Lesson 6: Adjectives

There are two main groups of adjectives in Latin: adjectives of the first and second declensions, and adjectives of the third declension. We will save the third declension adjectives for later.

Unlike nouns, each of which has a particular gender, adjectives can be declined in all three genders. That's why this first group of adjectives are called first and second declension adjectives: they get their feminine endings from the first declension and their masculine and neuter endings from the second declension. That reflects the fact that most first declension nouns are feminine and most second declension nouns are masculine or neuter.

We show all the forms of the first and second declension adjective bonus (meaning “good”) as follows:

See how the endings are what we already learned while studying nouns? We don't have to learn any new endings for adjectives; we just have to remember that they get first declension endings when they're feminine and second declension endings when they're masculine or neuter.

So, how do we decide what gender to make an adjective? An adjective always “agrees” with the noun it modifies. “Agreement” means it always has the same gender, number, and case as the noun. So when you translate “good boy,” “good” and “boy” will both be masculine, both be singular, and both have the same case in the sentence. If “boy” is the subject, both words will be nominative: bonus puer. If “boy” is the object of the sentence, both words will be in the accusative: bonum puerum. And so on.

This is also true of predicate adjectives—adjectives in the predicate which modify the subject noun. Since the subject is nominative, so is the adjective which modifies it:

• The girl is good. - Puella est bona.

In many cases, the noun and adjective will have the same ending, but not always, so don't let that trip you up. Remember that they always agree in gender, number, and case, even if that gives them different endings:

• Bonus agricola est. He is a good farmer. (masculine, singular, nominative)
• Poetas bonos laudant. They praise good poets. (masculine, plural, accusative)

For now, the endings will mostly differ with those few first declension masculine nouns like agricola and poeta, but as we explore the third, fourth, and fifth declensions, differences in the endings will become more common, so never assume the endings will match between noun and adjective. Only the gender, number, and case will always match.

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When an adjective is used without a noun, the noun is implied by the gender and number:

• masculine singular - man
• feminine singular - woman
• neuter singular - thing
• masculine plural - people

So:

• bonus - a good man
• bona (singular) - a good woman
• bonum - a good thing
• boni - good people
• bona (plural) - good things

The word amicus which we learned earlier is an example of this. As an adjective, it means “friendly”; as a masculine noun it becomes “friend.” Substantive adjectives aren't as common in English, but they show up occasionally in sayings like, “Only the good die young.”

(In vocabularies, adjectives are shown with the nominative singular form of all three genders, like amicus below, then their meaning. When the feminine and neuter forms are obvious from the masculine, only their endings may be shown, like bonus below.)

• altus, alta, altum, high, deep
• amicus, amica, amicum, friendly
• bonus, -a, -um, good
• ferus, fera, ferum, wild, fierce
• lātus, -a, -um, wide
• longus, longa, longum, long
• magnus, magna, magnum, large, great
• malus, mala, malum, bad, evil
• meus, mea, meum, my, mine
• multus, -a, -um, much, many
• parvus, parva, parvum, small, little
• tuus, tua, tuum, your, yours (when speaking to a single person)

• cum, (preposition with ablative) with
• sine, (preposition with ablative) without

• You will sometimes see caelum spelled coelum.
• meus and tuus : These are pronouns in English but adjectives in Latin. That means that in Latin they agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case, like any other adjective, even if that doesn't agree with the person they represent. For example:
  • my girls - meae puellae (feminine plural, even though I, the person referred to by meae, am a man)

• meus has a special form in the masculine vocative singular: mei.

• altus means both “high” and “deep,” so the meaning will be shown by the context. alta aqua will probably mean “deep water,” while altum caelum will mean “high heavens.”

