A Practical Grammar of the Latin Language/Lesson 3

by G. J. Adler

Of the Second Declension.

• A. The second declension comprises all substantives and adjectives which form their genitive in ī. The terminations of the nominative are us (generally masculine, sometimes feminine), er, ir (masculine),¹ and um (neuter). Examples:

	Meus dominus, m., my master.		Liber tuus, m., your book.
Nom.	my master	meus dominus	your book	liber tuus
Gen.	of my master	meī dominī	of your book	librī tuī
Dat.	to my master	meō dominō	to your book	librō tuō
Acc.	my master	meum dominum	your book	librum tuum
Voc.	O my master	mī2 domine	O your book	liber tue
Abl.	with my master	meō dominō	with your book	librō tuō

	saccharum bonum, n., good surgar.
Nom.	the good sugar	saccharum bonum
Gen.	of the good sugar	saccharī bonī
Dat.	to the good sugar	saccharō bonō
Acc.	the good sugar	saccharum bonum
Voc.	O good sugar	saccharum bonum
Abl.	with the good sugar	saccharō bonō

Like dominus decline pīleus, pannus, equus, calceus, and all the nouns and adjectives of this declension which end in us. After the manner of liber, decline ager, culter, faber, magister, &c.;³ like saccharum, all the neuters in um, as aurum, corium, lignum, plumbum, &c. (Cf. Lesson IV.)

Remark 1. The final i of the genitive of this declension, and of Latin words generally, is long; except in mihi, tibi, sibi, where it is common.
Remark 2. The final o of the dative and ablative singular of this declension is always long. But in Latin words generally it is common, as sermo, amo, habeo.

		Masc.	Fem.	Neut.
Which (of many)?	Nom.	Quī (Quis)	Quae	Quod or Quid
	Acc.	Quem	Quam	Quod or Quid
Which (of two)?	Nom.	Uter	Utra	Utrum
	Acc.	Utrum	Utram	Utrum
Good.	Nom.	Bonus	Bona	Bonum
	Acc.	Bonum	Bonam	Bonum
Great, large, big.	Nom.	Magnus	Magna	Magnum
	Acc.	Magnum	Magnam	Magnum
Bad.	Nom.	Malus	Mala	Malum
	Acc.	Malum	Malam	Malum
Bad, i.e. worthless	Nom.	Vīlis	Vīlis	Vīle
	Acc.	Vīlem	Vīlem	Vīle
	Or:— nēquam (indeclinable).4
Beautiful, fine.	Nom.	Pulcher	Pulchra	Pulchrum
	Acc.	Pulchrum	Pulchram	Pulchrum
	Also:— Fōrmōsus, a, um
Ugly.	Nom.	Turpis	Turpis	Turpe
	Acc.	Turpem	Turpem	Turpe

My good sugar.	Saccharaum meum bonum (Nom. & Acc.)
Your bad sugar.	Saccharum tuum vīle (nēquam).
The fine table (paper, ribbon)	Nom.	Mēnsa (charta, taenia) pulchra.
	Acc.	Mēnsam (chartam, taeniam) pulchram.
The ugly hat (book, salt).	Nom.	Pīleus (liber, sāl) turpis
	Acc.	Pīleum (librum, sāl) turpem
Which hat? Which paper?	Nom.	Quis pīleus? Quae charta?5
	Acc.	Quem pīleum? Quam chartam?
Which sugar?	Quod saccharum? (Nom. & Acc.)
	Quid sacchari? (Nom. & Acc.)

• B. Obs. The interrogative quod is always used adjectively, and agrees with its noun in gender, number, and case, quid is more like the English what? and is either used independently or has its noun in the genitive.— The masculine which? is more commonly quī than quis when a substantive is expressed with it.

Have you good sugar?	Estne tibi saccharum bonum?
Yes, Sir, I have good sugar.	Sānē, domine, est mihi saccharum bonum
Have you the fine ribbon?	Habēsne taeniam pulchram?
I have the fine ribbon.	Habeō taeniam pulchram.
Which hat have you?	Quī est tibi pīleus? Quem pīleum habēs?
I have my ugly hat.	Pīleum meum turpem habeō
Which ribbon have you?	Quae est tibi taenia? Quam taeniam habēs?
I have your fine ribbon.	Taeniam tuam pulchram6 habeō.

Exercise 2.

See the answers here.

1. Have you the fine hat?—Yes, Sir, I have the fine hat.
2. Have you my bad hat?—I have your bad hat.
3. Have you the bad salt?—I have the bad salt.
4. Have you your good salt?—I have my good salt.
5. Which salt have you?—I have your good salt.
6. Which sugar have you?—I have my good sugar.
7. Have you my good sugar?—I have your good sugar.
8. Which table have you?—I have the fine table.
9. Have you my fine table?—I have your fine table.
10. Which paper have you?—I have the bad paper.
11. Have you my ugly paper?—I have your ugly paper.
12. Which bad hat have you?—I have my bad hat.
13. Which fine ribbon have you?—I have your fine ribbon.
14. Have you my fine pen?—I have your fine pen.

Footnotes.

¹To these must be added one adjective in ur, viz. satur, satura, saturum, sated satisfied.

² This vocative is sometimes meus and sometimes mī after the analogy of proper name in ius, which have always i, as, Virgilius, Virgilī; Horātius, Horātī; so also fīlius, fīlī; genius, genī.
³ Some nouns (and adjectives) in er retain the e in the genitive, and have erī instead of rī, as gener, generī, a son in law; puer, -erī, a boy; līber, -erī, free, &c.— Vir, a man, has virī, and so its compounds, as decemvir, virī; lēvir, -virī.
⁴ Malus is said of persons, and is morally bad; vīlis chiefly of things worthless; nēquam of persons and things both.
⁵ Diphthongs receive the accent upon the second vowel.
⁶ In writing these exercises, the learner should be careful to select the proper case and gender of the adjectives, which must always correspond with that of the nouns with which they are to be connected. In this and the following lessons, the nominative and accusative are the only cases used.