To form the direct object plural of first declension masculine words like “nauta” use the ending – ās :

Spectō nautās = I am watching the sailors

Now try translating these sentences :

(1) Stellās numerant. (numerāre = to count. stella = star)

(2) Aedificātis casās et schaphās.

(3) Portās tabulās. (tabula = writing tablet) 

The answers are in brackets :

(1) Stellās numerant. (numerāre = to count. stella = star) [They are counting the stars]

(2) Aedificātis casās et schaphās. [You all are building houses and boats]

(3) Portās tabulās. (tabula = writing tablet) [You are carrying writing tablets]

With the third sentence, how do you know which one is in the accusative (direct object) plural? I mean, both of the words end in -ās. The hint was given in parentheses. Tabula was labeled a noun, so you can safely assume that portās will be the verb. Also, portāre was in a previous quiz, so you know that it means, “to carry”.

Just so you know, the -ās ending will only work for those nouns that are in the first declension. Also, sentences like this : ” Nautae sumus” = We are sailors will not have the noun “nauta” end in -ās because there is no direct object here.