06.03.24: introduction to the dative singular of 2nd declension nouns and the dative of personal pronouns

[Ora Maritima: Sonnenschein (1902)]

6. Patruus meus agellō suō operam dat. Agellus patruī meī nōn magnus est. Circum villam est hortus. Mūrus hortī nōn altus est. Rīvus est prope hortum, unde aquam portāmus, cum hortum irrigāmus. In hortō magnus est numerus rosārum et violārum. Rosae et violae tibi, mī patrue, magnam laetitiam dant. Tū, Lȳdia, cum patruō meō in hortō saepe ambulās.

Vocabulary

patruus: uncle: Latin has two words for 'uncle' [i] patruus is a paternal uncle i.e. a father's brother [ii] avunculus is a maternal uncle i.e. a mother's brother

agellus: small piece of ground; little field

suus, -a, um: his / her(s) / its; their(s) (see notes below)

mūrus: wall

altus, -a, -um: high

rīvus: stream

unde: from which / where

irrigāre: to water

rosa: rose

viola: violet

tibi: to you (sg.) [dative of tū]

Notes:

[1] Dative singular of 2nd declension nouns

The dative of all second declension nouns is -ō i.e. the same as the ablative singular

Patruus meus ¦ agellō suō operam dat. My uncle gives attention ¦ to his small plot of land.

[2] Dative of personal pronouns

Rosae et violae tibi … magnam laetitiam dant. The roses and violets give great happiness to you.

Here, it is being used, as in English, as an indirect object pronoun.

You have already seen tibi and other dative pronouns in constructions expressing ‘have’:

Quid est tibi nōmen?

[Literally: What is the name to you; What is the name you have?] = What is your name?

Estne tibi fīlius?

[Literally: Is there a son to you?] = Do you have a son?

Mihi est ūnus fīlius.

[Literally: To me there is one son.] = I have one son

Nōmen eī Mārcus est.

[Literally: To him is the name Marcus.] = His name is Marcus.

Mihi est ūna fīlia.

[Literally: To me there is one daughter.] = I have one daughter.

Nōmen eī Flāvia est.

[Literally: To her is the name Flavia.] = Her name is Flavia.

We will look at the dative pronouns in more detail in a later post. However, you have already seen three of them, and the plurals are also given here for reference.

mihi: to me

tibi: to you

eī: to him / her / it (no gender distinction)

The plural forms are:

nōbis: to us

vōbis: to you (pl.)

eīs: to them (no gender distinction)

[3] suus, sua, suum is a possessive adjective and pronoun meaning [i] his / her(s) / its ; their(s) own and is used when the subject of the sentence (he, she, it, they) is the possessor. Here is an example:

He loves his garden. But, does he love his own garden or somebody else's? English would need to add 'own' if that distinction were to be made. Latin, however, uses suus, sua, suum.

Hortum suum amat. He loves his own garden.

Hortum eius amat. He loves his (i.e. somebody else's) garden.

In the example from the text, the writer's uncle is tending to his (own) garden. Therefore:

Patruus meus agellō suō operam dat.

There is no need to add 'own' in the translation unless that point has to be emphasised.

[4] Note the example of the vocative case as if the writer is addressing his uncle directly:

mī patrue: my uncle