Latin cases: their functions
In short
In Latin the case shows which role a word plays in the sentence, not its position. There are six cases: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative and the vocative for addressing someone. Disce ludens I practices the cases in five lessons of their own, from nominative, accusative and dative to genitive and ablative.
Six cases and their questions
Each case answers a question. The questions help you get started, but they are not a complete rule: when in doubt, the verb decides what it requires.
| Case | Question | Basic function | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | who or what? | subject, predicate nominative | Servus cibum portat. | The slave brings the food. |
| Genitive | whose? | attribute (belonging) | filia agricolae | the farmer’s daughter |
| Dative | to whom? | indirect object | Pater filiae pilam donat. | The father gives the daughter the ball. |
| Accusative | whom or what? | direct object, direction | Pater pilam portat. | The father brings the ball. |
| Ablative | with what? with whom? how? | adverbial, often with a preposition | Cornelia cum Paula saltat. | Cornelia dances with Paula. |
| Vocative | (address) | addressing a person | serve! | Slave! |
Nominative and accusative
The nominative names the one who acts, as subject. After esse it stands as predicate nominative: Lucius et Marcus amici boni sunt. (Lucius and Marcus are good friends.)
The accusative names what the action is directed at: the direct object (cibum, pilam). It also gives direction, with ad or in (in villam, into the house). In an AcI it is the subject of an infinitive. Disce ludens I covers the accusative in lesson 6 and the AcI in lesson 9.
Dative and genitive
The dative names the person who benefits from or receives something: the indirect object of three-place verbs such as donare (to give). Other verbs also take a dative, such as parere (to obey). Disce ludens I introduces the dative in lesson 10, starting from three-place verbs; lesson 13 distinguishes accusative and dative objects.
The genitive usually stands as an attribute: filia agricolae (the farmer’s daughter). It belongs to a noun and says whose something is. There are also combinations with adjectives such as cupidus (eager) and peritus (skilled) that take a genitive. Lesson 14 practices the genitive in this main function.
The ablative: the case without an English equivalent
The ablative takes on functions that English spreads over several cases and prepositions. Disce ludens I, lesson 15, distinguishes three basic functions. The ablative stands without cum or with it:
| Ablative | Question | Function | Example | with or without cum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| means | with what? | means, tool | flagello (with a whip) | without cum |
| accompaniment | with whom? | accompaniment | cum Paula (with Paula) | with cum |
| manner | how? | manner | cum labore (with effort) | usually with cum |
Other ablatives stand with prepositions such as a/ab, de, e/ex for origin and separation: a patre (from the father), e villa (out of the house).
Prepositions determine the case
Prepositions take a particular case. The table shows the examples that occur in the lessons; it is not complete.
| Preposition | Case | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ad | accusative | ad ianuam | to the door, up to the door |
| in (direction) | accusative | in villam | into the house |
| in (location) | ablative | in villa | in the house |
| per | accusative | per aulam | through the hall |
| cum | ablative | cum Paula | with Paula |
| a/ab | ablative | a patre | from the father |
| e/ex | ablative | e villa | out of the house |
| de | ablative | de tumulo | down from the hill |
Recognizing the case in a sentence
Many endings are ambiguous: -is, -ae, -us and -um occur in several cases. So you never identify the case from the form alone. Check which verb is in the sentence, which word the form must agree with (agreement) and which preposition stands in front of it. The charts of all declensions, with the typical mix-ups, are on the page Latin declensions.
Try it
A real exercise from Disce ludens:
Disce ludens I · Lesson 10 · The dative, card 9
What is the plural form corresponding to arbori (tree)?
Error points: 0
© Disce ludensWhat Disce ludens does – and what it doesn’t
What Disce ludens does
- Practices the cases in five lessons of their own: nominative (lesson 5), accusative (6), dative (10), genitive (14) and ablative (15).
- Links each case to a question in the sentence: who, whom, to whom, whose, with what.
- Gives graded hints when a case is not clear, and shows the solution only on request.
What it doesn’t do
- Does not replace a full grammar of case with all the exceptions.
- Has no lesson of its own on the vocative.
- Does not show vowel length marks (macrons).
Frequently asked questions
How many cases does Latin have?
Six: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative and vocative. The vocative is used for addressing someone and is usually the same as the nominative.
What is the difference between dative and accusative?
The accusative names what the action is directed at straight away (whom or what); the dative names the person to whom something is given or who is affected (to whom). Disce ludens I practices both in lessons 10 and 13.
Why is there an ablative when English has none?
The ablative takes on functions that English spreads over prepositions and other cases: means, accompaniment, manner, origin. Disce ludens I, lesson 15, practices the basic functions.
Which prepositions take the ablative?
Among others a/ab, de, e/ex and cum; in takes the ablative for place. The table above shows examples.