Conjugate the following verbs in the imperfect indicative active: credo, iubeo, timeo, sum, voco.
3.6 Uses of the Cases
3.6.1 Partitive Genitive
As noted above the personal pronouns nōs and vōs have two different forms of the genitive: nostrum and nostrī and vestrum and vestrī. The forms ending in -um are used only when part of a greater group or number is meant (called the partitive genitive). E.g., in English: some of us; ten of you; no one of us; who of us? In Latin: quis enim nostrum, iūdices, ignōrat? (Cicero Pro Sestio 91): for who of us, judges, is unaware?
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The Bigger Picture
Pro Sestio (On behalf of Sestius), a defense speech for Sestius, who was charged with using an armed bodyguard during his tribunate in 57 bc. The trial dates from February and March of 56 bc. Sestius was defended by the best lawyers of the day, Hortensius, Crassus, the poet Calvus, and Cicero who delivered the concluding speech for the defense. Sestius was acquitted unanimously.
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Neither form is used to show possession. For this Latin uses the adjectives noster, nostra, nostrum – our, and vester, vestra, vestrum – your (plural): exercitus noster (Caesar De Bello Gallico 2.1.2): our army. Note also the following use (frequent, e.g., in Caesar): nostrī – our men (soldiers). Similarly, the adjectives meus, -a, -um – my, and tuus, -a, -um – your (singular) are used to show possession: monet amīcus meus tē (Cicero Pro Caecina 35): my friend advises you.
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The Bigger Picture
Pro Caecina (On behalf of Caecina), a speech made in 69 bc on behalf of Aulius Caecina's claim to an estate, left to him in her will by a certain Caesennia. Caesennia's agent, Aebutius, challenged Caecina's qualification to be heir and claimed the estate for himself. It is probable that Caecina won his case.
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3.6.2 Subjective and Objective Genitive
Where nouns have a verbal equivalent (e.g., love, hate, etc.) the genitive may express the subject or object of the action inherent in the noun. If the genitive represents the person or thing doing the action, it is called a subjective genitive; however, if the genitive represents the person or thing that “receives” the action, it is called an objective genitive. The forms nostrī and vestrī are used only as objective genitives. Certain adjectives, for example cupidus, -a, -um – desirous (of), are also followed by an objective genitive.
The simplest way to tell whether a genitive is subjective or objective is to convert the noun to a verb and decide whether the genitive is the subject or object of the verb: love of Caesar may mean Caesar loves (subjective genitive) or someone loves Caesar (objective genitive): bellī … metus (Cicero Pro Plancio 87): fear of war (objective genitive); bonōrum odium (Cicero In Pisonem 43): hatred of good men (note that this example appears to be ambiguous: it could mean good men hate or someone hates good men; however, the context makes it clear that the genitive is subjective); quis erit tam cupidus vestrī? (Cicero In Verrem 2.3.224): who will be desirous of/devoted to you? (objective genitive).
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The Bigger Picture
Pro Plancio (On behalf of Plancius), a speech delivered in 54 bc in defense of Gnaeus Plancius who had been accused of electoral bribery in his candidature for the aedileship in 55 bc. The charge had been brought by an unsuccessful candidate in the same elections, a certain Laterensis. It is not known whether Plancius was acquitted.
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Translation from Latin
1. ubi estis, servi? (Plautus Cistellaria 660)
2. quis hic est? (Plautus Miles Gloriosus 276)
3. quid agis, Sceledre? (Plautus Miles Gloriosus 276)
4. multa miser timeo. (Ovid Amores 1.4.45)
5. Troia et huic loco nomen [= name] est. (Livy Ab Urbe Condita 1.1.5)
6. te quidem … satis laudare non possum. (Cicero Pro Milone 99)
HINT!
In sentence 6, notice that te is the direct object of the infinitive laudare. Infinitives can take the same constructions as finite verbs (e.g., direct object; preposional phrase).
