Latin/5th Declension
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This week we’ll learn the basics of 5th declension nouns. Just as with the 4th declension, there are relatively few nouns in this group, but some of them are used with high frequency. Most 5th declension nouns are feminine, with one major exception. The genitive singular ending for this declension is –ei. Here is a basic case table:
| case | singular | plural | typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | -ēs | -ēs | subject or predicate noun |
| genitive | -eī | -ērum | possession, the “of” case |
| dative | -eī | -ēbus | indirect object, the “to/for” case |
| accusative | -em | -ēs | direct object (also some objects of preps.) |
| ablative | -ē | -ēbus | objects of prepositions, etc. “by/with/from” case |
New Vocabulary
[edit | edit source]| Latin | English | Audio (Classical) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| acies, acieī | sharp edge, battle line | ||
| diēs, diēī (m.) | day | Masculine, but when referring to a specific date it may be feminine, e.g.tertiā diē = on the third day | |
| faciēs, facieī | face, form, shape | ||
| fidēs, fideī | faith, trust, loyalty | ||
| merīdiēs, merīdieī (m.) | midday, noon | ||
| rēs, reī | thing, matter, affair, subject | Used in countless ways in Latin, depending on context | |
| spēs, speī | hope |
New Sentences
[edit | edit source]| Latin | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lūcia bonum diem nōn habet. | Lucia is not having a good day. | |
| ante merīdiem (a.m.) | before noon | |
| post merīdiem (p.m.) | after noon | |
| Dē Rērum Naturā | On the Nature of Things | Epicurius’ philosophical treatise on the nature of the universe |
| Ex rē et ex tempōre. | According to the time and circumstance. | |
| Rēs adversae | unfavorable circumstances, adversity | |
| Rēs secundae | favorable circumstances, prosperity | |
| Rēs novae | revolution, political change | lit. “new things” |
| In rēbus adversīs amīcī nostrī nōbīscum stant. | In adversity our friends stand with us. | |
| Rēs pūblica | the republic; public affairs, government, the state | |
| Nihil ad rem. | Nothing to do with the subject, not to the point. | |
| Argūmentum ad rem. | An argument addressing the subject, to the point | In contrast with argūmentum ad hominem, attacking the man who takes the opposing position. |
| Nōn est spēs victōriae. | There is not (no) hope of victory. | |
| Nautae spem habent. | The sailors have hope. | |
| Prīmā faciē | At first appearance/ preliminary indication. | |
| Sine diē | without a day | Used when adjourning a meeting without setting a new date |
| Carpe diem. | Seize the day. | |
| Eō diē veniunt. | They are coming on that day. | |
| Mīlitēs multōs diēs ambulant. | The soldiers walk for many days. | |
| Bonā fidē | in good faith | |
| Magnam fidem dēmōnstrant. | They show great faith. | |
| Avus meus magnam aciem mentis habet. | My grandfather has great sharpness of mind. | |
| Barbarī impetum in aciem Rōmānam faciunt. | The barbarians make an attack on the Roman battle line. |
Now that all 5 declensions have been introduced, all Latin nouns are accessible to us, and it’s just a matter of reviewing case uses and endings to keep them fresh. We know “domus” (house, 4th declension), and “dies” (day, 5th declension), so we will have lessons for “household” and “time” in the near future. Habete bonum diem!
Practice
[edit | edit source]| Practice and learn the words and phrases in this lesson | |
|---|---|
| Step one | First learn the words using this lesson: |
| Step two | Next try learning and writing the sentencing using this: |
| Note that the Memrise stage covers the content for all lessons in each stage. If you are skipping previous stages you may need to manually "ignore" the words in previous levels (use the 'select all' function) | |