Language/Latin/Grammar/Latin-Declensions

Latin Grammar ➡ Declensions

In Latin, the subject of a sentence is always in the Nominative case, and the object in the Accusative case:

• eg : Regina (subject) rosas amat (object)

The queen (subject) loves the roses (object)

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Parts of speech Latin, Definite Articles in Latin, Prepositions & Latin Articles.

Declension I

The nouns of the 1st declension are generally feminine (terra- terrae: the earth), except those which represent male characters:

• eg : agricola-ae: agricultural

Declension II

The 2nd declension includes the masculine and feminine nouns in -us or -er and neuter in -um.

It is formed with dominus, ni, um (master of the house).

Declension III

The 3rd declension includes all three genders: masculines and feminines have the same endings in all cases.

Masculines and feminines as mercator (m. merchant), homo (man). Neutrals, as nomen (name).

The cases are the different forms that the words can take, the names in the Latin sentence according to their function.

That is, they have the suffix s in the nominative singular and in others, without any ending in the nominative singular:

• eg.: singular noun: dux- duc-is (hegemon), consul- consŭl-is (the consul), orātor-oratiris (the rhetor) ect

Neutrals have the same endings with masculine and feminine as in the genitive, the dative and the ablative (singular and plural), and they remain invariable in the nominative singular: animāl-is, mare-mar-is, etc.

Declension IV

The 4th declension in Latin includes masculine nouns in -us and neutral nouns in -u.

• eg.: fruct-us, -is (fruit: mas) and cornu, corn-us (horn: neut.)

Declension V

The 5th, the so-called Greek declension, in Latin includes Greek words which retain in Latin certain forms of their original declension.

This is especially true for proper nouns.

It also contains all the females which have the character -e: res, rei (fem: thing), or dies (day)

Other Lessons

• Definite Articles in Latin
• Parts of speech Latin
• Prepositions
• Indefinite Articles in Latin
• Latin Articles
• Future Tense
• Pronouns
• Possessive Case in Latin
• Conditional Tense
• How to Use Have