ROM: Lesson - Introduction to Adjectives

Introduction to Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. In Latin, an adjective modifies a noun or pronoun by agreeing in gender, number and case with the noun it describes.

In the Latin 1 course, we will focus on adjectives that belong to the 1st and 2nd declension. These adjectives are called 1st and 2nd Declension Adjectives because they borrow the 1st and 2nd declension endings from nouns.

Dictionary Entry for 1st/2nd Declension Adjectives

To identify a 1st and 2nd declension adjective, look for a word with three nominative forms listed, showing one form in each gender. The order of gender in a dictionary entry will always be: masculine, feminine, neuter.

Examples:

  • multus, multa, multum - much, many
    • multus = masculine, nominative, singular
    • multa = feminine, nominative, singular
    • multum = neuter, nominative, singular
  • miser, misera, miserum - sad
    • miser = masculine, nominative, singular
    • misera = feminine, nominative, singular
    • miserum = neuter, nominative, singular

In a dictionary, 1st and 2nd declensions sometimes have their forms abbreviated. Take, for example, the adjective bonus, bona, bonum. It can be written: 

  • bonus, a, um - good

The feminine and neuter forms are abbreviated to just show the endings. The feminine form is actually bona, not just the letter a. Likewise, the neuter form is bonum, not just um.

Adjective Base

To find the base of an adjective, you will need to take the ending off the feminine form. As with nouns, endings which indicate case and number will be added to the base.

  • multus, multa, multum - much, many
    • multa - a = mult-
    • Adjective Base: mult-
  • miser, misera, miserum - sad
    • misera - a = miser-
    • Adjective Base: miser-

Nota Bene: Some adjectives ending in -er will keep the "e" in the base, while others will drop it. This is why we use the feminine form to determine the base. Pay careful attention to the feminine form when learning new adjectives.

  • miser, misera, miserum:
    • misera keeps the e
    • misera - a = miser-
  • sacer, sacra, sacrum:
    • sacra drops the e
    • sacra - a = sacr-