Language/Latin/Grammar/Prepositions

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Latin → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Prepositions

Welcome to this engaging lesson on prepositions in Latin! Prepositions are vital elements of any language, acting as the glue that holds our sentences together. They help us express relationships between nouns and other words, indicating direction, location, time, and much more. Understanding prepositions will empower you to create more complex and meaningful sentences, enhancing your overall mastery of Latin.

In this lesson, we will explore the following key aspects of Latin prepositions:

• Forms of Prepositions: We’ll discuss how prepositions vary and their specific forms.

• Cases Governed by Prepositions: Each preposition in Latin governs a particular case. We will delve into which prepositions govern which cases.

• Usage in Sentences: We’ll illustrate how prepositions function within sentences to convey clear and precise meanings.

By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of Latin prepositions, enabling you to incorporate them confidently in your writing and speech.

Forms of Prepositions

In Latin, prepositions typically precede their objects and can be classified based on the cases they govern. Most commonly, Latin prepositions govern the accusative or ablative cases. Here are some examples of prepositions and their respective forms:

Latin	Pronunciation	English
ad	/ad/	to, toward
in	/in/	in, on
cum	/kum/	with
pro	/pro/	for, in favor of
ex	/eks/	out of, from
per	/per/	through, by
sub	/sub/	under
sine	/siː.ne/	without
ante	/an.te/	before
post	/po.st/	after

Cases Governed by Prepositions

Understanding the cases governed by prepositions is crucial for correct sentence structure. Here’s a breakdown of the most common Latin prepositions and the cases they govern:

1. Accusative Case: Used primarily for expressing direction or movement towards something.

• Examples:

• ad (to, towards)

• per (through)

2. Ablative Case: Used for expressing location, time, or means.

• Examples:

• cum (with)

• ex (out of, from)

Let’s take a look at a table that summarizes these prepositions and their governed cases:

Preposition	Case Governed	Usage Example
ad	Accusative	ad urbem (to the city)
per	Accusative	per silvam (through the forest)
cum	Ablative	cum amicis (with friends)
ex	Ablative	ex urbe (out of the city)
in	Accusative or Ablative	in urbem (into the city) / in urbe (in the city)
sub	Accusative or Ablative	sub montem (under the mountain) / sub monte (under the mountain)

Usage in Sentences

Now that we’ve explored the forms and cases of prepositions, it’s time to see how they function in sentences. Prepositions allow us to add context and detail, transforming simple phrases into rich descriptions.

Here are 20 illustrative sentences featuring various prepositions:

Latin	Pronunciation	English
Puella in horto ludet.	/ˈpʊ.ɛl.la in ˈhɔr.to ˈlu.dɛt/	The girl will play in the garden.
Marcus ad scholam currit.	/ˈmar.kus ad ˈsko.lam ˈkur.rit/	Marcus runs to school.
Puer cum patre venit.	/ˈpʊ.ɛr kum ˈpa.trɛ ˈwɛ.nit/	The boy comes with his father.
Agricola ex villa discessit.	/a.ɡrɪˈko.la eks ˈwi.la dɪsˈtʃɛ.sɪt/	The farmer departed from the farmhouse.
Libri sunt in mensa.	/ˈli.bri sʊnt in ˈmɛn.sa/	The books are on the table.
Ego ad forum ambulo.	/ˈɛ.ɡo ad ˈfo.rum ˈam.bu.lo/	I walk to the forum.
Caelum est sine nubibus.	/ˈka.e.lum ɛst ˈsi.ne ˈnu.bi.bus/	The sky is without clouds.
Pueri ante domum ludunt.	/ˈpʊ.ɛ.ri ˈan.te ˈdo.mum ˈlu.dʊnt/	The boys play in front of the house.
Naves per mare navigant.	/ˈna.wɛs pɛr ˈma.re ˈna.wi.ɡant/	The ships sail through the sea.
Femina pro puella laborat.	/ˈfe.mi.na pro ˈpʊ.ɛl.la ˈla.bɔ.rat/	The woman works for the girl.
Canes sub arbore dormiunt.	/ˈka.nɛs sub ˈar.bɔ.re ˈdɔr.mi.ʊnt/	The dogs sleep under the tree.
Senex cum pueris ambulat.	/ˈse.nɛks kum ˈpʊ.ɛ.ris ˈam.bu.lat/	The old man walks with the boys.
Puer in ludo est.	/ˈpʊ.ɛr in ˈlu.do ɛst/	The boy is in school.
Mater ad forum venire vult.	/ˈma.tɛr ad ˈfo.rum ˈwɛ.ni.re vʊlt/	Mother wants to come to the forum.
Nubes post montem sunt.	/ˈnu.bɛs pɔst ˈmɔntɛm sʊnt/	The clouds are behind the mountain.
Filius ex aula venit.	/ˈfi.lɪ.us ɛks ˈau.la ˈwɛ.nit/	The son comes from the hall.
Puella ante patrem stetit.	/ˈpʊ.ɛl.la ˈan.te ˈpa.trɛm ˈste.tɪt/	The girl stood in front of her father.
Pueri in agro laborant.	/ˈpʊ.ɛ.ri in ˈa.ɡro ˈla.bɔ.rant/	The boys work in the field.
Arbor est sub monte.	/ˈar.bɔr ɛst sub ˈmɔn.te/	The tree is under the mountain.
Equus per flumen currit.	/ˈɛ.kʊs pɛr ˈflʊ.mɛn ˈkur.rit/	The horse runs through the river.

