LESSON 1 – Overview of Nouns and First Declension
!Notes: This lesson does not include the preliminary notes, pronunciation, syllabication, accentuations among others. It goes directly to the lesson proper. Strictly, this paper is solely for the use of the class of Fr. Coronel, OP and and cannot be reproduced or used without his permission.
u OVERVIEW OF NOUNS
- A noun is a word that denotes a person, place, or thing.
- It has number (singular or plural); gender (masculine, feminine, neuter or common); and case[1] (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative).
- Latin is highly technical because it is highly inflected!
- Inflection is the change in form (ie the ending of the word) to express the meaning. The change in form of nouns, pronouns and adjectives are called declension while the change in form of verbs are conjugation. Therefore, whether you decline or conjugate, you inflect.
u CASES OF NOUNS
- It is important that we memorize the order of cases for pedagogical reasons.
Major Cases
|
Description
|
Translation (ie using Pope) | Prepositions
|
Other Remarks
|
NOMINATIVE
|
The subject or topic
of the sentence
|
The Pope, a Pope
or simply, Pope (subject)
|
Major Case
|
GENITIVE
|
It limits or qualify the meaning of another word. For our initial lesson, genitive is the possessive case.[2]
|
Singular: of the Pope or
the Pope’s
Plural: of the Popes or the Popes’
|
Major Case
Use ‘of’, ‘s or s’
|
DATIVE
|
For our initial lesson, it is the case of the indirect object.[3]
|
to the Pope
for the Pope
|
Major Case
Use ‘to’ or ‘for’
|
ACCUSATIVE
|
The case of the direct object.
|
The Pope, a Pope
or simply, Pope (direct object)
|
Major Case
Only transitive verbs require a direct object.
|
ABLATIVE
|
It expresses separation, motion away from, manner, location, agency, and instrumentality.
|
With/by/from/ in the Pope
In à location
With à manner and instrumentality
From à motion away or separation
By à agency
|
Major Case
Use ‘by’, ‘with’, ‘from’, ‘in’
|
Minor Cases
|
Description
|
Translation (ie using Pope) | Prepositions
|
Other Remarks
|
Vocative
|
It is the case of the direct address. It often involves motion toward.
|
O Pope or
Pope
|
It is the same as the nominative except in the second declension nound ending in –US and -IUS
|
Locative
|
It expresses location.
|
[to be explained in later lessons]
|
It is found only in nouns denoting the names of big cities, towns, islands, and for the expression “at home” and “in the country”
|
u DECLENSION OF NOUNS
- The genitive singular of every noun determines to which declension a noun belongs.
First Declension à -ae Ex. Papa, Papae (pope)
Second Declension à -i Ex. Servus, Servi (servant)
Third Declension à -is Ex. Rex, Regis (king)
Fourth Declension à -us Ex. Spiritus, Spiritus (spirit)
Fifth Declension à -ei Ex. Res, Rei (thing)
u FIRST DECLENSION
Case
|
First Declension
|
Model Noun
(ie Papa, Papae)
|
Translation
|
|||
Singular
|
Plural
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
|
Nominative (N)
|
-a
|
-ae
|
Papa
|
Papae
|
The pope (S)
|
The popes (S)
|
Genitive (G)
|
-ae
|
-arum
|
Papae
|
Paparum
|
of the pope
|
of the popes
|
Dative (D)
|
-ae
|
-is
|
Papae
|
Papis
|
to/for the pope
|
to/for the popes
|
Accusative (Ac)
|
-am
|
-as
|
Papam
|
Papas
|
the pope (DO)
|
the popes (DO)
|
Ablative (Ab)
|
-a
|
-is
|
Papa
|
Papis
|
by/with/from/in the pope
|
by/with/from/in the popes
|
Vocative (V)
|
-a
|
-ae
|
Papa
|
Papae
|
O pope
|
O popes
|
TO DECLINE a first declension noun:
1. Remove the –ae of the genitive singular
2. Add the First Declension endings
u SELECTED VOCABULARY
Aqua, aquae, f. water
Cena, cenae, f. dinner, supper
Culpa, culpae, f. fault, blame
Doctrina, doctrinae, f. teaching, doctrine
Ecclesia, ecclesiae, f. church, assembly
Familia, familiae, f. family, household
Gloria, gloriae, f. glory
Gratia, gratiae, f. grace; favor, credit; pl. thanks
Hora, horae, f. hour
Missa, missae, f. mass
Natura, naturae, f. nature
Papa, pape, m. pope
Terra, terrae, f. land, earth, ground
Vita, vitae, f. life
Regina, reginae, f. queen
Agricola, agricolae, m. farmer
Poëta, poëtae, m. poet
Musica, musicae, f. music
u TEST YOUR SKILL (Q1)
1. For the glory of the pope’s church
2. With the fault of the family
3. O life of blame
4. the family [direct object] of the queen
5. from the waters of the earth
6. to the farmers of the land
7. The doctrines [subject] and [et] the grace [subject] of the hour
8. In the life of faults
9. The masses [subject] of the church
10. the music [direct object] of the churches
[END OF THE LESSON]
[1] There are also minor cases such as the Vocative and the Locative case. The former will be studied soon while the letter will be studied later.
[2] The genitive case is commonly about possession. However, as we progress, we shall see that it is more than possession but also embraces association or connection, composition, contents, subjective or objective relationship, origin, authorship, description or characterization, and total or group.
[3] It also expresses reference, benefit or detriment, and possession.
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