw I conquered
14. god wine and theater
15. messenger of the gods
16. god of the sea
17. goddess of love and beauty
Down
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1. goddess of the hearth
2. temple of Vesta
3. god of the sun, light, music
5. beware the dog
6. god of war
7. Queen of the gods, goddess of marriage
9. goddess of grain and the earth
10. goddess of wisdom
12. King of the gods, god of the sky
13. goddess of the moon, the hunt
Latin-Introduction-Homework II Nomen_____________________________
Across
3. This is the genitive singular ending for the 1st
declension
4. of Iuno, Iuno's
5. of Pluto, Pluto's
6. Most 1st declension nouns have this gender.
10. 2nd declension nouns that have the nominative
ending -um have this gender.
11. of Vesta, Vesta's
13. of Diana, Diana's
14. of Ceres, Ceres's
15. This is the genitive singular ending for the 3rd
declension
16. of Mercurius, Mercurius's
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17. Noun case used for possession
Down
1. Of Iuppiter, Iuppiter's
2. 2nd declension nouns that have the nominative
ending -us have this gender
3. of Apollo, Apollo's
4. This is the genitive singular ending for the 2nd
declension
7. of Mars, Mars's
8. of Bacchus, Bacchus's
9. Noun case used for the subject of a sentence
11. of Venus, Venus's
12. of Neptune, Neptune's
16. of Minerva, Minerva's
Latin-Introduction, Homework II Nomen__________________________
Across
4. of Venus, Venus's
6. of Mars, Mars's
7. of Mercurius, Mercurius's
8. of Pluto, Pluto's
11. of Bacchus, Bacchus's
12. of Apollo, Apollo's
15. of Minerva, Minerva's
16. This is the genitive singular ending for the 2nd
declension
18. 2nd declension nouns that have the nominative
ending -um have this gender.
19. of Diana, Diana's
Down
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1. of Ceres, Ceres's
2. Most 1st declension nouns have
3. of Iuno, Iuno's
5. Noun case used for the subject
6. 2nd declension nouns that have
ending -us have this gender
9. Of Iuppiter, Iuppiter's
10. This is the genitive singular
declension
12. This is the genitive singular
declension
13. of Neptune, Neptune's
14. Noun case used for possession
17. of Vesta, Vesta's
this gender.
of a sentence
the nominative
ending for the 3rd
ending for the 1st
Latin-Introduction, Homework III Nomen____________________________
Across
2. work
7. Moon, nominative
9. mother's, of the mother
10. daughter's, of the daughter
11. Sun
12. marriage
14. wine
16. mother
17. of grain, grain's
18. hearth, fireplace
20. father's, of the father
24. wisdom's, of wisdom
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25. Of the moon, moon's
26. messenger's, of the messenger
28. war
30. father
31. love
32. Of the sun, sun's
Down
1. of earth, earth's
3. of war, war's
4. sea's, of the sea
5. Sky
6. love's, of love
8. of wine, wine's
12.
13.
15.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
25.
27.
29.
of marriage, marriage's
death
messenger
grain, nominative
Of the sky, sky's
sea
hearth's, of the hearth
daughter
death's
of work, work's
earth
wisdom
Write in Latin: All the nouns are found somewhere in this packet.
1, I am a crab. ________________________________________________________
2. You are the king.______________________________________________________
3. She is the queen._____________________________________________________
4. We are twins._________________________________________________________
5. Y’all are gladiators._____________________________________________________
6. I was a mushroom.______________________________________________________
7. You were a messenger.___________________________________________________
8. He was Jupiter.________________________________________________________
9. We were imposters._____________________________________________________
8. Y’all were senators._____________________________________________________
9. They were lions.______________________________________________________
10. I will be a dog.______________________________________________________
11. You will be a cat.________________________________________________________
12. It is the sun.___________________________________________________________
13. We are dictators (you can figure out how to make the Latin plural of dictator by comparing
it to the Latin plural of senator and gladiator)
_______________________________________________________________
14. Y’all are spectators._____________________________________________________
15. They will be orators. (you can figure out how to make the Latin plural of orator by
comparison to senator, senatorēs, gladiator, gladiatorēs
______________________________________________________________________
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