Exercises

Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with the forms and usage of Latin prepositions, let’s put your knowledge to the test! Below are 10 exercises designed to reinforce what you've learned. Try to complete them without looking back at the examples.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate Latin prepositions.

1. Puella _____ hortum ambulat. (to)

2. Librum _____ mensa posui. (on)

3. Puer _____ patre venit. (with)

4. Naves _____ mare navigant. (through)

5. Senex _____ pueris ludit. (with)

Exercise 2: Translate the Sentences

Translate the following sentences from English to Latin.

1. The girl plays in the garden.

2. The farmer departs from the city.

3. The clouds are without rain.

4. The boys walk to the school.

5. The tree stands under the mountain.

Exercise 3: Identify the Prepositions

Identify the prepositions in the following Latin sentences.

1. Puella in horto ludit.

2. Puer ad forum currit.

3. Naves per flumen navigant.

4. Mater cum filio venit.

5. Arbor est sub monte.

Exercise 4: Match the Prepositions with Their Cases

Match the prepositions to the correct case they govern.

1. ad

2. cum

3. ex

4. in

5. per

a. Accusative

b. Ablative

Exercise 5: Sentence Construction

Create sentences using the following pairs of words and prepositions.

1. (puella, hortus, in)

2. (puer, domus, ad)

3. (naves, mare, per)

4. (senex, puella, cum)

5. (arbor, mons, sub)

Exercise 6: Correct the Errors

Correct the mistakes in the following sentences.

1. Ego cum amica in foro.

2. Puella ad montem currit.

3. Pueri sine libris in scola sunt.

4. Canes ex domo ambulant.

5. Naves ante flumen navigant.

Exercise 7: Write the Meaning

Write the meaning of the following Latin prepositions.

1. pro

2. sine

3. sub

4. ante

5. post

Exercise 8: Identify Case Usage

Identify whether the following phrases use the accusative or ablative case.

1. ad urbem

2. cum amicis

3. ex villa

4. in horto

5. per silvam

Exercise 9: Translate the Prepositions

Translate the following Latin prepositions into English.

1. ad

2. in

3. cum

4. pro

5. ex

Exercise 10: Create a Short Dialogue

Write a short dialogue between two characters using at least five different Latin prepositions.

Solutions

Let’s review the answers to the exercises together!

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

1. ad

2. in

3. cum

4. per

5. cum

Exercise 2: Translate the Sentences

1. Puella in horto ludit.

2. Agricola ex urbe discessit.

3. Nubes sunt sine pluviā.

4. Pueri ad scholam ambulant.

5. Arbor stat sub monte.

Exercise 3: Identify the Prepositions

1. in

2. ad

3. per

4. cum

5. sub

Exercise 4: Match the Prepositions with Their Cases

1. ad - a. Accusative

2. cum - b. Ablative

3. ex - b. Ablative

4. in - a. Accusative / b. Ablative

5. per - a. Accusative

Exercise 5: Sentence Construction

1. Puella in horto ludit.

2. Puer ad domum currit.

3. Naves per mare navigant.

4. Senex cum puella ambulat.

5. Arbor est sub monte.

Exercise 6: Correct the Errors

1. Ego cum amica in foro sum.

2. Puella ad montem currit.

3. Pueri sine libris in schola sunt.

4. Canes ex domo ambulant.

5. Naves ante flumen navigant.

Exercise 7: Write the Meaning

1. for, in favor of

2. without

3. under

4. before

5. after

Exercise 8: Identify Case Usage

1. Accusative

2. Ablative

3. Ablative

4. Ablative

5. Accusative

Exercise 9: Translate the Prepositions

1. to, towards

2. in, on

3. with

4. for, in favor of

5. out of, from

Exercise 10: Create a Short Dialogue

(Here, students' creativity will shine! Encourage them to use at least five different prepositions.)

Congratulations! You've completed the lesson on Latin prepositions. With this knowledge, you are now better equipped to construct meaningful and detailed sentences in Latin. Keep practicing, and remember that language learning is a journey filled with exploration and discovery!

Table of Contents - Latin Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Declensions
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Conjugations

• Present Tense
• Imperfect Tense

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Declensions
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

  ---

Food and Dining

• Food Items
• Dining and Meals

  ---

Roman History and Mythology

• Roman Gods and Goddesses
• Famous Roman Figures

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Coordinating Conjunctions

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Directions and Locations

  ---

Roman Literature and Art

• Roman Poetry and Poets
• Roman Architecture and Art

Sources

• Prepositions - Latin
• Latin/Prepositions - Wikiversity

Other Lessons

• Coordinating Conjunctions
• Negation
• Latin Nouns
• Personal Pronouns
• Conditional Mood
• Present Tense
• How to Use Be
• Gender
• Possessive Case in Latin
• Noun Declensions

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