10.03.24: More practice with prepositions [1]: ablative with ā (ab), ex (ē), in, cum

Read the text for understanding and note the prepositions all of which are followed by the ablative case.

• ā / ab: (away) from
• ē / ex: out of
• in: in; on
• cum: (together) with

[The Road to Latin (Chesnutt) 1932]

Laeca Poēta I

Laeca poēta vīllam pulchram in Italiā habet. In vīllā Laeca cum fīliā Iūliā habitat. Aqua est proxima vīllae. In aquā poēta nāviculam rubram habet. Poēta ex vīllā saepe properat. Nunc in nāviculā est. Tum ab ōrā poēta nāvigat. Silvae quoque sunt proximae vīllae. In silvīs Laeca saepe ambulat. Poētae silvās et aquam maximē amant quod in silvīs et in aquā multās et pulchrās pictūrās poētae vident. Poētae ā silvīs et ab aquā properant et fābulās nārrant. Iūlia in vīllā labōrat. Fēminae et puellae Rōmānae in vīllīs saepe labōrant. Noctū Iūlia ex vīllā properat. Tum Iūlia cum Laecā in silvīs ambulat. Interdum poēta et fīlia ex silvīs properant et in ōrā stant. Laeca et Iūlia stēllās et lūnam spectant. Tandem Laeca et Iūlia ab ōrā ambulant et in vīllā iterum sunt.

Servae Claudiae

Claudia est domina multārum servārum. Servae Claudiae in terrā et in vīllā cotīdiē labōrant. Claudia servīs cāra est quod est domina benigna. Servae cēnam parant et vīllam ōrnant. Sed servae Claudiae nōn semper labōrant. Noctū servae ē casīs properant et in ōrā et in silvīs ambulant. Lūna clāra et stēllae pulchrae servīs dēfessīs sunt grātae. Tandem Claudia servās vocat. Tum ex silvīs et ab ōrā servae properant.

Vocabulary

interdum: meanwhile

iterum: again, a second time

tandem finally, at length

Notes

[1] ē / ex refers to movement physically out of a place i.e. from somewhere inside to somewhere else:

Interdum poēta et fīlia ex silvīs properant. │ Meanwhile the poet and the daughter hurry out of the forests.

ē: used when the noun begins with a consonant

ex: used when the noun begins with a vowel or a consonant

[2] ā / ab refers to movement physically away from a place with no suggestion that the movement began inside anywhere: think of a train departing from a platform:

Tandem Laeca et Iūlia ab ōrā ambulant. │ Laeca and Julia finally walk (away) from the seashore.

ā: used when the noun begins with a consonant

ab: used when the noun begins with a vowel or a consonant

[3] in: with the ablative case it means ‘in’ or ‘on’ a place:

poēta vīllam pulchram in Italiā habet │ the poet has a beautiful villa in Italy

[4] cum: (together) with e.g. with a person; other meanings of ‘with’ in English are expressed differently in Latin

Iūlia cum Laecā ambulat │ Julia is walking with Laeca

Here are three other prepositions that are followed by the ablative case :

[5] dē: down / away from, but it also conveys a useful non-spatial meaning of 'about; concerning':

Dē quō ¦ cōgitās? │ About what are you thinking? = What are you thinking about?

[6] sine: without; a fun way of remembering it is this one line from a Mediaeval drinking song:

Bibunt omnēs ¦ sine mētā. │ They all drink without a limit.

[7] sub: under

sub umbrā castaneae │ under the shade of a chestnut tree

Some prepositions can take more than one case and they can have more than one meaning, but don't run before you can walk; familiarise yourself with the basic meanings of the prepositions.