7. si enim sunt viri boni, me adiuvant. (Cicero Pro Caecina 3.8)
8. ligna hic apud nos nulla sunt. (Plautus Aulularia 352)
9. deditisne vos populumque … agros, aquam? (Livy Ab Urbe Condita 1.38.2)
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The Bigger Picture
Pro Milone (On behalf of Milo), a speech in defense of T. Annius Milo, who had been tribune of the plebs in 57 bc. Just as Clodius had raised the city rabble in support of Caesar, so Milo led similar urban gangs in favor of Cicero and the senate. During the elections of January 52 bc the two men and their gangs met on the Appian Way. In the ensuing scuffle Clodius was killed and Milo was tried for murder. Cicero's original defense speech was unsuccessful and Milo was exiled to Marseilles.
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FIGURE 3.2 Roman wall mosaic, comic and tragic masks, 1st century bc–1st century ad. Actors wore masks on stage. Different masks were used to depict different characters and it seems that there was a standard repertoire of masks, each of which was representative of a particular character. Source: Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy/Ancient Art and Architecture Collection Ltd/The Bridgeman Art Library
Translation into Latin
1. He had a large number of captives. (Caesar De Bello Gallico 5.23.2)
2. Who of you is unaware of this? (Cicero De Lege Agraria 2.41)
3. What is it, Catiline? (Cicero In Catilinam 1.13)
4. I have silver (money). (Plautus Curculio 530)
5. I love this woman and she loves me. (Plautus Asinaria 631)
6. For your Catullus' purse is full of spiders' webs. (Catullus 13.7–8)
7. They say so many things. (Cicero De Finibus 4.2)
8. The Fates rule me also. (Ovid Metamorphoses 9.434)
9. Who does not see this, judges, or who does not know this? (Cicero Pro Caelio 57)
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The Bigger Picture
De Lege Agraria (On the Agrarian Law), delivered by Cicero at the beginning of his consulship in January 63 bc against a bill by the tribune P. Servilius Rullus proposing the purchase of public land for distribution amongst the people. Part I was made before the senate and parts II and III before the people's assembly.
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Vocabulary to Learn
Nouns; Pronouns
ego, meī – I; me
nōs, nostrī (nostrum) – we
quis?, quid? – who?; what?
servus, -ī (m.) – slave; servant
tū, tuī – you (sing.)
vōs, vestrī (vestrum) – you (pl.); yourselves
Verbs
agō, agere, ēgī, actum – lead; act; do (quid agis? “How are you?”)
crēdō, crēdere, crēdidī, crēditum (+ dat.) – believe
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictum – say
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussum – order; bid
laudō, laudāre, laudāvī, laudātum – praise
timeō, timēre, timuī – fear; be afraid of
Adjectives
doctus, -a, -um – learned
līber, -era, -erum – free (m. pl. līberī, -ōrum – children)
longus, -a, -um – long
multus, -a, -um – much (pl. many)
novus, -a, -um – new
parvus, -a, -um – small
stultus, -a, -um – stupid
Adverbs; Prepositions; Conjunctions
hīc – here; in this place
sī – if
ubi? – where?
Vocabulary Specifically for Chapter 3 Passages
Nouns
aqua, -ae (f.) – water
lignum, -ī (n.) – wood (pl. logs; firewood)
populus, -ī (m.) – people
Sceledrus, -ī (m.) – Sceledrus (slave name)
Troia, -ae (f.) �
� Troy
Verbs
adiūvō, adiuvāre, adiuvī, adiutum – help; assist
arcessō, arcessere, arcessīvī, arcessītum – send for
dēdō, dēdere, dēdidī, dēditum – surrender; hand over
dēsīderō, desīderāre, desīderāvī, desīderātum – desire; long for
Adjectives
antīquus, -a, -um – ancient
dignus, -a, -um – worthy
laetus, -a, -um – happy
nullus, -a, -um – no
pūblicus, -a, -um – public
tantus, -a, -um – so much
Adverbs; Prepositions
apud (+ acc.) – at the house of
iam – now
enim – for
etiam – even
quidem – indeed
satis – enough
FYI
Enim is regularly the second word in a clause or sentence, never first. The technical term for this is postpositive (i.e., “placed after”).
