CEN: Lesson - The Genitive Case: Introduction
The Genitive Case
We learned in previous modules that the genitive case is used both to identify a noun's declension and to form the noun base. Let's review:
| Declension | Latin Noun | Genitive Singular Ending |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Declension | mensa, mensae, f. - table | mensae ends in -ae |
| 2nd Declension | triclinium, triclinii, n. - dining room | triclinii ends in -i |
| 3rd Declension | gustatio, gustationis, f. - appetizer | gustationis ends in -is |
Noun Base Review
The genitive case is also used for a noun's base to which various endings (inflections) are added. To find the noun's base, drop the ending from the genitive singular form.
Noun Base Examples:
- mensae - ae = mens-
- triclinii - i = triclini-
- gustationis - is = gustation-
Genitive Endings
Let's explore the new endings for the genitive case for all three declensions. We will look at these endings together with all the other noun endings later in the module, but for now, just focus on these new endings.
| Gender | 1st Declension | 2nd Declension | 3rd Declension | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |
| All Genders | -ae | -arum | -i | -orum | -is | -um* |
Nota bene:
- *Some special 3rd declension nouns (called i-stem) end in -ium in the genitive plural. These will be noted in the vocabulary lists and discussed in detail in a future lesson.
- There are no differences between masculine/feminine and neuter for 2nd and 3rd declension. In other words, all nouns within a given declension use the same genitive endings, regardless of gender.