24.05.25: Level 3; summary of of the uses of the ablative case [9]: the ablative of cause

Latin tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-72CWry11Fs

The reason / cause why something happens is expressed by the ablative; a preposition may or may not be used:

Sextus ex ventre labōrat. │Sextus has a pain in his stomach; literally: he is suffering from his stomach i.e. the stomach is the cause of the pain.

Mārcus ex capite labōrat. │ Marcus has a headache; literally he is suffering from his head i.e. the head is the cause of the pain.

Caeparius… dīxit tē in lectō esse, quod ex pedibus labōrārēs (Cicero) │ Caeparius … said you were in bed because you were suffering with your feet.

Mare ā sōle lucet. │ The sea gleams in the sun i.e. because of / from the sun.

Examples without prepositions:

Hoc fēcī amōre vestrī. │ I’ve done this out of love for you.

Exsiluī gaudiō. │ I jumped for joy.

ārdēre dolōre et īrā │ to be on fire with grief and (with) anger