17.07.25: Level 1; Road to Latin [15]; Laeca poēta I; serva Claudiae; notes and exercises

[i] Read the text for understanding and note the prepositions all of which are followed by the ablative case.

ā / ab: (away) from

ē / ex: out of

in: in; on

cum: (together) with

[ii] The ending of the ablative singular in the first declension is -ā; the ending in the plural is -īs

Laeca Poēta I

Laeca poēta vīllam pulchram in Italiā habet. In vīllā Laeca cum fīliā Iūliā habitat. Aqua est proxima vīllae. In aquā poēta nāviculam rubram habet. Poēta ex vīllā saepe properat. Nunc in nāviculā est. Tum ab ōrā poēta nāvigat. Silvae quoque sunt proximae vīllae. In silvīs Laeca saepe ambulat. Poētae silvās et aquam maximē amant quod in silvīs et in aquā multās et pulchrās pictūrās poētae vident. Poētae ā silvīs et ab aquā properant et fābulās nārrant. Iūlia in vīllā labōrat. Fēminae et puellae Rōmānae in vīllīs saepe labōrant. Noctū Iūlia ex vīllā properat. Tum Iūlia cum Laecā in silvīs ambulat. Interdum poēta et fīlia ex silvīs properant et in ōrā stant. Laeca et Iūlia stēllās et lūnam spectant. Tandem Laeca et Iūlia ab ōrā ambulant et in vīllā iterum sunt.

Servae Claudiae

Claudia est domina multārum servārum. Servae Claudiae in terrā et in vīllā cotīdiē labōrant. Claudia servīs cāra est quod est domina benigna. Servae cēnam parant et vīllam ōrnant. Sed servae Claudiae nōn semper labōrant. Noctū servae ē casīs properant et in ōrā et in silvīs ambulant. Lūna clāra et stēllae pulchrae servīs dēfessīs sunt grātae. Tandem Claudia servās vocat. Tum ex silvīs et ab ōrā servae properant.

Notes

In general, many prepositions can refer to [i] a physical location (spatial) or [ii] an abstract (non-spatial) concept, for example:

The book is on the table (spatial) i.e. it describes where the book is physically located.

I'm going on Tuesday (non-spatial; temporal i.e. used in expressions of time). There is no physical location being described here and yet the same preposition is used.

Latin functions in a similar way. It can use prepositions in both a spatial and non-spatial sense, and it sometimes uses no preposition at all to convey an idea in English which does require a preposition.

There is no purpose in producing an extensive 'one-off' list (there are plenty of those online elsewhere), but the aim is to focus on the main meanings and usages; in the text the prepositions all refer to physical location. Where other uses occur, they will be referred to.

[1] ē / ex refers to movement physically out of a place i.e. from somewhere inside to somewhere else:

Interdum poēta et fīlia ex silvīs properant. │ Meanwhile the poet and the daughter hurry out of the forests.

• ē: used when the noun begins with a consonant
• ex: used when the noun begins with a vowel or a consonant

[2] ā / ab refers to movement physically away from a place with no suggestion that the movement began inside anywhere: think of a train departing from a platform:

Tandem Laeca et Iūlia ab ōrā ambulant. │ Laeca and Julia finally walk (away) from the seashore.

• ā: used when the noun begins with a consonant
• ab: used when the noun begins with a vowel or a consonant

[3] in: with the ablative case it means ‘in’ or ‘on’ a place:

poēta vīllam pulchram in Italiā habet │ the poet has a beautiful villa in Italy

[4] cum: (together) with e.g. with a person; other meanings of ‘with’ in English are expressed differently in Latin

Iūlia cum Laecā ambulat │ Julia is walking with Laeca

Here are three other prepositions that are followed by the ablative case :

[5] dē: down / away from, but it also conveys a useful non-spatial meaning of 'about; concerning':

Dē quō ¦ cōgitās? │ About what are you thinking? = What are you thinking about?

[6] sine: without; a fun way of remembering it is this one line from a Mediaeval drinking song:

Bibunt omnēs ¦ sine mētā. │ They all drink without a limit.

[7] sub: under

sub umbrā castaneae │ under the shade of a chestnut tree

Some prepositions can take more than one case and they can have more than one meaning, but don't run before you can walk; familiarise yourself with the basic meanings of the prepositions.

Exercise [1]

1. Ubi Laeca villam habet? *Ubi = where?
2. Ubi poēta cum Iūliā habitat?
3. Estne aqua proxima vīllae?
4. Ubi est nāvicula poētae?
5. Unde poēta saepe properat? *Unde = from where?
6. Ubi poēta est?
7. Unde poēta nāvigat?
8. Nōnne sunt silvae proximae villae?
9. Quid poētae in silvīs et in aquā vident?
10. Unde poētae properant?
11. Ubi Iūlia labõrat?
12. Unde Iūlia noctū properat?
13. Ubi Iūlia cum Laecā ambulat?
14. Unde poēta et filia properant?
15. Quōcum poēta ambulat? *Quōcum = with whom?

Unit [7]: Grammar exercise

Supply the proper case endings:

1. Iūlia fīlia Laecae in vill___ labōrat.
2. Laeca nāviculam in aqū___ videt.
3. Poēta cum fīli___ ex silv___ properat.
4. Ab ōr___ servae properant.
5. Laeca et Iūlia ē vill___ saepe properant.
6. Poētae in silv___ et in aqu___ pictūrās vident.