Latin Grammar Guide
Latin Grammar Guide
Latin Grammar Guide
Nouns
Page 2 Cases: their uses & meanings Page 30 Numbers
Page 3 1st declension Page 31 Time Expressions
Page 4 2nd declension
Page 5 3rd declension Appendix 1
Page 6 Neuter nouns Pages 32-35 Kings words
Page 7 4th declension
Page 7 5th declension Appendix 2 test
yourself
Adjectives
Page 8 Rules of agreement Pages 36-37 Definitions
Page 8 2nd declension Pages 38 Catches & irregulars
Page 8 3rd declension Pages 39-40 Latin Grammar
Page 9 Comparatives & superlatives Questions Help sheet
Page 9 Irregular comparatives & superlatives
Page 10 Adverbs
Pronouns
Page 11 Personal pronouns
Page 12 Relative pronouns
Page 12 Reflexive pronouns
Page 13 Pronouns
Page 15 Prepositions
Verbs
Page 17 Persons
Page 17 Conjugations
Page 18 Present tense
Page 19 Imperfect tense
Page 20 Perfect tense
Page 21 Pluperfect tense
Page 22 Common irregular verbs
Page 23 Verbs with irregular perfects
Parts of verbs
Page 24 Infinitives
Page 24-25 Imperatives
Pages 25-26 Participles
Page 26 Gerundives
Page 27 Subjunctives
Pages 28-29 Uses of subjunctives
1
Nouns
There are 5 declensions but you only need to know the first 3 well.
Cases
To remember the order of case, think of New Vans Are Generally Driven
Awfully.
..
2
1st Declension nouns
1st Declension nouns end in a in the nom sing and ae in the gen sing.
Almost all 1st Declension nouns are feminine.
Sing
N puella
V puella
A puellam
G puellae
D puellae
A puella
Pl
N puellae
V puellae
A puellas
G puellarum
D puellis
A puellis
Exceptions:
3
2nd Declension nouns
2nd Declension nouns end in us or -er in the nom sing and i in the gen
sing.
2nd Declension nouns are masculine (with the exception of neuter ones:
see page 6.)
Sing
N servus puer
V serve puer
A servum puerum
G servi pueri
D servo puero
A servo puero
Pl
N servi pueri
V servi pueri
A servos pueros
G servorum puerorum
D servis pueris
A servis pueris
Exceptions:
Although vir (man) ends in ir, it is a 2nd declension noun and declines like
puer.
Magister (and the nouns which go like it) go like puer but drop the final
e after the voc sing; e.g. (magistrum, magistri etc.)
Filius fili
Deus di
4
3rd Declension nouns
There is no common model for the nom & voc sing of 3rd declension nouns.
The best we can say is that any noun which does NOT end in a, -us, um is
probably 3rd declension.
Sing
N actor
V actor
A actorem
G actoris
D actori
A actore
Pl
N actores
V actores
A actores
G actorum
D actoribus
A actoribus
Exceptions:
5
Neuter nouns
Whatever the ending of the nom sing, the voc sing & the acc sing will
always be the same.
The nom, voc & acc pl ALWAYS end in a.
Pl
N a (i)a
V a (i)a
A a (i)a
G orum (i)um
D is ibus
A is ibus
6
4th & 5th declension nouns
You do not need to know these ending but they are listed below. You do
need to know the meaning of a few 4th and 5th declension nouns which are
also below.
Sing
N portus (harbour) dies (day)
V portus dies
A portum diem
G portus diei
D portui diei
A portu die
Pl
N portus dies
V portus dies
A portus dies
G portuum dierum
D portibus diebus
A portibus diebus
7
Adjectives
Often the adjective will have the same ending as its noun
If the adjective does not agree in all 3 ways then you have made a
mistake !
Other adjective are 3rd declension and they have the same endings as 3rd
declension nouns in the masculine & feminine (which are the same endings)
and neuter.
8
Comparison of adjectives
Comparatives
They end in ior in the nom, masc, sing. But do take endings to agree with
the noun e.g. iorem, ioris, iores.
Superlatives
9
Adverbs
There is no rule about what adverbs look like but below is a list of the
most common ones on which you are tested especially on the grammar
sections which asks you to find adverbs.
