16.08.25: Level 1; Road to Latin [29]; Domicilium Urbānum [ii] grammar

1^st / 2^nd declension adjectives

[1] Adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number and case

[2] Adjectives in Latin are in two groups based upon their endings. Here we are dealing only with one group:

1^st / 2^nd declension adjectives; that term is used because the endings of the adjectives are the same as 1^st and 2^nd declension nouns, but it is important to note from the start that those adjectives can be used with nouns of other declensions, but will still retain the same endings i.e. the declension of the noun does not influence the endings, for example:

Via [1^st declension noun] longa [1^st / 2^nd declension adjective]: the endings happen to be the same

Hortus [2^nd declension noun] magnus [1^st / 2^nd declension adjective]: the endings happen to be the same

However:

Iter (journey: a 3^rd declension neuter singular noun) longum [1^st / 2^nd declension adjective]: the adjective continues to agree in gender, number and case and retains its own adjective ending

Urbs (city: a 3^rd declension feminine singular noun) magna

[3] agricola, -ae [1/m]: although agricola is a first declension noun – and most 1^st declension nouns are feminine – this noun is masculine and so the adjective will have masculine endings:

multī [masculine] agricolae │ many farmers

Similarly:

[i] poēta, -ae [1/m]: poet

• Laeca est poēta [masculine] clarus. │ Laeca is a famous poet.

[ii] incola, -ae can be masculine or feminine; here, the agreement is masculine:

• multī incolae │ many inhabitants

[4] in an adjective + noun phrase, the adjective usually follows the noun, but that is not a hard and fast rule because Latin word order can be flexible:

• Servī [noun] ¦ bonī [adjective] │ the good [adjective] ¦ slaves [noun]

[5] the -us ending of the 1^st / 2^nd declension adjective, again like the noun, has a vocative singular ending in -e: bone:

• Esne dēfessus, serve ¦ bone? │ Are you tired, good ¦ servant?

As with the noun declensions, there is no plural ending, nor is there a separate vocative form for any other adjective ending.

Note: the vocative singular of meus > mī: Salvē, amīce mī! │ Hello, my friend!

[6] 1^st / 2^nd declension adjectives in the nominative case are listed as follows:

• magnus, -a, -um [magnus, magna, magnum]: big; great

As with nouns, there are also adjectives which, in the nominative singular, end in -er; similarly, those adjectives may [i] retain the -e throughout the declension, or [ii] lose the -e as soon as an ending is added, for example:

[i] miser, -a, -um [miser, misera, miserum]: miserable; wretched; the /e/ is retained through the declension

• līber, -a, -um: free

[ii] piger, -ra, -rum [piger, pigra, pigrum]: lazy; the /e/ is lost when endings are added

• pulcher, -ra, -rum [pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum]: beautiful

Examples:

Singular

[1] Nominative

masculine: -us; feminine: -a; neuter: -um

• Sextus est servus [noun] ¦ bonus [adjective]. │ Sextus is a good ¦ slave.
• Maria nōn est pigra. │ Maria is not lazy.
• Peristȳlum ¦ pulchrum est.  │ The peristyle garden is beautiful.

[2] Genitive

masculine / neuter: -ī; feminine: -ae

• Servī … dominī ¦ Rōmānī dīligenter labōrant. │ The slaves of the Roman ¦ master work well.
• Maria est serva dominae ¦ benignae. │ Maria is the slave of a kind ¦ mistress.

[3] Dative

masculine / neuter: -ō; feminine: -ae

• Proximī templō ¦ antīquō sunt multī virī. │ Many men are next to the ancient ¦ temple.
• Domicilium est dominae ¦ Rōmānae grātum. │ The dwelling is pleasing to the Roman ¦ mistress.

[4] Accusative

masculine: -um; feminine: -am; neuter: -um

• Servum ¦ bonum saepe laudat. │ He often praises the good ¦ slave.
• Multam ¦ pecūniam habet. │ He has much (a lot of) ¦ money.
• Domicilium ¦ pulchrum amant. │ They love the beautiful ¦ dwelling.

[5] Ablative

masculine / neuter: -ō; feminine: -ā

• In domiciliō ¦ pulchrō habitant. │ They live in a beautiful ¦ dwelling.
• Agricola in casā ¦ rusticā habitat.  │ The farmer lives in a country (rustic) ¦ cottage.

Plural

[6] Nominative

masculine: -ī; feminine: -ae; neuter: -a

• Servī ¦ bonī … dīligenter labōrant. │ The good ¦ slaves work hard.
• Altae ¦ columnae peristȳlum circumstant. │ Tall ¦ columns surround the peristyle garden.
• Domicilia ¦ pulchra dominīs Rōmānīs semper sunt grāta. │ Beautiful ¦ dwellings are always pleasing to the Roman masters.

[7] Genitive

masculine / neuter: -ōrum; feminine: -ārum

• Cornēlius est dominus multōrum ¦ servōrum. │ Cornelius is the master of many ¦ [male] slaves.
• Tullia est domina multārum ¦ servārum. │ Cornelia is the mistress of many ¦ [female] slaves.

[8] Dative

all genders: -īs

• Domicilia pulchra dominīs ¦ Rōmānīs semper sunt grāta. │ Beautiful dwellings are always pleasing to the Roman ¦ masters.

[9] Accusative

masculine: -ōs; feminine: -ās; neuter: -a

• Cornēlius multōs et bonōs ¦ servōs habet. │ Cornelius has many (and) good ¦ slaves.
• Viās ¦ urbānās timent. │ They fear the city (urban) ¦ streets.
• Magna ¦ domicilia ¦ urbāna habent. │They have large urban ¦ dwellings.

[10] Ablative

all genders: -īs

• In casīs ¦ rūsticīs habitant. │ They live in country ¦ cottages.