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(reminder about noun-adjective declensions...) | ||
| Declension | Characteristics | |
|---|---|---|
| First | thematic, feminine nouns, some adjectives | |
| Second | thematic, o/e vocalic alternance, masculine and neuter nouns, some adjectives | |
| Third | athematic, all genders, some adjectives | |
| Fourth | thematic, all genders | |
| Fifth | athematic, small number of feminine nouns | |
| bonus (good) | sacer (holy, sacred) |
| masculine | feminine | neuter | masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| nom. sg. | bonus | bona | bonum | nom. sg. | sacer | sacra | sacrum | |
| voc. sg. | bone | bona | bonum | voc. sg. | sacer | sacra | sacrum | |
| acc. sg. | bonum | bonam | bonum | acc. sg. | sacrum | sacram | sacrum | |
| gen. sg. | bonī | bonæ | bonī | gen. sg. | sacrī | sacræ | sacrī | |
| dat. sg. | bonō | bonæ | bonō | dat. sg. | sacrō | sacræ | sacrō | |
| abl. sg. | bonō | bonā | bonō | abl. sg. | sacrō | sacrā | sacrō | |
| nom. pl. | boni | bonæ | bona | nom. pl. | sacri | sacræ | sacra | |
| voc. pl. | boni | bonæ | bona | voc. pl. | sacri | sacræ | sacra | |
| acc. pl. | bonōs | bonās | bona | acc. pl. | sacrōs | sacrās | sacra | |
| gen. pl. | bonōrum | bonārum | bonōrum | gen. pl. | sacrōrum | sacrārum | sacrōrum | |
| dat. pl. | bonīs | dat. pl. | sacrīs | |||||
| abl. pl. | bonīs | abl. pl. | sacrīs | |||||
pulcher, (beautiful)
| sg. | pl. | |
| nom./voc. | pulcher | pulcheri |
| acc. | pulcherum | pulcheros |
| gen. | pulcheri | pulcherorum |
| dat. | pulchero | pulcheris |
| abl. | pulchero | pulcheris |
my, our, thy, your, their
| sg. | pl. | ||
| first person | meus, -a, -um | noster, -tra, -trum | |
| second person | tuus, -a, -um | uester, -tra, -trum | |
| third person | suus, -a, -um | ||
alius, alius, aliud (one, another; others)
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||||
| nom./voc. sg. | alius | alia | aliud | ||||
| acc. sg. | alium | aliam | aliud | ||||
| gen. sg. | alius | [the genitive is very rare] | |||||
| dat. sg. | alii | ||||||
| abl. sg. | alio | alia | alio | ||||
| nom./voc. pl. | alii | aliæ | alia | ||||
| acc. pl. | alios | alias | alia | ||||
| gen. pl. | aliorum | aliarum | aliorum | ||||
| dat. pl. | aliis | ||||||
| abl. pl. | aliis | ||||||
alter, altera, alterum (one of another, the other of the two; the second)
| masculine | feminine | neuter | ||||
| nom./voc. sg. | alter | altera | alterum | |||
| acc. sg. | alterum | alteram | alterum | |||
| gen. sg. | alterius | |||||
| dat. sg. | alteri | |||||
| abl. sg. | altero | altera | altero | |||
| nom./voc. pl. | alteri | |||||
| acc. pl. | alteros | |||||
| gen. pl. | alterorum | |||||
| dat. pl. | alteris | |||||
| abl. pl. | alteris | |||||
The comparative is based on the third declension.
doctus, doctior, < doct *-yos (wise, wiser)
| masc./fem. | neuter | ||
| nom./voc. sg. | doctior | doctius | |
| acc. sg. | doctiorem | doctius | |
| gen. sg. | doctioris | doctioris | |
| dat. sg. | doctiori | doctiori | |
| abl. sg. | doctiore | doctiore | |
| nom./voc. pl. | doctiores | doctiora | |
| acc. pl. | doctiores | doctiora | |
| gen. pl. | doctiorum | doctiorum | |
| dat. pl. | doctioribus | doctioribus | |
| abl. pl. | doctioribus | doctioribus |
With a complement, the comparative is constructed with an ablative:
doctior Petro (wiser than Peter)
or the more complex construction of comparative equality:
tam doctus est quam Petrus (he is as wise as Peter)
and:
doctior quam Petrus (wiser than Peter)
as well as:
doctior quam puto (wiser than I think)
Most adjectives from first or second declension:
uast-issimus, f. uastissima (most vast, widest)
Many adjectives from second declension whose stem ends in a liquid:
pulcher-rissima, m. pulcherrimus (most beautiful,
most handsome)
Few irregular adjectives having an ancient form:
max-imus, < *mag-simus (greatest)
1. The superlative’s complement is expressed in Latin either using the
genitive:
Romanorum prudentissimus (the most careful of Romans)
2. ...or the ablative:
e Romanis prudentissimus (of [all] Romans, the most careful)
and similarly, ...
altissima arborum or
altissima ex arboribus (the tallest of trees)
1. Adjectives are frequently used as nouns:
boni (good people)
bonum (good [the good that we do])
bona (goods)
2. Some adjectives are accompanied by a complement whose case is appropriate to
the meaning of each adjective:
loco multis commodis prædito, præditus + abl.
([in] an area endowed with numerous advantages)
3. Sometimes, this complement is governed by a preposition:
res ad uitam necessarias, (things indispensable to life)