First Declension Plural Posted by kunthra on Apr 13, 2009
Memorize the endings below, because these endings form the plural first declension nouns: Nominative: –ae Genitive: –ārum Dative: –īs Accusative: –ās Ablative: –īs Here’s an example of first declension plural endings for the word farmer in Latin. Even though first declension nouns are usually feminine, the Latin word for farmer is masculine. N: agricolae G: agricolārum…
First Declension Singular Posted by kunthra on Apr 11, 2009
First declension nouns are usually feminine like queen (rēgīna) and widow (vidua). However there is the rare case where masculine nouns like farmer (agricola) and sailor (nauta) also fall under first declension nouns. Here are the singular first declension endings: Nominative: –a Genitive: –ae Dative: –ae Accusative: –am Ablative: –ā Here are the first declension…
Declension of Latin Nouns Posted by kunthra on Apr 8, 2009
In Latin, nouns have to undergo declension. Declension of nouns are necessary to show whether a sentence is plural or singular, feminine or masculine etc. Latin declensions of nouns consist of six grammatical casus or cases: 1) Nominative – marks the subject of a sentence. It answers the question: who? or what? The subject is usually…
Latin Numbers 1-10 Posted by kunthra on Apr 5, 2009
Latin numbers can be expressed cardinally and ordinally. Cardinal numbers are numbers we use to count when we count things in order. Ordinal numbers are numbers we use to list things, like when we place people in first, second or third place. Latin numerals are still used today. You can see them on tombstones and even…
From Latin to English Posted by kunthra on Mar 30, 2009
I think people take Latin for granted. Most people don’t realize how many English words have roots that derive from Latin words. Take for example the English word verbatim. The English word for verbatim means to quote someone word for word or to copy something word for word. In Latin, verbum means word, while ātim is the adverbial…
The Dining Experience Posted by kunthra on Mar 28, 2009
Whenever I see Hollywood movies like Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, I’m always fascinated by the dining scene. The Ancient Romans are usually portrayed as reclining while eating. It’s always the same scene in other films as well. The truth is, the Ancient Romans only dined and wined for formal events. For routine meals, they just sat…
The Ides of March Posted by kunthra on Mar 24, 2009
Have you ever heard the phrase, Beware of the Ides of March? It’s a phrase uttered by a soothsayer to Julius Caesar before his eventual death. The Ancient Romans considered the Ides of March as a lucky day. The Ides of March falls on the 15th of March, which is considered a day of the…