Latin I Tutorial: Grammar & Vocabulary

The Latin language is a Romance language that is spoken in the Vatican City. It is a classical language that developed into French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, and Romanian (among others). Many English words are also derived from Latin words.

These Latin lessons were written by Brandon. Need more Latin? Try the video Latin courses at Udemy

1. Alphabet and Pronunciation

The Latin alphabet, which is the proper name for the alphabet we use for English, French, German, etc., has changed slightly since the days of the Romans. However, the vast majority of the Latin alphabet has remained the same. All in all, the only letters that the Romans didn't have were /w/, /u/ and /j/. The letter /w/ has never been used in Latin nor is it used in modern representations of Latin. The letter /j/, on the other hand, wasn't originally used in the language but has come to use to signify the [j] sound (i.e. the sound as in the /y/ in “year”). Originally, this consonantal sound and the vocal sound [i] were both represented by the letter /i/. Also, the letter /u/ has almost been universally introduced into modern Latin where it was originally written /v/.

Secondly, as Latin is not often used as a language of spoken communication, it is not 100% necessary to pronounce the language as I have instructed here. Pronunciation varies rather greatly and is mainly used to aid learners in remembering words, conjugations, etc. However, I do strongly suggest that you decide on pronunciation and stick with it as it will help you develop a sense of the natural flow of the language.

Vowels

ā	long [aː] as in 'father'	a	short [a] as the first vowel in 'aha'
ē	[ɛː] in 'they'	e	[ɛ] in 'pet'
ī	[iː] in 'machine'	i	[i] or [ɪ] in 'bit'
ō	[oː] in 'boat'	o	similar to that of 'boat' but shorter
ū	[uː] in 'boot'	u	as in 'foot'

Diphthongs

ae	as the /ai/ in 'aisle'
au	as the /ou/ in 'out'
ei	as the /ei/ in 'eight'
oe	as the /oi/ in 'toil'
ui	either as sound like 'we' or a distinct [u] then [i].

Consonants

All consonants have the same pronunciation as in English except for the following:

c	always [k], never [s] as in 'cent'
g	always as in 'gun', never as in 'gem'
j	like /y/ in 'yes'
t	always /t/ as in native
v	as in English /w/
ch, ph, th	like English /c/, /p/, and /t/ respectively

A note on macrons (the lines above long vowels). The Romans never used macrons—quite frankly, they didn't even use spaces between words! These macrons were added much later by scholars and they are, in many circumstances, arbitrary. I will, however, use them in a few cases where they help distinguish words from one another.

2. Nouns and Cases

As with German, Russian, Greek, etc., there are three genders in Latin, masculine, feminine, and neuter.

There are five cases in Latin and they are as follows:

Nominative	indicates the subject	The man ate the apple.
Genitive	indicates ownership or relationship	The book of the girl. The dog's tail.
Dative	indirect object	We talk to the guide. I gave my mom a gift.
Accusative	direct object	We see the mountain. I bought a gift.
Ablative	used with the prepositions with/by/from/at/in/on	The hunter hunted with an arrow.

There are other uses of the cases that will be noted in the future.

There is also technically a vocative case. This will be dealt with in time.

There are no words for “the” or “a” in Latin. Context is the only necessary indicator.

Finally, when nouns are presented, they are often given showing their “principle parts.” This is a series of four things that tells you how to decline the noun, of what gender the noun is and its meaning. The are usually in the order nominative singular, genitive singular (often abbreviated), gender, meaning. For example:

puella, -ae, f., girl

This tells us that that the word is “puella” in the nominative singular, “puellae” in the genitive singular, it is feminine and it means “girl.”

Note that some words are mainly used in the plural even if they have singular meanings. This will be noted in the principle parts.

3. Personal (Subject) Pronouns

ego	I	nos	we
tu	you (singular)	vos	you (plural)
is, ea, id	he, she, it	ei, eae, ea	they (m., f., n.)

The subject pronouns are rarely used in Latin because, as we will soon see, the verb indicates the person and number, therefore making subject pronouns usually redundant. For this reason, I will not include the pronouns in the conjugations.

4. Verbs

Just like nouns, verbs have principle parts. For verbs they are as follows: the first person singular of the present active indicative, the present active infinitive, the first person singular of the present perfect indicative, and the supine or perfect passive participle which are almost always identical (note that with intransitive verbs, the 4th part is often the future active participle). These will be explained in more detail as they arise.

There are 4 basic conjugations in Latin. They are separated as those whose second principle part end in -are, -ēre, -ere, and -ire. Of course, there are many irregular verbs.

