06.03.24: further practice in the dative case of first declension nouns

[The Road to Latin (Chesnutt) 1932]

Read the text for understanding and note the words which are in the dative case. Pay particular attention to fīliābus: this is the dative plural of fīlia (daughter); the ending is used to distinguish between the dative plural of fīlius (son) which is, as is to be expected, fīliīs. A similar distinction occurs in the nouns deus (god) > dat. plur. deīs and dea (goddess) > dat. plur. deābus. Note that these are not endings used normally in the dative plural and are only there to make it clear whether males or females are being referred to. The dative plural is -īs.

GALBAE TABERNA

Galba magnam tabernam habet. Taberna est plēna statuārum et amphorārum. Taberna fēminās Rōmānās dēlectat. Hodiē, Tullia, Claudia, et Camilla tabernam Galbae intrant. Galba fēminās videt. Quid Tulliae dēmōnstrat? Tulliae parvam statuam dēmōnstrat, sed Tullia statuam nōn dēsīderat. Galba Claudiae statuam dēmōnstrat. Claudia statuam spectat et dēsīderat. Itaque fēmina Galbae pecūniam dat. Camilla quoque statuam deae dēsīderat. Galba Camillae rubram Diānae statuam dēmōnstrat. Statua Camillam dēlectat; Camilla Galbae pecūniam dat. Tum Galba fēminīs Rōmānīs amphoram dēmōnstrat; amphora pulchra fēminās dēlectat. Tullia fīliās vocat. Tum Galba fīliābus Tulliae amphoram dēmōnstrat. Amphora puellās quoque dēlectat. Cornēlia et Secunda tabernam Galbae amant. Interdum Galba fīliabus Tulliae parvam statuam dat. Galba puellīs fābulās saepe nārrat. Cornēlia et Secunda fābulās amant. Itaque fēminae et puellae tabernam Galbae saepe intrant.

DIANA

Camilla fīliābus rubram Diānae statuam dēmōnstrat. Puellae statuam spectant; tum Camilla fīliābus fābulam nārrat: “Diāna est dea silvārum et lūnae. Et agricolae et nautae Diānam laudant. Agricolae Diānae corōnas saepe dant quod dea silvās cūrat. Diāna, dea lūnae, nautās dēlectat quod lūna nautīs viam dēmōnstrat. Itaque nautae quoque corōnās dant.” Fīliae Camillae fābulam amant. Quod lūna et silvae fīliās dēlectant, puellae deam laudant et statuam deae ōrnant.

demonstrāre: to show

intrāre: to enter; go into

You are now seeing all the cases being used in the same text. At the early stages, you should keep thinking about what cases are being used, and why. As your fluency increases, this process will become more fluent.

Here are some examples of the dative case from the text:

Quid Tulliae dēmōnstrat? What does he show to Tullia?

Tulliae [dative] ¦ parvam statuam [accusative] dēmōnstrat. He shows a small statue ¦ to Tullia.

Camilla Galbae [dative] ¦ pecūniam [accusative] dat. Camilla gives money ¦ to Galba.

Agricolae Diānae [dative] ¦ corōnas [accusative] saepe dant. The farmers often give garlands ¦ to Diana.

Galba fēminīs Rōmānīs [dative] ¦ amphoram [accusative] dēmōnstrat. Galba shows the amphora ¦ to the Roman women.

lūna nautīs [dative] viam [accusative] dēmōnstrat. The moon shows the way ¦ to the sailors.

Galba puellīs [dative] ¦ fābulās [accusative] saepe nārrat. Galba often tells stories ¦ to the girls.

Camilla fīliābus [dative] ¦ fābulam [accusative] nārrat. Camilla tells a story ¦ to the daughters.

Look at the notes from previous posts; identify the cases in each of these extracts from the text and explain why these cases are being used.

1. Galba magnam tabernam habet.
2. Taberna est plēna statuārum et amphorārum.
3. Taberna fēminās Rōmānās dēlectat.
4. puellae ... [i] statuam ¦ [ii] deae ōrnant.
5. Diāna est dea silvārum et lūnae.
6. [i] Fīliae [ii] Camillae [iii] fābulam amant.