Nouns

What noun case do I use?

1. Nominative: subject and predicate nominative noun

Predicate nominative nouns follow linking verbs (sum to be, fio to become).

• My vehicle is a truck.
• Meum vehiculum est auto plaustrum.

2. Genitive: shows possession

(In English the genitive case will be used when a noun is an object of the preposition "of"or a noun using 's or s'.)

• My brother's vehicle is a car. OR The vehicle of my brother is a car.
• Mei fratris vehiculum est auto raeda.

3. Dative: Indirect object: indicates the receiver of the direct object

Indicator verbs:

• giving (dô, donô)
• showing (monstrô)
• telling (dicô, narrô, nuntiô).

Translation:

1.) place the indirect object noun before the direct object

• Sextus gives Cornelia a dog.

2.) use the prepositions to / for after the direct object

• Sextus gives the dog to Cornelia.

Watch out! After the indicator verbs listed above, to / for are not translated in Latin. Check out the English sentences below. It gives two ways to translate the indirect object in English.

• Your father is giving me your bike. OR Your father is giving your bike to me.
• 
  Tuus pater mihi tuam birotam dat.

4. Accusative: Direct Object

1.) Direct Object (answers the question "what?"/"whom?" after the verb)

• I see the slave walking to the farmhouse.
• Servum ambulantem ad villam videô

2.) object of prepositions such as in (into), trans (across), post (behind), ad (to, toward), prope (near), and other prepositions.

• I see the slave walking to the farmhouse.
• Servum ambulantem ad villam videô.

5. Ablative: The catch-all case

1.) Object of prepositions such as: in (in, on0, sub (under), cum (with) and other prepositions.

• Father was walking with mother in the fields.
• Pater cum matre in agrîs ambulâbat.

2.) Other uses: means, manner, specific time etc.

See FAQ: What are the uses of the ablative case?

5. Vocative: noun of direct address (give a command to or ask a person a question)

Vocative case endings are the same as the Nominative case endings.

• Exception: Vocative singular of certain 2nd declension, masculine nouns
• Nouns ending in -us for the Nom. sg. will change to -e for the Vocative
• Nouns ending in -ius for the Nom. sg. will change to -î for the Vocative
  • Marcus, look at the sky! Marce, spectâ caelum!
  • Son, why are you running in the farmhouse?
  • Filî, cür in villâ curris?

Now the student must memorize the declension case endings! Your textbook, Ecce Romanî presents the case endings one case at a time. The full set is in the back of the textbook on page 267.

Look at this sentence:
I see the slave working.

How is slave used? It is the direct object of the verb see. Therefore, it goes into the accusative case. What is the 2nd principal part of slave? It is -î, therefore, it is a 2nd declension noun. What case ending do I use? Look on page 267 for 2nd declension accusative singular. What is that ending? It is -um, therefore servum.

Look at this sentence:
The slaves see me.

How is slaves used? It is the subject, and it is plural; therefore, nominative plural of 2nd declension therefore, servî.

This becomes a matching game. Memorize endings and principal parts, figure how the word is used, then select the proper ending.

• See how much you have learned by trying the FAQ quiz.
• Year
• Block
• KVHS

^ Grammatica