FAM: Lesson - Irregular Adjectives

Irregular Adjectives

Before beginning this lesson, please download two handouts for your notes. These handouts will be a part of your learning in this lesson.

The adjectives we have learned so far have belonged to a group called 1st and 2nd declension adjectives. However, there is another set of adjectives that have a similar appearance yet have certain irregular endings that set them apart: we call these special forms irregular adjectives. Even though they are called irregular, there are actually a few consistent patterns for these adjectives.

Dictionary Entries

Most of the irregular adjectives look like normal 1st/2nd declension adjectives when listed in a dictionary entry.

  • totus, tota, totum - whole, all
  • alter, altera, alterum - the other (of two)
  • neuter, neutra, neutrum - neither (of two)

However, some irregular adjectives have a different form for the neuter:

  • alius, alia, aliud - another

Common Irregular Adjectives

The 10 irregular adjectives that you should learn in Latin I are:

  1. alius, alia, aliud - another
  2. alter, altera, alterum - the other (of two)
  3. ullus, ulla, ullum - any
  4. nullus, nulla, nullum - not any, no
  5. nonnullus, nonnulla, nonullum - some
  6. solus, sola, solum - alone, only
  7. totus, tota, totum - whole, all
  8. uter, utra, utrum - which (of two), whichever
  9. neuter, neutra, neutrum - neither (of two)
  10. alteruter, alterutra, alterutrum - either (of two), one or the other

What Makes it Irregular?

The major difference between regular and irregular adjectives can be found in the genitive and dative singular case endings. 

  • Genitive Singular (all genders): -ius
  • Dative Singular (all genders): -i

The genitive and dative will use the same singular ending for all three genders.

N.B. recall that unus, una, unum follows this same pattern: it actually belongs to this set of irregular adjectives.

All other forms will follow the regular pattern for 1st and 2nd declension adjectives. So, a fully declined irregular adjective will look like totus, tota, totum (base: tot-):

Declension of totus, tota, totum - whole, all
Masculine Feminine Neuter
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative totus toti tota totae totum tota
Genitive totius totorum totius totarum totius totorum
Dative toti totis toti totis toti totis
Accusative totum totos totam totas totum tota
Ablative toto totis tota totis toto totis
Vocative tote toti tota totae totum tota

N.B. alius, alia, aliud will repeat aliud as the accusative singular neuter form. The genitive form, alius, is quite rare: it is most often replaced with an alternative form, either alienus or alterius. So, the chart for alius (base: ali-) looks like this:

Declension of alius, alia, aliud - another
Masculine Feminine Neuter
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
Nominative alius alii alia aliae aliud alia
Genitive
  • alius (rare)
  • alieni
  • alterius
 aliorum
  • alius (rare)
  • alienae
  • alterius
 aliarum
  • alius (rare)
  • alieni
  • alterius
 aliorum
Dative alii aliis alii aliis alii aliis
Accusative alium alios aliam alias aliud alia
Ablative alio aliis alia aliis alio aliis
Vocative alie alii alia aliae aliud alia