14.04.25: Level 1; readings [6] - [11]: review (2); 1st declension nouns [i]

Note: most of the review sections for readings [6] – [11] are based upon:

Latin for Beginners (D'Ooge; 1911)

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Latin_for_beginners_(1911)

Links to the relevant sections are posted after each review section. D’Ooge’s sentences can appear a little old fashioned, but they are thorough and give good practice in each of the points covered.

At times, I have adapted his work in these posts mainly by expanding on the information or giving some additional explanation where I thought it was necessary.

When the book was first published, there was no answer key; a key was subsequently produced much later (author and publication date not listed):

https://archive.org/details/bld-latin-for-beginners-key-rl/mode/2up

I have included the answers at the end of each post where necessary; I have checked the accuracy of those keys which I have used but cannot vouch for any other answers that are not relevant to what is being covered here.

[i] All Latin nouns whose nominative singular ends in -a belong to the First Declension.

[ii] Gender of First-Declension Nouns: nouns of the first declension are feminine unless they denote males. Thus silva is feminine, but nauta, sailor, and agricola, farmer, are masculine

[iii] The term case refers to the function of the noun in a sentence; English has something similar but nowhere near to the same extent as Latin:

The lady is writing a letter │ ‘the lady’ is the subject of the sentence i.e. she is performing the action; in Latin this is known as the nominative case

The lady’s son is a general in the army │ the s apostrophe in English (the lady’s) indicates that she is the ‘owner’ of, in this case, a son; in Latin this is known as the genitive case

I’m writing a letter to the lady │ to the lady shows that she is the indirect object of the action i.e. something is being sent to her or given to her or done for her; in Latin this is known as the dative case

Did you see the lady? │ here, the lady is the direct object of the action i.e. she is ‘receiving’ the action e.g. I am reading a book; the lady is writing a letter; in Latin this is known as the accusative case

The last case, known as the ablative case, is not so simple to define; it has numerous uses including with many prepositions e.g. (together) with; in; on; from; about (concerning). The ablative case will be discussed in depth in a later post.

The lady was sitting in the garden.

The lady went out of the house.

I went with the lady to the theatre.

She was writing a letter about her son.

Two of the exercises below give some simple introduction to the cases.

Nouns

casa, -ae, f., cottage

cēna, -ae, f., dinner

gallīna, -ae, f., hen, chicken

īnsula, -ae, f., island (pen-insula)

Adverbs

deinde, then, in the next place

ubi, where

Preposition

ad, to, with acc. to express motion toward

Verbs

habitat, he (she, it) lives, is living, does live (inhabit)

laudat, he (she, it) praises, is praising, does praise (laud)

parat, he (she, it) prepares, is preparing, does prepare

vocat, he (she, it) calls, is calling, does call; invites, is inviting, does invite (vocation)

Pronoun

quem, interrog. pronoun, acc. sing., whom?

Exercise [1]*: translate into English

1. Agricola cum fīliā in casā habitat.
2. Bona fīlia agricolae cēnam parat.
3. Cēna est grāta agricolae* et agricola bonam fīliam laudat. [* *pleasing to the farmer i.e. Latin uses the dative case]
4. Deinde fīlia agricolae gallīnās ad cēnam vocat.
5. Gallīnae fīliam agricolae amant.
6. Malae fīliae bonās cēnās nōn parant.
7. Fīlia agricolae est grāta dominae.
8. Domina in īnsulā magnā habitat.
9. Domina bonae puellae parvae pecūniam dat.

Exercise [2]**: translate into Latin

1. Where does the farmer live?
2. The farmer lives in the small cottage.
3. Who lives with the farmer?
4. (His) little daughter lives with the farmer.
5. (His) daughter is getting (parat) a good dinner for the farmer.
6. The farmer praises the good dinner.
7. The daughter's good dinner is pleasing to the farmer.

Exercise [3]***: Label the image with as many nouns that you already know.

Exercise [4]: Answer the questions in Latin.

1. Quis cum agricolā in casā habitat?
2. Quid bona fīlia agricolae parat?
3. Quem agricola laudat?
4. Vocatne fīlia agricolae gallīnās ad cēnam?
5. Cuius fīlia est grāta dominae?
6. Cui domina pecūniam dat?

____________________

* [1]: 1. The farmer lives with his daughter in the cottage. 2. The farmer's good daughter prepares dinner. 3. Dinner is pleasing to the farmer and the farmer praises his good daughter. 4. Then the farmer's daughter calls the hens to dinner. 5. The hens love the farmer's daughter. 6. Bad daughters do not prepare good dinners. 7. The daughter of the farmer is pleasing to the lady / mistress of the house. 8. The lady lives on a large island. 9. The lady gives money to the good little girl.

** [2]: 1. Ubi agricola habitat? 2. Agricola in casā parvā habitat. 3. Quis cum agricolā habitat? 4. Fīlia parva cum agricola habitat. 5. Fīlia agricolae bonam cēnam parat. 6. Agricola bonam cēnam laudat. 7. Bona cēna fīliae agricolae grāta est.

*** [4]

1. Quis cum agricolā in casā habitat? [Who lives in the cottage with the farmer?] > Fīlia cum agricolā in casā habitat. Fīlia agricolae. Fīlia agricolae in casā cum agricolā habitat.
2. Quid bona fīlia agricolae parat? [What does the farmer's good daughter prepare?] > Fīlia bona cēnam parat. Cēnam. Fīlia bona agricolae cēnam parat.
3. Quem agricola laudat? [Whom does the farmer praise?] > Agricola fīliam laudat. Fīliam agricolae. Fīliam laudat.
4. Vocatne fīlia agricolae gallīnās ad cēnam? [Does the farmer's daughter call the hens to dinner?] > Vocat.
5. Cuius fīlia est grāta dominae? [Whose daughter is pleasing to the lady?] > Fīlia agricolae est grāta dominae. Fīlia agricolae.
6. Cui domina pecūniam dat? [To whom does the lady give money?] > Domina bonae puellae parvae pecūniam dat. / Puellae bonae parvae. / Domina puellae pecūniam dat.