Declension
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Latin is an inflected language, and as such its nouns, pronouns, and adjectives must be declined in order to serve a grammatical function. A set of declined forms of the same word pattern is called a declension. There are five declensions, which are numbered and grouped by ending and grammatical gender.
This is a summary of the declension of Latin nouns.
Contents |
The "-rum/-ís" declension-group
The first and second declensions have common characteristics:
First declension | Second declension | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A-Stem | O-Stem | |||||
mf terra, -ae, f land |
mf tribúnus, -í, m tribune |
n auspicium, -í, n auspice | ||||
Singular | Singular | Singular | ||||
Nominative | terra | —— | tribúnus | —— | auspicium | —— |
Accusative | terram | –am | tribúnum | –um | auspicium | —— |
Genitive | terrae | –ae | tribúní | –í | auspicií | –í |
Dative | terrae | –ae | tribúnó | –ó | auspició | –ó |
Ablative | terrá | –á | tribúnó | –ó | auspició | –ó |
Plural | Plural | Plural | ||||
Nominative | terrae | –ae | tribúní | –í | auspicia | –a |
Accusative | terrás | –ás | tribúnós | –ós | auspicia | –a |
Genitive | terrárum | –árum | tribúnórum | –órum | auspiciórum | –órum |
Dative- Ablative |
terrís | –ís | tribúnís | –ís | auspiciís | –ís |
The "-um/-bus" declension-group
The third and fourth declensions have common characteristics:
Third declension | Fourth declension | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Consonant Stem | I-Stem | U-Stem | ||||||||||
mf léx, légis, f law |
n iús, iúris, n right |
mf cívis, -is, mf citizen |
n mare, -is, n sea |
mf senátus, -ús, m senate |
n cornú, -ús, n horn | |||||||
Singular | Singular | Singular | Singular | Singular | Singular | |||||||
Nominative | léx | —— | iús | —— | cívis | —— | mare | —— | senátus | —— | cornú | —— |
Accusative | légem | –em | iús | —— | cívem | –em | mare | —— | senátum | –um | cornú | —— |
Genitive | légis | –is | iúris | –is | cívis | –is | maris | –is | senátús | –ús | cornús | –ús |
Dative | légí | –í | iúrí | –í | cíví | –í | marí | –í | senátuí | –uí | cornú | –ú |
Ablative | lége | –e | iúre | –e | cíve | –e | marí | –í | senátú | –ú | cornú | –ú |
Plural | Plural | Plural | Plural | Plural | Plural | |||||||
Nominative- Accusative |
légés | –és | iúra | –a | cívés | –és | maria | –ia | senátús | –ús | cornua | –ua |
Genitive | légum | –um | iúrum | –um | cívium | –ium | marium | –ium | senátuum | –uum | cornuum | –uum |
Dative- Ablative |
légibus | –ibus | iúribus | –ibus | cívibus | –ibus | maribus | –ibus | senátibus | –ibus | cornibus | –ibus |
The mixed declension ("-rum/-bus")
The fifth declension shares the characteristics of the other two groups:
Fifth declension | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
E-Stem | ||||||||
mf diés, éí, m day | ||||||||
Singular | ||||||||
Nominative | diés | —— | ||||||
Accusative | diem | –em | ||||||
Genitive- Dative |
diéí | –éí | ||||||
Ablative | dié | –é | ||||||
Plural | ||||||||
Nominative- Accusative |
diés | –és | ||||||
Genitive | diérum | –érum | ||||||
Dative- Ablative |
diébus | –ébus |