2.4.3 Irregular Verbs: Sum, Esse; Possum, Posse
SINGULAR PLURAL
1st person eram – I was erāmus – we were
2nd person erās – you were erātis – you were
3rd person erat – he, she, it was erant – they were
SINGULAR PLURAL
1st person poteram – I was able poterāmus – we were able
2nd person poterās – you were able poterātis – you were able
3rd person poterat – he, she, it was able poterant – they were able
Here the endings are the same as the imperfect indicative of sum. Since all endings begin with a vowel the imperfect stem is pot- (compare the conjugation of the present).
2.5 Demonstrative Pronoun: Is, Ea, Id
The pronoun is, ea, id – he; she; it; this; that, is a weaker demonstrative than the pronoun hic. It is frequently used where English uses the 3rd person personal pronoun: nuntios ad eum mittit (Caesar De Bello Gallico 2.6.4): he sends messengers to him. Like hic it may be used as an adjective: ob eam causam (Caesar De Bello Gallico 1.17.6): for that reason.
Related to the pronoun is, ea, id is īdem, eadem, idem – the same. Notice that the declension closely follows the declension of is; however, the suffix -dem is added. Only the first part declines.
FYI
For the full declension of īdem see Appendix 2.
idem Caesar facit (Caesar De Bello Gallico 1.15.1): Caesar does the same thing.
FIGURE 2.2 Mosaic of Neptune's wife, Amphitrite, Ostia. Amphitrite is shown on a hippocampus (a sea-horse), accompanied by Hymenaeus (a winged Eros with a torch, referring to marriage). Ostia was the sea-port at the mouth of the river Tiber (still called Ostia today). Source: courtesy Sally Baume
Like hic and is, īdem may be used as an adjective: eandem bellī fortūnam (Caesar De Bello Gallico 2.16.3): the same fortune of war.
Translation from Latin
1. id ubi vident, mutant consilium. (Caesar Bellum Civile 2.11.2)
FYI
For biographies of authors, see Appendix 6.
2. consul castra Aequorum oppugnabat. (Livy Ab Urbe Condita 3.23.4)
3. Polemarchus est Murgentinus, vir bonus atque honestus. (Cicero In Verrem 2.3.56)
4. hic, ubi nunc Roma est, … silva virebat. (Ovid Fasti 1.243)
5. bellum parat administrare. (Caesar De Bello Gallico 7.71.9)
6. Romanus sum … C. Mucium vocant. (Livy Ab Urbe Condita 2.12.9)
HINT!
Latin will often omit a word if it is easily understood from the context. In sentence 6 the word for “me” is easily understood.
7. hi … agros, aedificia, vicosque habebant. (Caesar De Bello Gallico 4.4.3)
8. Ennius “sanctos” appellat poetas. (Cicero Pro Archia 18)
9. hunc ego amicum habere non curo. (Cicero Epistulae ad Familiares 3.8.7)
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The Bigger Picture
In Verrem (Against Verres) a prosecution speech on behalf of the Sicilian people, dating from late summer 70 bc, against Gaius Verres, former governor of Sicily, on a charge of extortion and misgovernment. The speech consists of two separate parts for two separate hearings. Verres was defended by the leading orator of the day, Hortensius, and Cicero's success in this prosecution was a career breakthrough.
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The Bigger Picture
Pro Archia (On behalf of Archias) written in 62 bc, in defense of the Greek poet Archias, who was threatened with expulsion from Rome on the grounds that he did not have Roman citizenship. Cicero deals only briefly with the facts of the case supporting the poet's citizenship and dedicates most of the speech to a famous panegyric on the value of literature in society.
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The Bigger Picture
Epistulae ad Familiares (Letters to his Friends) a collection of letters between Cicero and his friends, including several letters from his friends to Cicero. These were collected and edited by Cicero's secretary, Tiro, and published in 16 books, in no particular order, chronological or otherwise. The earliest letter is to Pompey (from 62 bc) and the latest to Cassius (43 bc), a few months before Cicero's assassination.
