# A Practical Grammar of the Latin Language/Lesson 3

Transcription of this lesson is complete

# 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. | Meus dominus, m., my master. | Liber tuus, m., your book. | 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 | mī$^2$ domine | O your book | liber tue |
| Abl. | with my master | meō dominō | with your book | librō tuō |
| | saccharum bonum, n., good surgar. | 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 |
| Which (of many)? | Acc. | Quem | Quam | Quod or Quid |
| Which (of two)? | Nom. | Uter | Utra | Utrum |
| Which (of two)? | Acc. | Utrum | Utram | Utrum |
| Good. | Nom. | Bonus | Bona | Bonum |
| Good. | Acc. | Bonum | Bonam | Bonum |
| Great, large, big. | Nom. | Magnus | Magna | Magnum |
| Great, large, big. | Acc. | Magnum | Magnam | Magnum |
| Bad. | Nom. | Malus | Mala | Malum |
| Bad. | Acc. | Malum | Malam | Malum |
| Bad, i.e. worthless | Nom. | Vīlis | Vīlis | Vīle |
| Bad, i.e. worthless | Acc. | Vīlem | Vīlem | Vīle |
| Or:— nēquam (indeclinable).$^4$ ||||
| Beautiful, fine. | Nom. | Pulcher | Pulchra | Pulchrum |
| Beautiful, fine. | Acc. | Pulchrum | Pulchram | Pulchrum |
| Also:— Fōrmōsus, a, um ||||
| Ugly. | Nom. | Turpis | Turpis | Turpe |
| Ugly. | Acc. | Turpem | Turpem | Turpe |
| My good sugar. | Saccharaum meum bonum (Nom. & Acc.) | Saccharaum meum bonum (Nom. & Acc.) |
| Your bad sugar. | Saccharum tuum vīle (nēquam). | Saccharum tuum vīle (nēquam). |
| The fine table (paper, ribbon) | Nom. | Mēnsa (charta, taenia) pulchra. |
| The fine table (paper, ribbon) | Acc. | Mēnsam (chartam, taeniam) pulchram. |
| The ugly hat (book, salt). | Nom. | Pīleus (liber, sāl) turpis |
| The ugly hat (book, salt). | Acc. | Pīleum (librum, sāl) turpem |
| Which hat? Which paper? | Nom. | Quis pīleus? Quae charta?$^5$ |
| Which hat? Which paper? | Acc. | Quem pīleum? Quam chartam? |
| Which sugar? | Quod saccharum? (Nom. & Acc.) | 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 pulchram$^6$ habeō. |

## Exercise 2.

See the answers here.
* Have you the fine hat?—Yes, Sir, I have the fine hat.
* Have you my bad hat?—I have your bad hat.
* Have you the bad salt?—I have the bad salt.
* Have you your good salt?—I have my good salt.
* Which salt have you?—I have your good salt.
* Which sugar have you?—I have my good sugar.
* Have you my good sugar?—I have your good sugar.
* Which table have you?—I have the fine table.
* Have you my fine table?—I have your fine table.
* Which paper have you?—I have the bad paper.
* Have you my ugly paper?—I have your ugly paper.
* Which bad hat have you?—I have my bad hat.
* Which fine ribbon have you?—I have your fine ribbon.
* Have you my fine pen?—I have your fine pen.

## Footnotes.

$^2$ 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.