# Latin/Lesson 5-Declensions

## 3rd, 4th, and 5th Declension Nouns

We have already seen the first two declensions:

  ------------ ---------------------- ----------------------
               **1^st^ declension**   **2^nd^ declension**
  **-a**       **-us**                **-um (neuter)**
  *SINGULAR*   *PLURAL*               *SINGULAR*
  nominative   puell**-a**            puell**-ae**
  accusative   puell**-am**           puell**-ās**
  genitive     puell**-ae**           puell**-ārum**
  dative       puell**-ae**           puell**-īs**
  ablative     puell**-ā**            puell**-īs**
  ------------ ---------------------- ----------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------

We will now complete the table of nouns with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th
declensions. These declensions are more difficult to work with because
their nominative and accusative plural forms are identical, as are their
dative and ablative plural forms. To distinguish the cases, you must use
a very simple key: context. Context will tell you the meaning.

### 3rd Declension Nouns

3rd declension nouns have two stems : The nominative and vocative
singular stem and the stem used for all other cases. Both stems have to
be memorized for each noun. Feminine and masculine forms are
indistinguishable.

#### 3rd Declension Masculine or Feminine, no *i*-stem: (each word has a set gender): *rēx*, m.

  3rd Declension   Singular   Plural
  ---------------- ---------- ------------
  nominative       *rēx*      *rēg-ēs*
  accusative       *rēg-em*   *rēg-ēs*
  genitive         *rēg-is*   *rēg-um*
  dative           *rēg-ī*    *rēg-ibus*
  ablative         *rēg-e*    *rēg-ibus*

#### 3rd Declension Neuter, no *i*-stem: *litus*

  3rd Declension Neuter                   Singular     Plural
  --------------------------------------- ------------ --------------
  `<I>`{=html}nominative\*`</I>`{=html}   *litus*      *litor-a*
  accusative                              *litus*      *litor-a*
  genitive                                *litor-is*   *litor-um*
  dative                                  *litor-ī*    *litor-ibus*
  ablative                                *litor-ī*    *litor-ibus*

#### 3rd Declension Masculine or Feminine, 2-consonant base *i*-stem: (each word has a set gender): *ars, artis*, f.

*i*-stem nouns differ from other 3rd declension nouns in that some of
the forms have endings changed to include *i*s.

There are two main kinds of masculine/feminine *i*-stem nouns. The first
kind has its usual stem end in two consonants; the example here, for
instance, has its base *art-* end in *-rt-*. The last consonant of the
nominative singular form always ends in either *-s* or *-x*.

  3rd Declension   Singular   Plural
  ---------------- ---------- ------------
  nominative       *ars*      *art-ēs*
  accusative       *art-em*   *art-ēs*
  genitive         *art-is*   *art-ium*
  dative           *art-ī*    *art-ibus*
  ablative         *art-e*    *art-ibus*

#### 3rd Declension Masculine or Feminine, parisyllabic *i*-stem: (each word has a set gender): *nūbēs*, f.

The other kind of masculine/feminine *i*-stem noun has the property that
its nominative and genitive singular forms have the same number of
syllables. They are therefore called parisyllabic. All nouns of this
form have their nominative singular form end in either *-ēs* or *-is*.

  3rd Declension   Singular   Plural
  ---------------- ---------- ------------
  nominative       *nūbēs*    *nūb-ēs*
  genetive         *nūb-is*   *nūb-ium*
  dative           *nūb-es*   *nūb-es*
  accusative       *nūb-ī*    *nūb-ibus*
  ablative         *nūb-e*    *nūb-ibus*

#### 3rd Declension Neuter *i*-stem: *mare*

Neuter *i*-stem nouns have their nominative singular forms end with
*-al*, *-ar*, or *-e*.

  3rd Declension Neuter                   Singular   Plural
  --------------------------------------- ---------- ------------
  `<I>`{=html}nominative\*`</I>`{=html}   *mare*     *mar-ia*
  accusative                              *mare*     *mar-ia*
  genitive                                *mar-is*   *mar-ium*
  dative                                  *mar-ī*    *mar-ibus*
  ablative                                *mar-ī*    *mar-ibus*

#### List of common 3rd declension stem change patterns

  Singular Nominative   Main stem   Main gender   Examples
  --------------------- ----------- ------------- ------------------------
  -is                   -is         masc/fem      canis, navis, hostis
  -s                    -is         masc/fem      urbs, rex\*, matrix\*
  -s                    -tis        masc/fem      nox\*, mons, pons
  -o                    -onis       masc/fem      legio, auditio, statio
  -en                   -inis       neuter        carmen, flumen, examen
  -or                   -oris       masc/fem      amor, timor
  -us                   -oris       neuter        litus, corpus
  -us                   -eris       neuter        genus, vulnus

-   regs and matrics, respectively, but the gs and cs both compound
    into x. The c and g stay in the other cases, hence regis and
    matricis as their genitives. Nox (gen. noctis) works similarly.

### 4th Declension Nouns

#### 4th Declension Masculine/Feminine (each word has a set gender) *gradus*, m.

  `<B>`{=html}4th Declension`</B>`{=html}   Singular    Plural
  ----------------------------------------- ----------- -------------
  nominative                                *grad-us*   *grad-ūs*
  accusative                                *grad-um*   *grad-ūs*
  genitive                                  *grad-ūs*   *grad-uum*
  dative                                    *grad-uī*   *grad-ibus*
  ablative                                  *grad-ū*    *grad-ibus*

#### 4th Declension Neuter: *cornū*

  4th Declension Neuter   Singular    Plural
  ----------------------- ----------- -------------
  nominative              *corn-ū*    *corn-ua*
  vocative                *corn-ū*    *corn-ua*
  accusative              *corn-ū*    *corn-ua*
  genitive                *corn-ūs*   *corn-uum*
  dative                  *corn-ū*    *corn-ibus*
  ablative                *corn-ū*    *corn-ibus*

### 5th Declension Nouns

The 5th declension has no neuter nouns. The masculine and feminine forms
are again indistinguishable.

#### 5th Declension Masculine/Feminine (each word has a set gender; most are feminine): *rēs*, f.

  5th Declension Feminine/Masculine   Singular   Plural
  ----------------------------------- ---------- ----------
  nominative                          *r-ēs*     *r-ēs*
  vocative                            *r-ēs*     *r-ēs*
  accusative                          *r-ēm*     *r-ēs*
  genitive                            *r-ēī*     *r-ērum*
  dative                              *r-ēī*     *r-ēbus*
  ablative                            *r-ē*      *r-ēbus*

## Exercises

### Exercise 1

  ------------------------------------------------------------
   `<font face="Arial" size="2">`{=html}Latin`</font>`{=html}
                         **villa, -ae**
                 **mittō, -ere, mīsī, missum**
                       **nomen, nominis**
             **maledicō, -dicere, -dīxī, -dictum**
            **placeō, -ere, placui, placitum + dat**
                           **quā rē**
                     **iste, ista, istud**
            **interficiō, -ficere, -fēci, -fectum**
                     **volō, velle, voluī**
               **mandō, mandere, mansī, mansum**
  ------------------------------------------------------------

### Exercise 2