Latin English
bene well
celeriter quickly
diu for a long time
forte by chance
fortiter bravely
frustra in vain
heri yesterday
hodie today
iam now, already
iterum, rursus again
lente slowly
magnopere greatly
mox soon
non not
numquam never
nunc now
olim once
paene almost
quoque also
saepe often
semper always
sic in this way
statim at once
subito suddenly
tandem at last
tum then
10
Pronouns
Personal pronouns
Relative pronouns
Reflexive pronouns
Pronouns (general)
Personal pronouns
You will quite often find the ablative for with me, you etc. However the
cum (with) is on the end of the pronoun not before it as with nouns.
11
Relative pronouns
M F N
Sing
N qui quae quod
A quem quam quod
G cuius cuius cuius
D cui cui cui
A quo qua quo
Pl
N qui quae quae
A quos quas quae
G quorum quarum quorum
D quibus quibus quibus
A quibus quibus quibus
Reflexive pronouns
A se
G sui
D sibi
A se
12
Pronouns (general)
Is, ea, id
Nom is ea id
Acc eum eam id
Gen eius eius eius
Dat ei ei ei
Abl eo ea eo
Plural
Nom ei eae ea
Acc eos eas ea
Gen eorum earum eorum
Dat eis eis eis
Abl eis eis eis
13
Demonstrative adjectives
These are adjectives which demonstrate which noun is being talked about.
Plural
Nom hi hae haec
Acc hos has haec
Gen horum harum horum
Dat his his his
Abl his his his
Plural
Nom illi illae illa
Acc illos illas illa
Gen illorum illarum illorum
Dat illis illis illis
Abl illis illis illis
14
Prepositions
Prepositions are small words which come before a noun (pre-) often
showing where the noun is (position).
e.g. ab Italia
You will almost always see sine followed by mora meaning without delay
In + abl = in, on
15
Question words
-ne (on end of 1st word) Simple question (like est-ce que in French)
nonne Surely?
num Surelynot?
ubi where?
quo to where?
unde from where?
quis who?
quid what?
cur why?
quo modo how?
quot how many?
16
Verbs
When you look up a verb in the back of your book or a dictionary, you will
see it laid out as above. The 4 parts of the verb are called principal parts.
To find out which conjugation a verb is in you need to look at the present
tense and the infinitive.
Persons
1st pers pl we
2nd pers pl you
3rd pers pl they
Tenses
A tense tells you when a verb is done. In Latin there are 6 tenses but you
only need to know 4: present, imperfect, perfect and pluperfect
17
Present tense
18
Imperfect tense
19
Perfect tense
20
Pluperfect tense
You take the perfect stem (often v, u, x, s, ss) (which is used to make the
perfect tense) and add the endings (which are the imperfect of sum).
21
Irregular verbs
These are the key Irregular verbs which you will need to know.
Esse To be Posse To be able to (can) Velle To want Nolle To not want Ferre To bring/carry Ire To go
Present
sum possum (1) volo nolo (2) fero eo (3)
es potes vis non vis fers is
est potest vult non vult fert it
sumus possumus volumus nolumus ferimus imus
estis potestis vultis non vultis fertis itis
sunt possunt volunt nolunt ferunt eunt
(1) Possum was originally potens sum (I am powerful). This was shortened to potsum which became possum as it was easier to say.
This explains why there is a t. The t appears when the following part of sum starts with an e. (potEst).
(2) Nolo was originally non volo. This was shortened to nolo as it was easier to say. The non remains when the part of volo does NOT
contains an o. (nolo but non vIs).
(3) Eo is the verb which looks like an ending without a verb to stick to!
(4) This has got to be the most largest change in stem from the present tense: fero becomes tuli!
22
Common verbs with irregular perfect tenses
23
Parts of verbs
Infinitives
sum esse
possum posse
volo velle
nolo nolle
Imperatives
1st -a -ate
2nd -e -ete
3rd -e -ite
4th -i -ite
24
The negative imperative
You use the imperative of nolo: noli (sing), nolite (pl) and follow it with the
infinitive.
Participles
Present participle
It means: -ing.
The endings you must look for are: -ans, ens, or nt- near the end e.g:
-antem, -antes and -entem, -entes.
These decline like a 3rd declension adjective.
25
Perfect active participle (PAP)
Very few verbs have a PAP. These decline like a 2nd declension adjective.
Gerundives
The person who is having to do the gerundive is always in the dative case,
as what Latin is literally saying is:
It is necessary for me to work (I must work)
26
Subjunctives
At your level of Latin, you will never see a subjunctive on its own. It will
always be part of a clause / construction. (See below).