5. To be (present, imperfect, and future)

sum, esse, fui, futurus to be

Present:

sum	I am	sumus	we are
es	you are	estis	you (pl.) are
est	he, she, it is	sunt	they are

Imperfect:

eram	I was	eramus	we were
eras	you were	eratis	you were
erat	he, she, it was	erant	they were

Future:

ero	I will be	erimus	we will be
eris	you will be	eritis	you will be
erit	he, she, it will be	erunt	they will be

Compounds that include esse

absum	to be absent
adsum	to be present
desum	to fail at (+ dat.)
insum	to be in
intersum	to be among (+ dat.)
obsum	to be against (+ dat.)
praesum	to be in charge of (+ dat.)
prosum, prodesse, profui, profuturus	to be useful for, be good for (+ dat.)
subsum	to be near (+ dat.)
supersum	to survive (+ dat.)

6. The First Declension

The first declension ends in the nominative in -a and in the genitive in -ae. The vast majority of the words are feminine however there are several masculine words which tend to be those that have to do with occupations of males.

	aqua, -ae, f. water				agricola, -ae, m. farmer
	Singular		Plural		Singular		Plural
Nom.	aqua	-a	aquae	-ae	agricola	-a	agricolae	-ae
Gen.	aquae	-ae	aquarum	-arum	agricolae	-ae	agricolarum	-arum
Dat.	aquae	-ae	aquis	-is	agricolae	-ae	agricolis	-is
Acc.	aquam	-am	aquas	-as	agricolam	-am	agricolas	-as
Abl.	aquā	-ā	aquis	-is	agricolā	-ā	agricolis	-is

7. Common First Declension Nouns

(Keep in mind that because you are not speaking or reading about daily topics in Latin, the vocabulary will seem a little odd at first. However, I will be adding more modern vocabulary and vocabulary such as colors, dates, weather, etc. that you wouldn't ofter, if ever, see in genuine Latin)

Feminine Nouns
barba, -ae, f.	beard	fossa, -ae, f.	ditch
braccae, -arum, f.pl.	pants, trousers	fuga, -ae, f.	flight
casa, -ae, f.	cottage, hut	gloria, -ae, f.	fame, glory
causa, -ae, f.	cause, reason	hora, -ae, f.	hour
*dea, -ae, f.	goddess	ira, -ae, f.	anger, wrath
femina, -ae, f.	woman	lingua, -ae, f.	tongue, language
fenestra, -ae, f.	window	poena, -ae, f.	punishment
*filia, -ae, f.	daughter	puella, -ae, f.	girl
formula, -ae, f.	nice shape, beauty, equation, identity	tuba, -ae, f.	trumpet
fortuna, -ae, f.	fortune, luck

Feminine Abstract Nouns (-ia)
amicitia, -ae, f.	friendship	injuria, -ae, f.	wrong, injustice
audacia, -ae, f.	boldness	inopia, -ae, f.	lack
elegantia, -ae, f.	elegance, refinement	prudentia, -ae, f.	discretion
copia, -ae, f.	supply	scientia, -ae, f.	knowledge
gratia, -ae, f.	favor

Feminine Abstract Nouns Denoting Fields of Study
alchimia, -ae, f.	alchemy	medicina, -ae, f.	medicine
chemia, -ae, f.	chemistry	physicae, -arum, f.pl.	phyics
mathematica, -ae, f.	mathematics

Masculine Nouns
agricola, -ae, m.	farmer	pirata, -ae, m.	pirate
incola, -ae, m.	inhabitant	poeta, -ae, m.	poet
nauta, -ae, m.	sailor

*the dative and ablative plural of dea and filia are deabus and filiabus, respectively.

8. The Second Declension

The second declension is marked as masculine nouns (and very few feminine nouns) whose nominative end in either -(i)us, -er, or -ir and whose genitive singular ends in -i. As well, neuter nouns ending in -(i)um in the nominative singular and -i in the genitive singular.

	somnus, -i, m. sleep				amicus, -i, m. friend
	Singular		Plural		Singular		Plural
Nom.	somnus	-us	somni	-i	amicus	-us	amici	-i
Gen.	somni	-i	somnorum	-orum	amici	-i	amicorum	-orum
Dat.	somno	-o	somnis	-is	amico	-o	amicis	-is
Acc.	somnum	-um	somnos	-os	amicum	-um	amicos	-os
Abl.	somno	-o	somnis	-is	amico	-o	amicis	-is

	gladius, -i, m. sword (-ius ending)
	Singular		Plural
Nom.	gladius	-us	gladii	-i
Gen.	gladi	-i	gladiorum	-orum
Dat.	gladio	-o	gladiis	-is
Acc.	gladium	-um	gladios	-os
Abl.	gladio	-o	gladiis	-is

