Lesson 5 · Review
Read through the vocabulary and the rules, then test yourself below. Answer in your head before you click.
Five new nouns, two new verbs, a conjunction, and a new question word. Say each aloud as you read it.
A fourth case, with no exact English equivalent: it covers the to / for / towards a benefit or action is directed. One sentence shows it at work: Nauta agricolīs fugam nūntiat — "the sailor announces the flight to the farmers."
When the nominative singular ends in -a, the dative singular ends in -ae and the dative plural in -īs.
agricola → agricolae (dat. sg.), agricolīs (dat. pl.) · puella → puellae, puellīs
The dative names the person to or for whom something is done — a benefit, gift, or words directed their way. (It is not used for motion through space — "she sailed to Rome" takes a different construction.)
pecūnia nautae — money for the sailor · Latin is easy for him
The indirect object of a verb is in the dative. It usually stands before the direct object (which is accusative).
Nauta agricolīs (dat. indirect obj.) fugam (acc. direct obj.) nūntiat — the sailor announces the flight to the farmers.
The genitive singular, the dative singular, and the nominative plural all end in -ae. Only the sense of the sentence tells them apart. The new question word cui? ("to/for whom?") is the dative interrogative, and quia / quod mean "because."
nautae = "of the sailor" (gen.) or "to the sailor" (dat.) or "the sailors" (nom. pl.) — context decides.
Pick an answer; wrong picks turn red and you may try again. Six out of six before you start the exercises.
Question 1
When the nominative singular ends in -a, the dative plural ends in…?
Right. Dative singular is -ae, dative plural is -īs (Rule 1). So agricola → agricolīs "to the farmers."
Not quite — -ae is the dative singular; the plural takes a different ending.
Question 2
The form nautae could stand in three different cases. Which three?
Right. The genitive singular, dative singular, and nominative plural all end in -ae. Only the sense of the sentence tells them apart.
Not quite — think about which cases all share the -ae ending.
Question 3
In Nauta agricolīs fugam nūntiat ("the sailor announces the flight to the farmers"), which word is the indirect object?
Right. Agricolīs (dative) names the persons to whom the flight is announced — the indirect object. Fugam is the accusative direct object, nauta the nominative subject.
Not quite — the indirect object is the one announced to. Which word is in the dative?
Question 4
This lesson's rule: the indirect object of a verb is in the ___ case.
Right. Rule 1 of the lesson: the indirect object of a verb is in the dative. The accusative marks the direct object.
Not quite — the indirect object answers "to/for whom?", a relation carried by one particular case.
Question 5
In Cui domina fābulam nārrat?, what does cui ask?
Right. Cui? is the dative of the interrogative and asks for the indirect object — "to whom? for whom?" (quis? asks "Who?"; cuius? asks "Whose?")
Not quite — cui is a dative, and the dative carries the "to/for" relation.
Question 6
What does Puella nautae pecūniam dat mean?
Right. Puella (nom.) is the subject, pecūniam (acc.) the direct object, and nautae (dat.) the indirect object — "the girl gives money to the sailor." The dative ending alone carries the "to."
Not quite — puella is the subject and nautae is dative (the one given to), not the giver or the possessor.
Answered correctly: 0 / 6