Imperfect subjunctive
To form this, you simply take the present infinitive and add the following
endings:
-m, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt.
Pluperfect subjunctive
You will only see this after cum (and very rarely in an indirect question).
It is formed by taking the perfect stem (3rd principal part without the
ending) and adding the following endings:
27
Use of subjunctive
2 Indirect questions
Quis who
Quid what
Quo modo how
Ubi where
Cur why
28
3 Purpose Clause
4 Indirect commands
EXCEPT
impero I order
moneo I warn / advise
persuadeo I persuade
oro I beg
rogo I ask
5 Result clause
So words
29
Numbers
Cardinals Ordinals
30
Time Expressions
Time
How
Long
ACcusative
Time
When
ABlative
When the time expression is in the Ablative, we translate with the words
in, on or at (This is the answer to a When question, e.g. When are
you going to Spain? In 10 days / on Monday.
31
Appendix 1
Kings Words
Below is a list of words which Kings boys find very difficult to remember.
Included, too, are ways to help remember some of them:
Remember:
You give a donation.
When you trade, you have to hand something over
A tractor drags a plough.
Remember:
An inhabitant lives somewhere.
Remember:
Someone who is audacious is daring
Remember:
You want to stay in a manor or a mansion.
32
pugno pugnare pugnavi pugnatum I fight
oppugno oppugnare oppugnavi oppugnatum I attack
occupo occupare occupavi occupatum I seize
Remember:
Someone who is pugnacious always wants to fight.
To occupy somewhere, you have to seize it first.
Remember:
After a curry you might well need to run!
Remember:
A venue is a place to which everyone comes.
An advent calendar shows when Christmas is going to arrive.
An invention helps you find an easier way of doing something.
Remember:
A Duke leads an army
33
fugio fugere fugi fugitum I flee
effugio effugere effugi effugitum I escape
Remember:
If you are timid, you are afraid but a terrorist frightens you
Remember:
tandem at last
tamen however
miser wretched
miserunt they sent (mitto, mittere, misi, missum)
34
Remember:
An itinerary is the plan of a journey
filius son
filia daughter
deus god
dea goddess
ira anger
iratus angry
quis? who?
quid? what?
nos we, us
noster our
totus whole
tutus safe
carus dear
clarus clear, famous
ibi there
ubi where, when
mox soon
nox night
35
Appendix 2
Use the notes above to help you fill in definitions of the words below:
Verbs
Conjugation
..
Infinitive..
..
Tenses..
..
..
Participle.
..
..
Imperative
..
Subjunctive.
..
..
Person..
..
Gerundive..
..
Nouns
Declension.
Case..
Gender..
Adjectives
Positive.
..
Comparative.
..
..
36
Superlative..
..
..
Agreement..
..
..
Relative pronouns..
..
Personal pronouns..
..
Reflexive pronouns.
..
Prepositions.
..
Adverbs
..
Conjunctions
..
Quam words
Demonstrative adjectives
..
Time expressions
..
..
Constructions.
..
..
37
Use your notes to fill in below any notes about what might be a catch or
irregular about the titles below.
Neuter Nouns...................................................................................................
Common adverbs.............................................................................................
Prepositions.................................................................................................
Why subjunctive
38
Latin Grammar Questions Help Sheet
These notes are designed to help with the eight questions on the paper which ask you to find
an example of a certain grammatical feature.
Look for PP3 (often with a V, X, S, SS, U just before the ending) +
eram, eras, erat etc.
This is someone being spoken to. It will always be in speech marks. It often has a
comma on one or both sides of it.
Look for one of Claras prepositions (e, a, de, ex, ab, cum, in). The noun after it
will be ablative.
8 A cardinal number
9 An ordinal number
10 An adverb
Top answer is non. Also look out for subito, bene, mox.
39
11 A conjunction
Write one of Claras prepositions (e, a, de, ex, ab, cum, in)
14 A subjunctive verb
Give the verb after ut or ne. cum can also have a subjunctive after it instead of
an ablative noun.
15 A comparative adjective
16 A superlative adjective
17 A present participle
Look for a verb with the letters NS or NT- (before the ending)
18 A personal pronoun
19 A relative pronoun
20 An infinitive
21 An imperative
22 A gerundive
40