TO: Lesson - 5th Declension Nouns
5th Declension Nouns
As with all nouns, the declension of the noun is determined by the genitive ending. 5th declension nouns use the ending -ei for the genitive singular. To obtain the base of a 5th declension noun, drop the -ei from the genitive form. This is the same method used for all nouns. Let's look at a dictionary entry for a 5th declension noun:
- spes, spei, f. - hope
- 1st item: spes = nominative
- 2nd item: spei = genitive
- 3rd item: f. = gender (f = feminine)
- 4th item: hope = English meaning
The second word listed, spei, is the genitive form. Note the -ei ending, marking this word as a 5th declension noun.
To obtain the base, use the genitive form and remove the genitive ending -us:
- Noun Base: genitive form - genitive ending
- spei- ei = sp-
5th Declension Noun Endings
Below are the endings charts for 5th declension nouns. Take time to notice a few things while learning these new endings:
- What features from earlier declensions still appear for 5th declension?
- Are there any similarities between 3rd and 5th declension endings?
- What letter is most commonly used in the inflections for the 5th declension?
| Cases | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | -es | -es |
| Genitive | -ei | -erum |
| Dative | -ei | -ebus |
| Accusative | -em | -es |
| Ablative | -e | -ebus |
| Vocative | -es | -es |
Nota Bene
- Note the following features which 5th declension nouns share with other declensions:
- Masculine and Feminine accusative singular ends in -m
- Ablative singular is a single vowel: -e
- Dative and Ablative plural are the same: -ebus
- Special notes on 5th declension nouns:
- 5th declension nouns are feminine, as a rule, except for the noun dies and any compounds using dies (meridies - midday).
- With two exceptions (dies, res), 5th declension nouns only use singular forms, except for nominative and accusative forms, which can be plural as well. See the example charts on the next page for details.