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Translation into Latin
1. I ought not to fear. (Cicero In Verrem 2.5.171)
2. Country life is hard. (Plautus Vidularia 31)
3. They are moving camp from that place. (Caesar De Bello Gallico 1.15.1)
4. A few fearless horses were standing by. (Livy Ab Urbe Condita 37.20.12)
5. However, there are also learned girls. (Ovid Ars Amatoria 2.281)
6. This was the nature of the place. (Caesar De Bello Gallico 2.18.1)
7. For I cannot deny this. (Cicero In Verrem 2.3.110)
8. And he gives his daughter in marriage to that man. (Caesar De Bello Gallico 1.3.5)
9. The crops in the fields were not ripe. (Caesar De Bello Gallico 1.16.2)
FIGURE 2.3 Silver denarius, 19–18 bc, with image of a comet and inscription: DIVUS IULIUS. After the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 bc a comet appeared in the sky and it was said that the comet was a sign of Caesar's deification. See Ovid Metamorphoses 15.843–50. © Leeds Museums and Galleries (Discovery Centre)
Vocabulary to Learn
Nouns; Pronouns
ager, agrī (m.) – field
amīcus, -ī (m.) – friend
animus, -ī (m.) – mind; spirit
auxilium, auxiliī (n.) – help; aid; (in the plural – reinforcements)
bellum, -ī (n.) – war
castra, -ōrum (n. pl.) – camp
consilium, consiliī (n.) – plan
deus, deī (m.) – god
equus, -ī (m.) – horse
fīlius, fīliī (m.) – son
forum, -ī (n.) – forum; market place
hic, haec, hoc – this; this man, etc.
is, ea, id – he; she; it; this; that, etc.
liber, librī (m.) – book
locus, -ī (m.) – place
nātūra, -ae (f.) – nature
oppidum, -ī (n.) – town
puer, puerī (m.) – boy
servitium, servitiī (n.) – slavery
socius, sociī (m.) – friend; ally
verbum, -ī (n.) – word
vir, -ī (m.) – man
FYI
Note: nouns with genitive singular in -iī are often written with only one -ī; e.g., auxilī for auxiliī.
FYI
The declension of the noun deus is irregular. The vocative singular is regularly deus and in the plural the nominative is deī, diī or dī; dative and ablative plural: deīs, diīs or dīs.
Verbs
dēbeō, dēbēre, dēbuī, dēbitum – owe; (+ inf.) ought (to)
doceō, docēre, docuī, doctum – teach
habeō, habēre, habuī, habitum – have
oppugnō, oppugnāre, oppugnāvī, oppugnātum – attack
teneō, tenēre, tenuī, tentum – hold; have
timeō, timēre, timuī – fear
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsum – see
vocō, vocāre, vocāvī, vocātum – call
Adjectives
bonus, -a, -um – good
magnus, -a, -um – great; big
miser, -era, -erum – wretched; unhappy; unfortunate
novus, -a, -um – new
pulcher, -chra, -chrum – beautiful; handsome
Rōmānus, -a, -um – Roman
vērus, -a, -um – true
Adverbs; Prepositions; Conjunctions
enim – for
et … et – both … and
nōn – not
nunc – now
ob (+ acc.) – on account of; because of
-que – and (added to the end of a word: arma virumque canō – I sing of arms and the man)
Vocabulary Specifically for Chapter 2 Passages
Nouns; Pronouns
aedificium, aedificiī (n.) – building
Aequī, -ōrum (m. pl.) – a people of Italy
Ennius, Enniī (m.) – Ennius (a Roman poet 239–169 bc)
C. Mūcius, -iī (m.) – Gaius (abbreviated C.) Mucius; a sixth-century bc Roman hero
gladius, gladiī (m.) – sword
īdem, eadem, idem – same; the same (see Appendix 2)
magister, magistrī (m.) – teacher
mundus, -ī (m.) – world
pīlum, -ī (n.) – javelin
Polemarchus, -ī (m.) – Polemarchus (a man's name)
silva, -ae (f.) – forest; wood
vīcus, -ī (m.) – village
Verbs
administrō, administrāre, administrāvī, administrātum – assist; take charge of
appellō, appellāre, appellāvī, appellātum – address; call (by name)
cūrō, curāre, curāvī, curātum – care to (+ inf.); care for
mūtō, mūtāre, mūtāvī, mūtātum – change
vireō, virēre, viruī – be green; flourish
Adjectives; Adverbs
ferē – approximately; almost
honestus, -a, -um – honorable; honest
Murgentīnus, -a, -um – Murgentian (Murgentia – a city in Sicily)
quidem – indeed; certainly
sanctus, -a, -um – holy; sacred
English Derivations
From which Latin roots do the following English words derive?