English Derivations
From which Latin roots do the following English words derive?
(i) doctor
(ii) novel
(iii) stultify
(iv) servile
CHAPTER 4
Chapter Contents
4.1 THIRD DECLENSION NOUNS 4.1.1 Masculine Nouns of the Third Declension
4.1.2 Feminine Nouns of the Third Declension
4.1.3 Neuter Nouns of the Third Declension
4.1.4 Basic Rules of Declension
4.1.5 Adjectives with Third Declension Nouns
4.1.6 Third Declension i-Stem Nouns
4.1.7 Third Declension Adjectives
4.2 USES OF THE CASES 4.2.1 Dative of Possessor
Translation from Latin
Translation into Latin
Vocabulary to Learn Nouns; Pronouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs; Prepositions; Conjunctions
Vocabulary Specifically for Chapter 4 Passages Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs; Prepositions
FIGURE 4.1 Roman two-handled glass cup (date unknown). © Leeds Museums and Galleries (Discovery Centre)
4.1 Third Declension Nouns
Although the group of nouns classed as third declension has different endings from the first and second declensions, the uses of the cases remain the same. An example of a third declension noun is mīles, mīlitis (m.) – soldier. Notice that for third declension nouns, the genitive singular ends in -is and notice too that for many third declension nouns the stem cannot be predicted from the nominative case.
4.1.1 Masculine Nouns of the Third Declension
The rule for forming the cases (stem + endings) is the same as for the first and second declensions; for the third declension the stem is found by removing the -is from the second principal part: e.g., mīles, -itis (m.) – soldier (stem = milit-):
SINGULAR PLURAL
Nom. mīles mīlit-ēs
Gen. mīlit-is mīlit-um
Dat. mīlit-ī mīlit-ibus
Acc. mīlit-em mīlit-ēs
Abl. mīlit-e mīlit-ibus
Voc. mīles mīlit-ēs
All regular third declension masculine nouns decline in this way. As will be obvious, some cases have exactly the same form but usually this does not present a problem as the context makes the sense (and accordingly the case) clear. Notice that the nominative and vocative both singular and plural are exactly the same in form. This is true for all third declension nouns.
HINT!
You need to know principal parts of nouns, especially of third declension nouns, as you need the nominative to find a word in a dictionary: there is no point in looking up militis, you must look up miles.
4.1.2 Feminine Nouns of the Third Declension
The endings for feminine nouns of the third declension are the same as those for masculine nouns: cīvitās, -tātis (f.) – state (stem = cīvitāt-):
SINGULAR PLURAL
Nom. cīvitās cīvitāt-ēs
Gen. cīvitāt-is cīvitāt-um
Dat. cīvitāt-ī cīvitāt-ibus
Acc. cīvitāt-em civitāt-ēs
Abl. cīvitāt-e cīvitāt-ibus
Voc. cīvitās cīvitāt-ēs
All regular third declension feminine nouns decline in this way (stem + endings).
4.1.3 Neuter Nouns of the Third Declension
The endings for neuter nouns of the third declension have some endings different from masculine and feminine nouns: corpus, -oris (n.) – body:
SINGULAR PLURAL
Nom. corpus corpor-a
Gen. corpor-is corpor-um
Dat. corpor-ī corpor-ibus
Acc. corpus corpor-a
Abl. corpor-e corpor-ibus
Voc. corpus corpor-a
Note that for neuter nouns the nominative, vocative, and accusative cases have exactly the same forms (both in the singular and in the plural). Note also that the nominative, vocative, and accusative plural end in -a, not in -ēs. All regular neuter nouns of the third declension decline in the same way as corpus.
4.1.4 Basic Rules of Declension
The nominative must be learnt; the cases are formed by adding the appropriate endings to the stem (from the second principal part). Although the group of nouns classed as third declension has different endings from the first and second, the uses of the cases remain the same. The rule for forming the cases (stem + endings) is the same as for the first and second declensions and the stem for third declension nouns is found by removing the -is from the second principal part.
