Monday, September 2, 2024

09.10.24: Level 1; Maxey [15] (4): full text; notes; 3rd declension nouns

[i] Nox est et quiēs est in terrā. Hiems est. Mārcus, puer Americānus, sōlus est in casā quod māter et pater ad oppidum iērunt. Diū legit. Dē multīs terrīs legit. Hanc fābulam, quae de Rōmānīs antīquīs nārrātur, saepe Mārcus in scholā audīvit. In pictūrā est vir quī mīles Rōmānus est. Ad bellum properat. Est mīles validus et magnus quī arma Rōmāna portat. Sōlus est. Multī aliī mīlitēs quī in pictūrā nōn videntur ad bellum ambulant quod bellum est magnum. Ibi sunt castra Rōmāna ubi noctū mīlitēs manent. Hīc quoque manent ubi in bellō nōn pugnant. Mīlitēs interdum ā castrīs properant et ad bellum eunt.

[ii] Hic mīles Rōmānus quī est dux mīlitum arma bona portat. Quae sunt haec arma? Hic est gladius validus. Gladius nōn est longus. Nōn est lātus. Scūtum quoque capit. Scūtum ducem tegit ubi bellum est periculōsum. Pīlum habet. Hoc pīlum est longum et validum sed nōn est lātum. Galea quoque ducem tegit. Galeam et scūtum et gladium et pīlum Mārcus videt et laudat. Haec arma mīlitēs bene tegunt. Quod hic mīles est dux, bellum nōn timet. Perīculum nōn timet.

[iii] Post mīlitēs castra vidēmus. Equōs et frūmentum vidēmus. Hī equī aliōs mīlitēs portant. Alia tēla portant. Nunc est nūllum perīculum. Mox mīlitēs pugnant et tum est magnum perīculum. Post bellum multī mīlitēs sunt dēfessī et domī esse cupiunt. Dux quoque est dēfessus. Dux bonus semper cōnsilia bona habet. Mīlitēs cōnsilia bona ducis semper laudant, sed cōnsilia mala nōn laudant. Dux impiger cōnsilia mala nōn laudat. Dux impiger cōnsilia bona semper habet. Bellum est periculōsum ubi cōnsilia ducis sunt mala.

[iv] Nunc nōn est nox. Nūlla quiēs est in terrā. Virī et fēminae labōrant. Mārcus nōn legit sed ad stabulum ubi equus stat ambulat. In stabulō Mārcus equō albō frūmentum dat. Tum in hortum puer et equus properant. Equus puerum ad flōrēs, rosās et līlia, portat. “Ego sum dux Rōmānus,” inquit puer, “et arma capiō. Gladium et ūnum scūtum portō. Galeam habeō et in tabernāculō sunt duo pila quae nunc nōn portō. Mīlitēs meī mē laudant quod cōnsilia bona habeō.” Māter vocat. Puer et equus domum properant. Post cēnam colloquium, quod dē armīs et bellō est, longum et grātum est.

Paragraph #1

Nox est et quiēs est in terrā. Hiems est. Mārcus, puer Americānus, sōlus est in casā quod māter et pater ad oppidum iērunt. … In pictūrā est vir quī mīles Rōmānus est. … Est mīles validus et magnus … │ It is night and there is (peace and) quiet in the land. It is winter. Marcus, an American boy, is alone in the house because his mother and father have gone to town. … In the picture there is a man is a Roman soldier. … He is a strong and large soldier

The 3rd declension nouns in that part of the paragraph are in the nominative singular case:

mīles, mīlitis [3/m]: soldier

pater, patris [3/m]: father

quiēs, quiētis [3/f]: quiet

hiems, hiemis [3/f]: winter

māter, mātris [3/f]: mother

nox, noctis [3/f]: night

Why are two forms of the same noun listed in the vocabulary?

Focus on the word mīles (soldier): in dictionaries and vocabulary lists it will normally appear in a format such as:

mīles, mīlitis [3/m]

What information is being given?

[i] the nominative singular of the noun: mīles

[ii] the genitive singular of the noun: mīlitis

[iii] the declension to which it belongs [3: 3rd declension] and the gender [m: masculine]; Every 3rd declension noun needs to be learned with its gender because, apart from obvious ones that relate to male / female human beings, a 3rd declension noun can be any gender and, most often, the gender cannot be worked out from the ending.

[i] and [ii]: Every 3rd declension noun needs to be learned with its nominative singular and genitive singular because, in most instances, the nominative alone does not give you all the information you need.

mīles, mīlitis [3/m]: the genitive singular gives you the stem of the noun; remove the genitive singular ending -is and you now have the stem i.e. mīlit¦is > mīlit-

Look at this part of a sentence from the same paragraph:

  • Multī aliī mīlitēs quī in pictūrā nōn videntur … │ Many other soldiers, who are not seen in the picture …

For masculine and feminine nouns, it is that stem which, apart from the nominative singular, will be used for all case endings both singular and plural.

Some nouns don’t change in the genitive singular:

hiems, hiem¦is [3/f]: winter > hiem-

However, most do and, especially at the early stages of learning Latin, that change cannot be predicted:

mīles, mīlit¦is [3/m] > stem: mīlit-

pater, patr¦is [3/m] > stem: patr-

quiēs, quiēt¦is [3/f] > stem:  quiēt-

māter, mātr¦is [3/f] > stem: mātr-

nox, noct¦is [3/f] > stem: noct-

Once the stem is known, the other endings can be added. The table shows you the endings for the 3rd declension masculine and feminine nouns. Some nouns e.g. nox have a different genitive plural ending i.e. noctium, but, for the moment, become familiar with the endings that are shown here.


  • Multī aliī mīlitēs [nominative plural] quī in pictūrā nōn videntur … │ Many other soldiers, who are not seen in the picture …
  • Ibi sunt castra Rōmāna ubi noctū mīlitēs [nominative plural] manent. │ There is a Roman camp where the soldiers stay at night.
  • Mīlitēs [nominative plural] interdum ā castrīs properant …│Sometimes the soldiers hurry from the camp …

Paragraph #2

Hic mīles [nominative singular] Rōmānus quī est dux [nominative singular] mīlitum [genitive plural] arma bona portat. │ This Roman soldier who is the commander ¦ of the soldiers ¦ is carrying good weapons.

dux, duc¦is [3/m]: commander > stem: duc-

  • Scūtum ducem [accusative singular] tegit. │ The shield protects the commander.
  • Haec arma mīlitēs bene tegunt. │ These weapons protect the soldiers well.

Paragraph #3

  • Post mīlitēs [accusative plural] castra vidēmus. │ We see the camp behind the soldiers.
  • Mīlitēs [nominative plural] cōnsilia bona ¦ ducis ¦ semper laudant, … │ The soldiers always praise the good plans ¦ of the commander

Paragraph #4

flōs, flōr¦is [3/m]: flower > stem: flōr-

  • Equus puerum ad flōrēs [accusative plural], rosās et līlia, portat. │ The horse carries the boy to the flowers, the roses and the lilies.


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