(i) social
(ii) debt
(iii) forensic
(iv) vocation
CHAPTER 3
Chapter Contents
3.1 DIRECT QUESTIONS 3.1.1 Interrogative Pronoun: Quis?, Quid?
3.1.2 Interrogative Adjective
3.2 PERSONAL PRONOUNS 3.2.1 First Person
3.2.2 Second Person
3.3 DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN: ILLE, ILLA, ILLUD
3.4 THIRD CONJUGATION 3.4.1 Present and Imperfect Indicative Active
3.5 NEGATIVES
3.6 USES OF THE CASES 3.6.1 Partitive Genitive
3.6.2 Subjective and Objective Genitive
Translation from Latin
Translation into Latin
Vocabulary to Learn Nouns; Pronouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs; Prepositions; Conjunctions
Vocabulary Specifically for Chapter 3 Passages Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs; Prepositions
FIGURE 3.1 Mosaic: four horse riders. Chariot racing was very popular at Rome. There were four “teams”: white, red, blue, green. Each team was followed with the same enthusiasm as sports teams are today. Source: Terme Museum, Rome, Italy/The Bridgeman Art Library
3.1 Direct Questions
In English the subject and verb are regularly inverted in questions: Why are you ordering me? This is not possible in Latin but there are various ways of introducing questions including adverbs such as cur? – why? and ubi? – where?:
cur Albānum venīre iubet? (Cicero Pro Flacco 92): why is he ordering the Alban to come?
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The Bigger Picture
Pro Flacco (On behalf of Flaccus), a defense speech for Lucius Valerius Flaccus, who had been praetor during Cicero's consulship in 63 bc and had helped in putting down the Catilinarian conspiracy. He was charged with extortion during his governorship of Asia in 62 bc and was defended at his trial in 59 bc by Cicero and Hortensius, the prosecutor being Decimus Laelius. Flaccus was acquitted despite his probable guilt.
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Latin may also indicate a question by adding -ne to the first word in a sentence: vidēsne hoc? (Cicero In Verrem 2.3.157): do you see this?
3.1.1 Interrogative Pronoun: Quis?, Quid?
Latin also has an interrogative pronoun, quis?, quid? – who?, what? (genitive – whose?), which declines as follows:
quid dīcis? (Cicero In Verrem 2.5.5): what are you saying?
3.1.2 Interrogative Adjective
Latin also has an interrogative adjective. In the plural its declension is exactly the same as that of the interrogative pronoun; in the singular, the forms are slightly different (note the nominative singular of all genders and the accusative neuter singular).
Like all adjectives the interrogative adjective agrees with the noun that it modifies in case, gender, and number.
quam rem pūblicam habēmus? in quā urbe vīvimus? (Cicero In Catilinam 1.9): what state do we have? in what city are we living?
quī reliquī? quō ex bellō, quā ex vastitāte? (Cicero In Verrem 2.3.124): what survivors? From what war, from what devastation?
