Lectiō §34
Ablative singular: -ā; -ō
Rōmam ¦ fossā circumdat │ (s)he surrounds Rome ¦ with
a ditch
Rōmam ¦ mūrō circumdat │ (s)he surrounds Rome ¦ with
a wall
Rōmam ¦ vallō circumdat │ (s)he surrounds Rome ¦ with
a rampart (defensive wall)
Ablative plural: -īs
Rōmam ¦ fossīs circumdat │ (s)he surrounds Rome ¦ with
ditches
Rōmam ¦ mūrīs circumdat │ (s)he surrounds Rome ¦ with
walls
Rōmam ¦ vallīs circumdat │ (s)he surrounds Rome ¦ with
ramparts
Barbarī Rōmānīs bellum parant. Caesar impavidus est. Barbarī
eum nōn terrent. Caesar castra vāllō circumdat. Castra fossā circumdat. Fossam
aquā complet. Rōmānī vāllum armātīs complent. Castra magnum castellum habent.
Castellum Caesar armātīs complet. Nec aquam, nec frūmentum, nec sagittās, nec
scūta habent Rōmānī. Ūnum carrum sagittīs complent. Quattuor scūtīs complent.
Plūs quam vīgintī frūmentō complent. Vallum sagittāriīs complent. Dat Caesar
Rōmānīs signum proeliī. Nostrōs sonō tubae incitat. Quam grātus Rōmānīs sonus
tubae est!
[1] Find the Latin for the words in bold; note that Latin is
using one word whereas English needs to use a phrase
Ablative singular
He surrounds the camp with a ditch (trench; moat).
He fills the ditch with water.
He encourages / inspires our men with the sound of
the war-trumpet.
He fills more than twenty (wagons) with grain.
Caesar surrounds the camp with a rampart (wall; fortification)
.
Ablative plural
They fill one wagon with arrows.
The Romans occupy the rampart with armed men.
[2] The ablative case has many different uses and it is best
to look at these uses gradually. Each of the uses has its own grammatical name,
the one being used in the text is the ablative of means or instrument.
As the name suggests it conveys what is used to peform an action. Connected
with this is the idea of ‘filling’ something with something.
As the examples below show, Latin can often with a single
word in the ablative convey an idea which in English needs a preposition.
Ablative singular
1st declension
Nominative: fossa (ditch)
> Ablative: fossā (note that the only difference
between the nominative and ablative singular is the long /ā/)
Castra fossā circumdat. │ He surrounds the camp with
/ by means of a ditch.
Nominative: aqua (water)
> Ablative: aquā
Fossam aquā complet. │ He fills the ditch with
water.
2nd declension
[i] Masculine
Nominative: mūrus (wall)
> Ablative: mūrō
Rōmam mūrō circumdat. │ He surrounds Rome with a
wall.
[ii] Neuter
Nominative: frūmentum (grain)
> Ablative: frūmentō
Plūs quam vīginti frūmentō complent. │ They fill more
than twenty (wagons) with grain.
Ablative plural
The ablative plural ending is the same for all 1st
and 2nd declension nouns: -īs
Nominative plural: sagittae (arrows)
> Ablative plural:
sagittīs
Carrum sagittīs complent. │ They fill the wagon with
arrows.
Nominative plural: mūrī (walls)
> Ablative plural:
mūrīs
Rōmam mūrīs circumdat. │ He surrounds Rome with
walls.
Nominative plural: scūta (shields)
> Ablative plural:
scūtīs
Carrum scūtis complet. │ he fills with wagon with
shields.
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