Lesson 3 · Review
Read through the vocabulary and the rules, then test yourself below. Answer in your head before you click.
All of these are first-declension nouns — their dictionary form ends in -a. Say each aloud as you read it.
In Latin the subject and the object are distinguished not by word order but by the endings of the words. The ending shows a word's job, so the order can change without changing the meaning.
Domina fīliam amat = Fīliam domina amat = "The lady loves her daughter."
Changing a noun's ending to show its use is called declension; each different ending is a case. The first declension (nouns whose nominative ends in -a) has these cases:
| Singular | Plural | Use | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | domina | dominae | subject — Who? |
| Gen. | dominae | dominārum | possessor — Whose? |
| Acc. | dominam | dominās | direct object — Whom? |
Nominative -a (sg) / -ae (pl); genitive -ae (sg) / -ārum (pl); accusative -am (sg) / -ās (pl).
silva (subject) · silvae (of the forest, or forests) · silvam (object) · silvārum (of the forests) · silvās (objects)
The genitive singular and the nominative plural share the same ending, -ae. The form alone is ambiguous — you rely on the rest of the sentence to decide which use is meant.
terrae = "of the land" (genitive sg) OR "lands" (nominative pl).
Pick an answer; wrong picks turn red and you may try again. Six out of six before you start the exercises.
Question 1
In Domina fīliam amat, which word is the direct object — and how can you tell?
Right. The accusative singular ending -am marks the direct object (Rule 3). Position is irrelevant; the ending does the work.
Not quite — which ending marks the object? Look at the endings, not the order.
Question 2
What is the genitive plural ending of a first-declension noun?
Right. Genitive: -ae in the singular, -ārum in the plural (Rule 3). -ās is the accusative plural.
Not quite — the genitive marks the possessor (Whose?). Which plural ending is that?
Question 3
What does Fīlia dominam amat mean?
Right. Fīlia ends in -a (nominative subject) and dominam in -am (accusative object): the daughter is doing the loving, the lady receiving it.
Not quite — which word has the -a (subject) ending and which has -am (object)?
Question 4
The form terrae could be which case(s)?
Right. The ending -ae serves both the genitive singular ("of the land") and the nominative plural ("lands") — the trap from Rule 4. Context decides.
Not quite — re-read Rule 4: which two cases share the ending -ae?
Question 5
Which ending marks the accusative plural (more than one direct object)?
Right. Accusative: -am in the singular, -ās in the plural (Rule 3). So silvās = "forests" as a direct object.
Not quite — the accusative singular is -am; what is its plural?
Question 6
Why can Latin write both Domina fīliam amat and Fīliam domina amat with the same meaning?
Right. This is the great advantage of Latin's case system (Rule 1): the endings fix who is subject and who is object, so the words may be arranged freely for emphasis.
Not quite — what is it about the words themselves that keeps the meaning fixed?
Answered correctly: 0 / 6