Try This
Supply the correct form of the interrogative adjective to agree with the following nouns; identify the case(s) giving all the possible answers:
e.g., poetae (gen. m. sing., dat. m. sing., nom. m. pl.) – cuius, cui, or qui
(i) populi (vi) filium
(ii) servorum (vii) fori
(iii) agros (viii) libris
(iv) deis (ix) castra
(v) bello (x) consilio
3.2 Personal Pronouns
As we have seen, it is not necessary to express the pronominal subject of a verb since the ending tells whether the form is first person singular and so on. However, Latin does have forms for the first person and second person pronouns, singular and plural. The nominative is used when the speaker or writer wants to emphasize the subject; the other cases are used in the standard way: for example, accusative for direct object, etc.
3.2.1 First Person
SINGULAR PLURAL
Nom. ego nōs
Gen. meī nostrum (also nostrī)
Dat. mihi nōbīs
Acc. mē nōs
Abl. mē nōbīs
Voc. NO VOCATIVE NO VOCATIVE
3.2.2 Second Person
SINGULAR PLURAL
Nom. tū vōs
Gen. tuī vestrum (also vestrī)
Dat. tibi vōbīs
Acc. tē vōs
Abl. tē vōbīs
Voc. tū vōs
3.3 Demonstrative Pronoun: Ille, Illa, Illud
Latin has three common demonstrative pronouns, two of which we have already met: hic, haec, hoc – this, etc. and the weaker demonstrative, is, ea, id – this; that; he, she, it. The third is the pronoun ille, illa, illud – that; that man; that woman; that thing. It is declined as follows:
Like hic and is, illa may be used as an adjective: e.g., hic vir; illae fēminae, etc.
3.4 Third Conjugation
3.4.1 Present and Imperfect Indicative Active
The defining features of verbs of the third conjugation are that the first principal part ends in -o and the second principal part (the present infinitive active) ends in -ere, for example pōnō, -ere – place; put (however, here the e is short; compare the second conjugation where the second principal part has a long e). By looking at the first two principal parts of any Latin verb one can tell the conjugation to which the verb belongs:
first conjugation: -ō, -āre
second conjugation: -eō, -ēre
third conjugation: -ō, -ere
In order to conjugate a verb of the third conjugation in the present indicative active, begin by removing the -ō from the first principal part then add the following endings: -ō, -is, -it, -imus, -itis, -unt:
SINGULAR PLURAL
1st person pōn-ō – I place, am placing, do place pōn-imus – we place, etc.
2nd person pōn-is – you place, etc. pōn-itis – you place, etc.
3rd person pōn-it – he, she, it places, etc. pōn-unt – they place, etc.
In order to conjugate a verb of the third conjugation in the imperfect indicative active, simply remove the -re from the second principal part and add the following endings: -bam, -bās, -bat, -bāmus, -bātis, -bant:
SINGULAR PLURAL
1st person pōnē-bam – I was placing, etc. pōnē-bāmus – we were placing
3rd person pōnē-bat – he, she, it was placing, etc. pōnē-bant – they were placing
Compare this with the conjugation of amābam and of vidēbam.
HINT!
The imperfect endings -bam, -bas, -bat, etc. are the same for all conjugations.
3.5 Negatives
The negative in Latin is the adverb nōn; it regularly precedes the word it negates: quis enim hoc nōn videt? (Cicero Pro Caelio 57): for who does not see this?
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The Bigger Picture
Pro Caelio (On behalf of Caelius), a defense speech for M. Caelius on a charge of disturbing the public peace with armed bands. The charge was probably instigated by Claudia, known as Lesbia in the poems of Catullus. The Claudii were political enemies of both Caelius and Cicero. The prosecutor was Atratinus, whose father Caelius had prosecuted in the previous year. It is probable that Caelius was acquitted.
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Try This
Verb form practice.
Conjugate the following verbs in the present indicative active: ago, dico, laudo, pono, possum.
Wiley's Real Latin Page 5