CL210: Intermediate Latin
Skidmore College/Spring, 2008
C. Welser
Outline of Case Uses (Version I)
Numbers preceded by the letter W indicate page numbers in Wheelock’s Latin.
Case uses preceded by ► are being discussed for the first time, and demand special attention.
Case uses preceded by an asterisk will not be on the final exam for CL210.
I.
The Nominative
A.
Subject of a finite verb (W10).
B.
Predicate nominative with sum (W26-27) and with other verbs (especially passive
verbs) that assert an identity between the subject and the predicate.
meus fīlius est medicus
my son (subject) is a doctor (predicate
nominative)
Cicero (subj.) had been made (lit. “created”)
consul (pred. nom.)
this island (subj.) is called Britain (pred.
nom.)
Cīcerō cōnsul creātus erat.
haec īnsula Britannia vocātur
II.
The Genitive
You will very rarely go wrong if you translate words in the genitive with the English
preposition “of.” There are, however, a number of different ways in which the genitive is used.
A.
Possessive genitive: to indicate ownership (W10).
Note that the genitives of the first and second person personal pronouns
(ego, tū, nōs, vōs) are not used possessively in Latin: most often they are
used objectvely (D., below) or partitively (E., below). (W69n.)
B.
Genitive of material: to indicate what something is made of (W442).
pōculum aurī
C.
a chalice of gold
Genitive of description: to provide information about the nature of a noun
(W285).
mīles magnae virtūtis
a soldier of great valor
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D.
Objective genitive (W69n.4 442-3). Some nouns imply a kind of action, and the
genitive can indicate that a word is the object of that action.
amor pecūniae
love of money
(aliquis amat pecūniam)
The following genitives are trickier, and must be translated more cautiously:
E.
Partitive Genitive/Genitive of the Whole (W69n., 98-99): to indicate a whole
of which another noun is part. Most of the time, this use of the genitive
will be straightforward.
pars meī
mīlia Rōmānōrum
part of me
thousands of Romans
The partitive genitive may seen odd when used with certain neuter
pronouns and adjectives, or with adverbs, in ways unfamiliar to non-native
speakers but extremely common in Latin.
quid novī
nihil bonī
tantum odī
parum pecūniae
what’s new? (lit., “what of new?”)
nothing good (lit., “nothing of good”)
so much hate (lit., “so much of hate”)
too little money
(lit., “insufficiently of money”)
more praise (lit., “more of praise”)
where in the world?
(lit., “where of the world?”)
that time (lit., “that of time”)
that place (lit., “that of place”)
plūs laudis
ubi terrārum
id temporis
id locī
*F.
Genitive of Price/Genitive of Value:to indicate price. The ablative used even
more commonly for this purpose (see below).
Quantī id ēmit?
Ēmit unius assis
How much did he buy it for?
He bought if for one as (bronze penny).
*G.
Genitive of the Charge or Penalty: to indicate a criminal charge or a penalty
imposed.
H.
Use of the genitive in particular or idiomatic constructions, e.g. with causā and
gratiā to mean “for the sake of”:
exemplī gratiā
honōris causā
for the sake of example
for the sake of honor
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III.
The Dative
The first two uses of the dative listed below will present no problem if you simply translate the
dative in the usual way, with “to” or “for.”
A.
Indirect Object (W10).
B.
Dative with certain adjectives (W245-246).
Ille pār esse deō vidētur.
That man seems to be to equal to a god.
Other datives are trickier:
►C.
Dative with certain verbs (W246-248): many Latin verbs take the dative instead
of the accusative to represent what in English we regard as a direct object.
crēde mihi!
studet philosophiae
trust me!
he is studying philosophy
Compound verbs (verbs formed by adding a preposition to another Latin verb)
will very often take the dative, as either a direct or indirect object, and in
these cases the dative cannot be translated with “to” or “for” in English.
It is well worth looking over Wheelock, Ch. 35 to gain familiarity with this
usage of the dative.
D.
Dative of Agent: always used with the Passive Periphrastic but occasionally in
other situations as well (W157-158).
E.
Dative of Reference/Dative of Interest (W270): to indicate the person or thing to
whom the sentence refers or from whose perspective it is true or
important:
Ille mihi pār esse deō vidētur.
That man seems to me to be to equal to a
god.
Sī essem mihi cōnscius ullīus culpae…
*F.
If I were conscious of any fault
in myself…
Dative of Possession (W443): the dative can be used, especially but not
exclusively with sum, to express the idea of possession:
est lex nōbīs
we have a law (lit., “there is a law for us”)
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*G.
Dative of Purpose (W443): the dative can be used to express the purpose or effect
of something. When this dative is combined with the dative of reference
(E., above), it produces the DOUBLE DATIVE construction, which is
quite common in Latin, in which two datives appear together, one
expressing a purpose or result and the other expressing the person(s) or
thing(s) affected.
bellum erat exitiō Carthaginēnsibus
the war destroyed the
Carthaginians
(lit.,”the war was for destruction for the Carthaginians”)
auxilium mīsit speī nōbīs
he sent help to bring us hope
(lit., “he sent help for hope for us”)
IV.
The Accusative
A.
Direct object of the verb (W10).
B.
Object of certain prepositions (W10).
C.
Subject of an Infinitive in indirect discourse (W164-166).
D.
to indicate motion toward a place designated by the name of a city, town, or
island, or by a handful of other nouns (W261-262)
Rōmānī ite domum!
Nāvigant Siciliam.
►E.
Romans go home!
They are sailing to Sicily.
Accusative of Duration of Time (W263): to indicate the length or duration of an
action or situation. It can usually be translated with “for.” Contrast this
with the Ablative of Time When or Within Which (V.D., below.)
Multās noctēs timēbāmus.
We were afraid for many nights.
Pēnelopē Ulyssem exspectābat vīgintī annōs.
Penelope waited for Ulysses for twenty years.
V.
The Ablative
A.
Object of certain prepositions (W10-11, 142-3)
B.
Ablative of Means and Ablative of Manner (W91-92, 142-143): these ablatives
can generally be translated with “by” or “with”
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VI.
C.
Ablative in an Ablative Absolute Construction (W155-157)
D.
Ablative of Time When or Within Which (W. 99-100, 263) to indicate the time
when or the period of time within which something happened. It can
usually be translated with “in,” “within,” “on,” or “at” but NOT “for.”
Contrast this with the Accusative of Duration of Time (IV.E., above).
E.
Ablative of Separation (W130-131) to indicate separation from something, lack of
something, or freedom from something.
F.
to indicate motion away from a place designated by the name of a city, town, or
island, or by a handful of other nouns (W261-262).
G.
Ablative of Comparison (W173) to indicate the person or thing with which
something is being compared
H.
Ablative with certain deponent verbs, of which you have learned ūtor (W237238).
*I.
Ablative of Specification / Ablative of Respect (W443-444)
*J.
Ablative of Cause (W444)
*K.
Ablative of Degree of Difference (W444)
The Vocative Case (W11)
used only for direct address. it is always the same as the nominative except for 2nd
declension nouns ending in –us (in which case the ending becomes –e) or –ius (in which
case the ending becomes –ī)
VII.
The Locative Case (W261-262)
used to indicate a place designated by the name of a city, town, or island, or by a handful
of other nouns.
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