Latin for beginners (1911)/Part II/Lesson XLIII

by Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge

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LESSON XLIII

THE THIRD DECLENSION • Ī-STEMS

241. To decline a noun of the third declension correctly we must know whether or not it is an i-stem. Nouns with i-stems are

1. Masculines and feminines:

a. Nouns in -ēs and -īs with the same number of syllables in the genitive as in the nominative. Thus caedēs, caedis, is an i-stem, but mīles, mīlitis, is a consonant stem.

b. Nouns in -ns and -rs.

c. Nouns of one syllable in -s or -x preceded by a consonant.

2. Neuters in -e, -al, and -ar.

242. The declension of i-stems is nearly the same as that of consonant stems. Note the following differences:

a. Masculines and feminities have -ium in the genitive plural and -īs or -ēs in the accusative plural.

b. Neuters have -ī in the ablative singular, and an -i- in every form of the plural.

243. Masculine and Feminine I-Stems. Masculine and feminine i-stems are declined as follows:

	caedēs, f., slaughter	hostis, m., enemy	urbs, f., city	cliēns, m., retainer
Stems	caedi-	hosti-	urbi-	clienti-
Bases	caed-	host-	urb-	client-
	Singular				terminations m. and f.
Nom.	caedēs	hostis	urbs	cliēns[1]	-s, -is, or -ēs
Gen.	caedis	hostis	urbis	clientis	-is
Dat.	caedī	hostī	urbī	clientī	-ī
Acc.	caedem	hostem	urbem	clientem	-em (-im)
Abl.	caede	hoste	urbe	cliente	-e (-ī)

	Plural				terminations m. and f.
Nom.	caedēs	hostēs	urbēs	clientēs	-ēs
Gen.	caedium	hostium	urbium	clientium	-ium
Dat.	caedibus	hostibus	urbibus	clientibus	-ibus
Acc.	caedīs, -ēs	hostīs, -ēs	urbīs, -ēs	clientīs, -ēs	-īs, -ēs
Abl.	caedibus	hostibus	urbibus	clientibus	-ibus

1. avis, cīvis, fīnis, ignis, nāvis have the ablative singular in -ī or -e.
2. turris has accusative turrim and ablative turrī or turre.

244. Neuter I-Stems. Neuter i-stems are declined as follows:

	īnsigne, n., decoration	animal, n., animal	calcar, n., spur
Stems	īnsigni-	animāli-	calcāri-
Bases	īnsign-	animāl-	calcār-
	Singular			terminations
Nom.	īnsigne	animal	calcar	-e or—
Gen.	īnsignis	animālis	calcāris	-is
Dat.	īnsignī	animālī	calcārī	-ī
Acc.	īnsigne	animal	calcar	-e or—
Abl.	īnsignī	animālī	calcārī	-ī
	Plural
Nom.	īnsignia	animālia	calcāria	-ia
Gen.	īnsignium	animālium	calcārium	-ium
Dat.	īnsignibus	animālibus	calcāribus	-ibus
Acc.	īnsignia	animālia	calcāria	-ia
Abl.	īnsignibus	animālibus	calcāribus	-ibus

1. Review § 74 and see how it applies to this declension.
2. The final -i- of the stem is usually dropped in the nominative. If not dropped, it is changed to -e.
3. A long vowel is shortened before final -l or -r. (Cf. § 1 2.)

245.

EXERCISES

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 292.

I.

1. Quam urbem vidēmus? Urbs quam vidētis est Rōma.
2. Cīvēs Rōmānī urbem suam turribus altīs et mūrīs longīs mūnīverant.
3. Ventī nāvīs longās prohibēbant fīnibus hostium adpropinquāre.
4. Imperātor a clientibus suīs calcāria aurī et alia īnsignia accēpit.
5. Mīlitēs Rōmānī cum hostibus bella saeva gessērunt et eōs caede magnā superāvērunt.
6. Alia animālia terram, alia mare amant.
7. Nāvēs longae quae auxilium ad imperātōrem portābant ignī ab hostibus dēlētae sunt.
8. In eō marī avis multās vīdimus quae longē ā terrā volāverant.
9. Nōnne vīdistis nāvīs longās hostium et ignīs quibus urbs nostra vāstābātur? Certē, sed nec caedem cīvium nec fugam clientium vīdimus.
10. Avēs et alia animālia, ubi ignem vīdērunt, salūtem fugā petere celeriter incēpērunt.
11. Num iūdex in peditum ōrdinibus stābat? Minimē, iūdex erat apud equitēs et equus eius īnsigne pulchrum gerēbat.

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naves longae

II.

1. Because of the lack of grain the animals of the village were not able to live.
2. When the general^[2] heard the rumor, he quickly sent a horseman to the village.
3. The horseman had a beautiful horse and wore spurs of gold.
4. He said to the citizens, “Send your retainers with horses and wagons to our camp, and you will receive an abundance of grain.”
5. With happy hearts they hastened to obey his words.^[3]

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References

1. Observe that the vowel before -ns is long, but that it is shortened before -nt. Cf. §12.2,3.
2. Place first.
3. Not the accusative. Why?