4.1.5 Adjectives with Third Declension Nouns
As noted in Chapter 2, adjectives modify nouns and the adjective agrees with the noun that it modifies in case, gender, and number. However, the ending of an adjective need not be the same as that of the noun with which it agrees; for example, a third declension noun may be modified by a second declension adjective, as follows:
SINGULAR PLURAL
Nom. mīles bonus mīlites bonī
Gen. mīlitis bonī mīlitum bonōrum
Dat. mīlitī bonō mīlitibus bonīs
Acc. mīlitem bonum mīlites bonōs
Abl. mīlite bonō mīlitibus bonīs
Voc. mīles bone mīlites bonī
It is necessary, therefore, to look at the case, gender, and number in order to establish whether an adjective modifies a noun.
4.1.6 Third Declension i-Stem Nouns
There is a class of third declension nouns, traditionally referred to as i-stems, that displays minor differences in its declension. General guidelines for determining whether a noun is an i-stem are:
(a) the nominative ends in -is or -es and the genitive has the same number of syllables as the nominative: cīvis, cīvis (m.) – citizen; nūbes, nūbis (f.) – cloud;
(b) the nominative singular is only one syllable and the stem ends in two consonants: urbs, urbis (f.) – city;
(c) neuter nouns whose nominative ends in -e, -al, or -ar: mare, maris (n.) – sea; animal, animālis (n.) – animal.
These nouns decline as follows:
SINGULAR PLURAL
Nom. cīvis cīv-ēs
Gen. cīv-is cīv-ium
Dat. cīv-ī cīv-ibus
Acc. cīv-em cīv-ēs or cīv-īs
Abl. cīv-e cīv-ibus
Voc. cīvis cīv-ēs
Note that the only differences between i-stems of this type and non-i-stems regularly occur in the genitive plural and the accusative plural (here the -ī in the alternative form is long).
SINGULAR PLURAL
Nom. urbs urb-ēs
Gen. urb-is urb-ium
Dat. urb-ī urb-ibus
Acc. urb-em urb-ēs or urb-īs
Abl. urb-e urb-ibus
Voc. urbs urb-ēs
Again, note that the only differences between i-stems of this type and non-i-stems occur in the genitive plural and the accusative plural.
SINGULAR PLURAL
No
m. animal animāl-ia
Gen. animāl-is animāl-ium
Dat. animāl-ī animāl-ibus
Acc. animal animāl-ia
Abl. animāl-ī animāl-ibus
Voc. animal animāl-ia
For neuter i-stem nouns, note the ablative singular, nominative, genitive, accusative, and vocative, plural.
FYI
There are various anomalies especially with neuter i-stems. For example, the genitive plural of mare is very rare and only occurs in the form marum.
4.1.7 Third Declension Adjectives
Like adjectives of the first/second declension, adjectives of the third declension have a full case system and for most third declension adjectives the case endings are the same as the endings of third declension neuter i-stem nouns.
FYI
Some adjectives of the third declension are so-called consonant stems and these have the same endings as mīles; the most important of these are vetus, -eris – old, pauper, -eris – poor, and memor, -oris – mindful.
There are three basic types: so-called adjectives of one termination; so-called adjectives of two terminations; and so-called adjectives of three terminations. These designations refer to the differences in the nominative singular of the three genders. The principal parts of the adjective fēlīx are fēlīx, fēlīcis – fortunate; happy. The first principal part represents the nominative masculine, feminine, and neuter singular, the second principal part is the genitive singular (note the change in stem and the regular -is ending in the genitive). Fēlīx is said to be an adjective of one termination since all three genders have the same form and so the same “termination” in the nominative, i.e., fēlīx, fēlīx, fēlīx; the principal parts of an adjective of two terminations are tristis, triste – sad; unhappy (usually written tristis, -e); in this case the masculine and feminine nominative singular are the same in form, so written in full the principal parts would be tristis, tristis, triste; the principal parts of adjectives of three terminations are written ācer, ācris, ācre – keen; sharp; in other words each of the genders has a different form in the nominative. These adjectives are declined as follows: