[2] Ending in -us:
[i] Singular: -um
Equum emō. | I (am) buy(ing) a/the horse.
Ūnum equum emō. | I (am) buy(ing) one horse.
[ii] Plural: -ōs
Equōs emō. | I (am) buy(ing) (the) horses.
Duōs equōs emō. | I (am) buy(ing) two horses.
Multōs equōs emō. | I (am) buy(ing) many horses.
Exercise
(1) I praise the pupil.
Discipul_____ laudō.
(2) I praise one pupil.
Ūn_____ discipul_____ laudō.
(3) I praise two pupils.
Du_____ discipul_____ laudō.
(4) I praise the pupils.
Discipul_____ laudō.
(5) I praise many pupils.
Mult_____ discipul_____ laudō.
(6) I cook food.
Cib_____ coquō.
(7) I’m building a wall.
Mūr_____ aedificō.
(8) I’m afraid of the elephant.*
Elephant_____ timeō.
(9) I see two friends.
Du_____ amīc_____ videō.
(10) I’m holding a sword.
Gladi_____ teneō.
(11) I watch many games.
Mult_____ lūd_____ spectō.
(12) I’m taking care of the crocodiles.*
Crocodīl_____ cūrō.
- amīcus: friend (male)
- cibus: food
- crocodīlus: crocodile
- discipulus: pupil (male)
- elephantus: elephant
- gladius: sword
- lūdus: game; sport
- mūrus: wall
*Why would I include such odd
sentences?
John Cresswell and John Hartley first published Teach
Yourself Esperanto in 1957. In the book they make the point that absurdity
or incongruity is memorable, the example they use being:
La hundo sidas sur la fajro. | The dog is sitting on the fire.
I read a later edition of their book in the late 70s – and I
still remember that sentence. It isn’t the overall meaning that matters. In one
sentence there are three major rules of Esperanto – and Esperanto has no
irregularities:
la: the (never changes)
hundo: all singular nouns end in -o
sidas: all present tense verbs end in -as
Given that there are only sixteen fundamental grammar rules in
Esperanto, that dog sitting on a fire is putting you on the right track.
Likewise, if you can work out how you say “I’m afraid of the elephant”
and “I take care of the crocodiles” then you have grasped two very important
noun endings in Latin.
____________________
(1) Discipulum laudō.
(2) Ūnum discipulum laudō.
(3) Duōs discipulōs laudō.
(4) Discipulōs laudō.
(5) Multōs discipulōs laudō.
(6) Cibum coquō.
(7) Mūrum aedificō.
(8) Elephantum timeō.
(9) Duōs amīcōs videō.
(10) Gladium teneō.
(11) Multōs lūdōs spectō.
(12) Crocodīlōs cūrō.