	vir, -i, m. man (strong endings)				ager, agri, m. field (weak endings)
	Singular		Plural		Singular		Plural
Nom.	vir	-us	viri	-i	ager	-us	agri	-i
Gen.	viri	-i	virorum	-orum	agri	-i	agrorum	-orum
Dat.	viro	-o	viris	-is	agro	-o	agris	-is
Acc.	virum	-um	viros	-os	agrum	-um	agros	-os
Abl.	viro	-o	viris	-is	agro	-o	agris	-is

	bellum, -i, n. war
	Singular		Plural
Nom.	bellum	-um	bella	-a
Gen.	belli	-i	bellorum	-orum
Dat.	bello	-o	bellis	-is
Acc.	bellum	-um	bella	-a
Abl.	bello	-o	bellis	-is

Note that all neuter nouns in all declensions will have matching endings in the nominative and accusative singular and in the nominative and accusative plural.

9. Common Second Declension Nouns

Masculine Nouns Ending in -us
amicus, -i, m.	friend	locus, -i, m.	place
animus, -i, m.	mind, spirit	modus, -i, m.	manner, means
campus, -i, m.	plain, field	mundus, -i, m.	world
cervus, -i, m.	deer	oculus, -i, m.	eye
cibus, -i, m.	food	servus, -i, m.	servant
deus, -i, m.	god	somnus, -i, m.	sleep
equus, -i, m.	horse	ventus, -i, m.	wind

Masculine Nouns Ending in -ius
filius, -i, m.	son	socius, -i, m.	ally
gladius, -i, m.	sword

Masculine Nouns with Strong -er/-ir Endings
adulter, -i, m.	adulterer	vesper, -i, m.	evening
miser, -i, m.	wretch	vir, -i, m.	man
puer, -i, m.	boy

Masculine Nouns with Weak -er Endings
ager, agri, m.	field	liber, libri, m.	book
cancer, cancri, m.	crab	magister, magistri, m.	teacher

Neuter Nouns Ending in -um
bellum, -i, n.	war	oppidum, -i, n.	town
castrum, -i, n.	fort; (plural) camp	simulacrum, -i, n.	image
hiberna, -orum, n.pl.	winter quarters	venenum, -i, n.	poison

Neuter Nouns Ending in -ium
auxilium, -i, n.	help	sacrificium, -i, n.	sacrifice
concilium, -i, n.	assembly	servitium, -i, n.	slavery

10. The Third Declension

The third declension is probably the most common declension. It is characterized by a consonantal stem, -is ending in the genitive singular and may be of any gender.

	rex, regis, m. king				uxor, uxoris, f. wife
	Singular		Plural		Singular		Plural
Nom.	rex	–	reges	-es	uxor	–	uxores	-es
Gen.	regis	-is	regum	-um	uxoris	-is	uxorum	-um
Dat.	regi	-i	regibus	-ibus	uxori	-i	uxoribus	-ibus
Acc.	regem	-em	reges	-es	uxorem	-em	uxores	-es
Abl.	rege	-e	regibus	-ibus	uxore	-e	uxoribus	-ibus

The neuter declension is the same except for the nominative singular and the nominative and accusative plural.

	opus, operis, n. work
	Singular		Plural
Nom.	opus	–	opera	-a
Gen.	operis	-is	operum	-um
Dat.	operi	-i	operibus	-ibus
Acc.	opus	– (same as nom.)	opera	-a
Abl.	opere	-e	operibus	-ibus

“i-stem”

These differ from other third declension nouns in that they take the ending -ium in the genitive plural. They may sometimes also take the endings -im, -i, -is instead of the endings -em, -e, -es in the accusative singular, ablative singular, and the accusative plural, respectively.

	hostis, hostis, m. enemy				animal, animalis, n. animal
	Singular		Plural		Singular		Plural
Nom.	hostis	–	hostes, hostis	-es, -is	animal	–	animalia	-ia
Gen.	hostis	-is	hostium	-ium	animalis	-is	animalium	-um
Dat.	hosti	-i	hostibus	-ibus	animali	-i	animalibus	-ibus
Acc.	hostem, hostim	-em, -im	hostes, hostis	-es, -is	animal	– (same as nom.)	animalia	-ia
Abl.	hoste, hosti	-e, -i	hostibus	-ibus	animale, animali	-e, -i	animalibus	-ibus

