As you discover more Latin, you come to realize that its contributions to English are evident in words you use every day, so, even though there are no native Latin speakers anymore, the language lives on.
Latin noun cases
In Latin, what form a noun takes depends on how it’s being used. You use different forms of a noun if it’s a subject, another if it’s an indirect object. The following table lists noun cases and uses.
| Basic Noun Case | Uses |
|---|---|
| Nominative | subject |
| Genitive | possession |
| Dative | indirect object |
| Accusative | direct object, place to which, extent of time |
| Ablative | means, manner, place where, place from which, time when, time within which, agent, accompaniment, absolute |
Common irregular Latin verbs
Like any language, Latin has regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs follow common rules when you conjugate them; irregular verbs follow their own rules. The following table shows some of the most used irregular verbs, their conjugations, and pronunciations:
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| fero, ferre, tuli, latus (feh-ro, fehr-reh, tu-lee, lah-tus) |
to bear, carry |
| sum, esse, fui, futurus (sum, ehs-seh, fu-ee, fu-too-rus) |
to be |
| volo, velle, volui (woh-lo, woh-leh, woh-lu-ee) |
to want |
| nolo, nolle, nolui (no-lo, no-leh, no-lu-ee) |
not to want |
| malo, malle, malui (mah-lo, mah-leh, mah-lu-ee) |
to prefer |
| eo, ire, ii, iturus (eh-o, ee-reh, ih-ee, ih-too-rus) |
to go |
Helpful Latin verb endings
In Latin, you don’t always need two words to form a complete sentence. The ending of a verb can provide a pronoun, so the quote attributed to Julius Caesar — “Veni, vidi, vici” — grammatically translates as “I came, I saw, I conquered.” The following table shows verb endings and the pronouns they represent:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| –o, –r, –m, –i = I | –mus, –mur = we |
| –s, –ris, –isti = you (s.) | –tis, –mini = you (pl.) |
| –t, –tur = he, she, it | –nt, –ntur = they |
Counting on and pronouncing Roman numerals
Actual Latin speakers — or more truthfully writers — used Roman numerals instead of the Arabic system English speakers use today. But Roman numerals are still in use, probably most notably in counting Super Bowls and in copyright dates.
The following table shows you the basic numbers in both English and Latin.
| Roman Numeral | Latin | English | ||
| I | unus | one | ||
| II | duo | two | ||
| III | tres | three | ||
| IV | quattuor | four | ||
| V | quinque | five | ||
| VI | sex | six | ||
| VII | septem | seven | ||
| VIII | octo | eight | ||
| IX | novem | nine | ||
| X | decem | ten | ||
| L | quinquaginta | fifty | ||
| C | centum | one hundred | ||
| D | quingenti | five hundred | ||
| M | mille | thousand | ||
Useful little Latin words
In Latin, as in other languages, little words can mean a lot. How can you make a point without being able to say, “I see your point, but . . .?” The short Latin words in the following table provide some crucial transition words:
| Word | Meaning |
| et , atque, ac, que | and |
| sed | but |
| autem | however |
| aut | or |
| sive . . . sive | whether . . . or |
| neque nec | and not |
| ita, sic, tam | so |
| si | if |
| nisi | if . . . not |
Latin question words
Being able to ask questions is an important part of learning any language. Latin question words are listed in the following table. Use them and you can sound both knowledgeable (not many people can speak Latin) and puzzled (because they are questions after all).
| Word | Meaning |
| cur? | why? |
| ubi? | where?, when? |
| quis? | who? |
| quid? | what? |
| quantus? | how great? |
| quot? | how many? |
| qualis? | what kind of? agent, accompaniment, absolute |