Latin verbs do not
need subject pronouns because the verb ending already makes it clear who / what
is performing the action i.e. the subject of the sentence. However, the
pronouns do exist:
SINGULAR
[1] ego (or egō)
(first person singular): I
[2] tū (second
person singular): you
[3] is / ea / id*
(third person singular): he / she / it
*Latin does not
have words which exclusively mean ‘he’ ‘she’ and ‘it’
hic, haec and hoc (this; pl.
these) can be used when referring to people / things close to the speaker e.g.
Quis est hic? │ Who is this [man; person]?; Who is he?
Other pronouns: [i]
is, ea, id [ii] ille, illa, illud and [iii] iste, ista, istud
also perform a similar function, and these will be discussed as we continue.
PLURAL
[1] nōs (first
person plural) we
[2] vōs (second
person plural) you
[3] eī [m] / eae
[f] / ea [n]* (third person plural) they
*As with is,
ea, id there are alternative plural forms of hic, haec,
hoc; ille, illa, illud; iste, ista, istud
referred to above which perform a similar function. We will soon begin looking
at plurals in more detail.
The pronouns are
rarely used apart from [i] to emphasise, [ii] where there could be uncertainty,
[iii] to contrast or [iv] where they stand alone, for example:
Ego in Britanniā habitō, sed tū in
Ītalia habitās. │ I
live in Britain, but you live in Italy.
Quid agis? Bene,
grātiās agō. Et tū? │ How are you? I’m fine, thanks. And you?
Vōs in agrō laborātis, sed nōs in
templō ōrāmus. │ You (all) work in the field, but we
pray in the temple.
tū and vōs
Whether a Roman
was talking to the emperor or talking to a slave, if it was one emperor or one
slave, the speaker used tū. Similarly, when talking to more than one person – a
group of senators or a band of pirates – the speaker used vōs. Spanish, incidentally,
has four words for ‘you’, but there’s far less to think about in Latin!
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