11. Common Third Declension Nouns

Masculine and Feminine Nouns
canis, canis, m.	dog	mons, montis, m.	mountain
cervix, cervicis, f.	neck	nox, noctis, f.	night
custos, cutodis, m.	guard	ops, opis, f.	power, help
feles, felis, f.	cat	pars, partis, f.	part
frater, fratris, m.	brother	pater, patris, m.	father
leo, leonis, m.	lion	rex, regis, m.	king
mater, matris, f.	mother	soror, sororis, f.	sister
miles, milites, m.	soldier	uxor, uxoris, f.	wife
mulier, mulieris, f.	woman	vigil, vigilis, m.	fireman

Masculine Nouns of Agency Ending in -or, -oris
doctor, -oris, m.	teacher	monitor, -oris, m.	advisor
gladiator, -oris, m.	gladiator	vector, -oris, m.	rider, passenger
imperator, -oris, m.	general, emperor

Feminine Abstract Nouns Ending in -tas, -tatis
aequalitas, -tatis, f.	equality	majestas, -tatis, f.	majesty
fraternitas, -tatis, f.	brotherhood	majoritas, -tatis, f.	majority
libertas, -tatis, f.	freedom

Neuter Nouns
caput, capitis, n.	head	lemma, lemmatis, n.	theme
cor, cordis, n.	heart	limen, liminis, n.	threshold, doorway
crimen, criminis, n.	accusation, crime, guilt	nomen, nominis, n.	name, noun
flumen, fluminis, n.	flow, river, stream	opus, operis, n.	work
genus, generis, n.	gender	stamen, staminis, n.	thread
iter, itineris, n.	road

12. The Fourth Declension

The fourth declension can be either masculine, feminine, or neuter. However the masculine/feminine declension is slightly different than that of neuter nouns. The masculine/feminine declension is characterized by -us in the nominative singular and -ūs in the genitive singular. The neuter is characterized by -u in the nominative singular and -ūs in the genitive singular.

	manus, manūs, f. hand				genu, genūs, n. knee
	Singular		Plural		Singular		Plural
Nom.	manus	-us	manūs	-ūs	genu	-u	genua	-ua
Gen.	manūs	-ūs	manuum	-uum	genūs	-ūs	genuum	-uum
Dat.	manui	-ui	manibus	-ibus	genu	-u	genibus	-ibus
Acc.	manum	-um	manūs	-ūs	genu	-u	genua	-ua
Abl.	manu	-u	manibus	-ibus	genu	-u	genibus	-ibus

13. Common Fourth Declension Nouns

Masculine and Feminine Nouns
acus, -ūs, f.	needle	gradus, -ūs, m.	step, pace
aestus, -ūs, m.	heat	Idūs, -uum, f. pl.	Ides (Cf. Ides of March)
arcus, -ūs, m.	bow	lacus, -ūs, m.	lake
cantus, -ūs, m.	song	manus, -ūs, f.	hand
condus, -ūs, m.	shopkeeper	metus, -ūs, f.	fear, dread
cultus, -ūs, m.	civilization	portus, -ūs, m.	harbor
*domus, -ūs, f.	house, home	senatus, -ūs, m.	senate
exericitus, -ūs, m.	army	tonsus, -ūs, m.	haircut
fructus, -ūs, m.	enjoyment, profit, fruit	tribus, -ūs, f.	tribe

Masculine Abstract Nouns
adventus, -ūs, m.	approach, arrival	motus, -ūs, m.	motion
casus, -ūs, m.	chance, case	prospectus, -ūs, m.	view, prospect
census, -ūs, m.	census	reditus, -ūs, m.	return
cruciatus, -ūs, m.	torture	sensus, -ūs, m.	feeling, sensation
flatus, -ūs, m.	wind	sonitus, -ūs, m.	sound, noise
fletus, -ūs, m.	weeping	spiritus, -ūs, m.	breath, soul, enthusiasm

Neuter Nouns
cornu, -ūs, n.	horn	genu, -ūs, n.	knee

*Sometimes domus, -i, f. of the second declension.

14. The Fifth Declension

The fifth declension has -es in the nominative singular and -ei in the genitive singular and are usually feminine.

	res, rei, f. thing				dies, diei (die), m./f., day
	Singular		Plural		Singular		Plural
Nom.	res	-es	res	-es	dies	-es	dies	-es
Gen.	rei	-ei	rerum	-erum	diei, die	-ei	dierum	-erum
Dat.	rei	-ei	rebus	-ebus	diei, die	-ei	diebus	-ebus
Acc.	rem	-em	res	-es	diem	-em	dies	-es
Abl.	re	-e	rebus	-ebus	die	-e	diebus	-ebus

15. Common Fifth Declension Nouns

dies, diei, m./f.	day	plebes, plebei, f.	commoners
effigies, effigiei, f.	effigy, likeness, statue	spes, spei, f.	hope
fides, fidei, f.	faith	species, speciei, f.	appearance
res, rei, f.	thing