Week 3 Latin
What have we learned so far
• First declension
• Second declension masculine (-us), neuter (-um)
• Prepositions
• Lots of vocab! Including some adjectives, question words, nouns,
and particular uses of verbs
Aside on the Ancient book: Scrolls
PHerc.172. A papyrus scroll found in the Villa of the
Papyri in Herculaneum. It was carbonised by the eruption
of Vesuvius in 79 CE. Scholars are using digital imaging
techniques to try to decipher it.
Scrolls were mostly made from
From the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. A papyrus, which is made from a
Ancient Greek water vase showing a woman reading a scroll
woman holding a scroll and a child reading reed which is very common along
from one.
and an attendant holding the box for the scroll. British the Nile in Egypt.
Museum.
Advent of the codex
• The poet Martial (writing between 86
and 103 CE), emphasized the
convenience of the codex (I.2.7): Codex Sinaiticus. The earliest known manuscript of the Christian bible,
qui tecum cupis esse meos ubicumque libellos compiled in the 4th century CE. Its pages are made from vellum (parchment).
et comites longae quaeris habere viae,
hos eme, quos artat brevibus membrana tabellis: Scrolls remained the most common book
form until about the 4 th century CE, when
scrinia da magnis, me manus una capit.
the codex seems to take over as the most
You who long for my little books to be with you everywhere popular form. The ‘little books’ that
and demand to have as companions for a long journey, Martial talks about do not seem to have
buy these, which parchment confines within small pages: been a great success at first.
give scroll-cases to great authors, one hand holds me!
Revision: Second Declension
Masculine Nouns ending in -us servus, servi (m): slave, servant
Singular Plural
Nominative servus servi
Accusative servum servos
Genitive servi servorum
Dative servo servis
Ablative servo servis
Neuter Nouns verbum, verbi (n): word
Singular Plural
Nominative verbum verba
Accusative verbum verba
Genitive verbi verborum
Dative verbo verbis
Ablative verbo verbis
Second Declension
Masculine –er nouns: puer, pueri (m) – the boy
Singular Plural
Nominative puer pueri
Accusative puerum pueros
Genitive pueri puerorum
Dative puero pueris
Ablative puero pueris
Masculine –ir nouns: vir, viri (m) – the man
Singular Plural
Nominative vir viri
Accusative virum viros
Genitive viri virorum
Dative viro viris
Ablative viro viris
Second Declension vocabulary
• ager, agri (m) – field; (pl) country
• angelus, angeli (m) – messenger, angel
• archangelus, archangeli (m) – archangel
• Christus, Christi (m) – Messiah, Christ
• Deus, Dei (m) (nom pl. dii) – God
• discipulus, discipuli (m) – student, disciple
• episcopus, episcopi (m) – overseer, bishop
• minister, ministri (m) – servant, minister
• Petrus, Petri (m) – Peter
• populus, populi (m) – people
• psalmus, psalmi (m) – psalm
Practicing the Second Declension
Give the case and number of each (all possibilities):
1. agri 6. Christi 11. filius
2. agnorum 7. Deo 12. minister
3. angelo 8. discipulis 13. Petro
4. archangelis 9. dominum 14. puerum
5. Apostolos 10. episcopi 15. psalmorum
Verb ‘to be’
Singular Plural
1st person sum (I am) sumus (we are)
2nd person es (you are) (singular) estis (you are) (plural)
3rd person est (he/she/it is) sunt (they are)
Latin does not need a pronoun, so sum means ‘I am’ without having to write ego.
When you look up verbs in the dictionary, you will usually see four parts listed.
These are called the ‘principal parts’ of the verb and they help you work out which
conjugation a verb belongs to.
This is the dictionary form of the verb ‘to be’: sum, esse, fui, futurum
1. The first person singular present indicative active: sum
2. The infinitive (to be): esse
3. The first person singular perfect indicative active: fui
4. The perfect passive participle (neuter form: supine): futurum
Practice
• Translate into English: • Translate into Latin:
1. agri sunt in Judaea 1. The angel is the servant of
2. ancillae sumus God
2. You are a boy
3. apostolus est in Judaea
3. We are men
4. discipuli estis 4. You are a girl
5. Petrus non est in agris 5. The men are apostles
6. ministri Dei sumus 6. Mary is the handmaid of God
7. pueri sunt servi 7. You (pl) are sons of the lord
8. The apostle is the minister of
8. discipulus Petri sum
God
9. ancilla Christi es
Latin sentences
Types of sentences:
• Statements. E.g. Nilus fluvius magnus est.
• Questions. E.g. Ubi est Roma?
• Commands (we haven’t met any of these yet)
Latin sentences
Seven basic sentence patterns (in English and Latin):
1. Subject + intransitive verb: sum (I am), Deus est (There is a God)
2. Subject + intransitive verb + adverb: sum ibi (I am here)
3. Subject + transitive verb + direct object: video Petrum (I see Peter)
4. Subject + transitive verb + indirect object + direct object: do Petro librum
(I give the book to Peter)
5. Subject + transitive verb + direct object + predicate accusative: facio
Petrum papam (I make Peter pope)
6. Subject + linking verb + predicate nominative/adjective: sum bonus (I am
good)
7. Subject + passive verb + by + agent: laudor a Petro (I am praised by Peter)
Reading: Signum Crucis
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti
Parsing: Give the part of speech (verb, adverb, adjective, noun, etc)
The part of speech determines what other information you give.
Reading: Sanctus
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloriā tuā.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Reading: Ave virgo sanctissima
Ave Virgo sanctissima,
Dei Mater piissima,
maris stella clarissima.
Salve semper gloriosa,
margarita pretiosa,
sicut lilium formosa,
nitens olens velut rosa.
