CL110 notes: see /skidmore/classics/cl110/webresources.html
Ch.1 Nouns: Cases
Nouns have number (sg., pl. ), gender (masc., fem.,
neut.) and cases (nom., gen., dat., acc., abl.).
Cases indicate how the word will be used – as subject
or object. How words are used in a sentence is called
syntax (from the Greek “something put in order”).
Nominative, or subject case
Femina ambulat. Feminae ambulant.
The woman walks. The women walk.
Genitive, or possessive case
Poeta videt patriam feminae. Poeta videt patriam
feminarum.
The poet sees the country of the woman. I see the
country of the women.
Genitive: as an object of something
Nauta habet urnam pecuniae.
The sailor has a jar of money.
Dative: indirect object, usually “for” or “to” someone/thing
Taedam reginae damus. Taedam reginis damus.
We give a torch to the queen. We give a torch to the
queens.
Coronam nautae dat. Coronam nautis dat.
She chooses a crown for the sailor. She chooses a
crown for the sailors.
Accusative: direct object case
Feminam videtis. Feminas videtis.
You all see the woman. You all see the women.
Ablative: indirect object, usually “from, with, in, by”
Cum poeta ambulant. Cum poetis ambulant.
They walk with the poet. They walk with the poets.
Nauta est in via. Nautae sunt in viae.
The sailor is in the road. The sailors are in the roads.
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CL110 notes: see /skidmore/classics/cl110/webresources.html
Ch.1 Nouns: Vocabulary Notes
cum “with” always takes the ablative:
cum femina “with a woman” cum cura “with care”
de “concerning, about, down from” always takes the
ablative:
Fabula est de nauta. This is a story about a sailor.
dono “give” takes the accusative (the thing given) and the
dative (to whom it is given)
Taedam reginae donabo. I will give the torch to the
queen.
dono “present, reward, award” takes the accusative (to
whom it is given) and the ablative (the thing given)
Reginam taeda donabo. I will present the queen with a
torch.
e, ex “out of, from” are the same preposition and they both
always take the ablative.
Nauta ex aqua ambulat. Nauta e porta ambulat.
The sailor walks out of the water. The sailor walks
from the door.
enim “for, indeed” is never the first word in a sentence
Cum femina ambulat. Cum regina enim ambulat.
He walks with a woman. Indeed, he walks with a
queen.
et “and” (conjunction) or “even” (adverb) can
 link 2 words: poeta et regina “the poet and the queen”
 be used twice: et poeta et regina “both the poet and
the queen”
 stand alone: Et nauta turbam timebit. Even the sailor
will fear the crowd
in “into, onto, in, on” takes the accusative or ablative case
Poeta in turbam ambulabat. The poet was walking
towards the crowd.
Poeta in insula ambulabat. The poet was walking on
the island.
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CL110 notes: see /skidmore/classics/cl110/webresources.html
Enclitics: words attached to other words
-ne is not translated but indicates a question
Taedamne vides. Do you see the torch?
-que “and” is translated before the word to which it’s
attached
Poetae nautaeque reginam timent. The poets and the
sailors fear the queen.
Feminas videbunt reginamque coronabunt. They will
see the women and (they will) crown the queen.
terreo, terrere, terrui, territus means “to terrify” someone
timeo, timere, timui, ------ means “to fear, be afraid of
someone”
sum, esse, fui, futurus
The verb “to be” is irregular:
Present
Imperfect
sum
eram
es
eras
est
erat
sumus
eramus
estis
eratis
sunt
erant
(two stems)
(no –ba)
Future
ero
eris
erit
eritimus
eritis
erunt
(-i, -o, -u)
This verb takes no object, and when it is used as a
linking verb (The queen is a woman) the same case
precedes and follows it:
Regina est femina.
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