• multus is translated by “much” in the singular and “many” in the plural:
  • multum frumentum - much grain
  • multi pueri - many boys

• magnus also has two somewhat different meanings: “large” and “great.” gladius magnus could mean “large sword” or “great sword,” depending on the context. When used with names, it will typically mean “great”:
  • Pompeius Magnus - Pompey the Great

a. Decline the following in each number and case:

1. ager parvus
2. agricola bonus
3. femina parva
4. bellum malum

b. Translate, paying close attention to the adjectives:

1. Sunt boni agricolae in lato agro.
2. Bonane puella es, mea filia?
3. Mali Deum non amant.
4. Bonus puer puellas parvas ex villa vocat.
5. Multi ad Europam ambulant.
6. Mea patria est magnus, non parvus.
7. Multam aquam boni servi in oppidum portant.
8. Tuus gladius non est magnus.
9. Amici pueri multos equos in campo spectant.
10. Dona sunt bona; pericula mala.

c. Translate:

1. Is the little horse in the large field?
2. Many people like good poets.
3. The bad envoy calls the fierce men into the small town.
4. Good poets praise great men.
5. Are you watching the great horses, my good son?
6. The friendly sailors are sailing to Long Island.
7. The poet gives good words.
8. The good men are fighting with the bad men on the wide plain.
9. The little boys are carrying much water up to the high road without horses.
10. Poets praise the high, wide skies.

d. Try to think of an English word that derives from each Latin word in the vocabulary.

That's all there is to adjectives. In Latin, you'll usually find them near the noun they modify, but remember that they always agree with it, so if an adjective doesn't agree with a word right next to it, look elsewhere in the sentence for other nouns. If you don't find a noun that agrees with it, see if it works as a substantive adjective. Discuss here.

Next lesson, we finally learn some other tenses, so we can stop putting everything in the present tense!

a. Decline the following in each number and case:

1. ager parvus (masculine, second declension noun)

1. agricola bonus (masculine, first declension noun)

1. femina parva (feminine, first declension noun)

1. bellum malum (neuter, second declension noun)

b. Translate, paying close attention to the adjectives:

1. Sunt boni agricolae in lato agro. - There are good farmers in the wide field.
2. Bonane puella es, mea filia? - Are you a good girl, my daughter?
3. Mali Deum non amant. - Bad men do not love God.
4. Bonus puer puellas parvas ex villa vocat. - The good boy is calling the small girls out of the farmhouse.
5. Multi ad Europam ambulant. - Many people are walking to Europe.
6. Mea patria est magnus, non parvus. - My country is large, not small.
7. Multam aquam boni servi in oppidum portant. - The good slaves are carrying much water into the town.
8. Tuus gladius non est magnus. - Your sword is not great.
9. Amici pueri multos equos in campo spectant. - The friendly boys are watching many horses on the plain.
10. Dona sunt bona; pericula mala. - Gifts are good; dangers (are) bad.

c. Translate:

1. Is the little horse in the large field? - Estne parvus equus in magno agro?
2. Many people like good poets. - Multi poetas bonos amant.
3. The bad envoy calls the fierce men into the small town. - Malus legatus feros viros in parvum oppidum vocat.
4. Good poets praise great men. - Boni poetae laudant magni viri.
5. Are you watching the great horses, my good son? - Spectasne, mi bone fili, equos magnos?
6. The friendly sailors are sailing to Long Island. - Amici nautae ad Longum Insulam navigant.
7. The poet gives good words. - Poeta verba bona dat.
8. The good men are fighting with the bad men on the wide plain. - Boni (viri) cum malis (viris) in lato campo pugnant.
9. The little boys are carrying much water up to the high road without horses. - Parvi pueri multam aquam sub altam viam sine equis portant.
10. Poets praise the high, wide skies. - Poetae caela alta et lata laudant.

d. Try to think of an English word that derives from each Latin word in the vocabulary.

• altus, alta, altum, high, deep : altitude
• amicus, amica, amicum, friendly : amicable
• bonus, -a, -um, good : bonus
• ferus, fera, ferum, wild, fierce : feral, ferocious
• lātus, -a, -um, wide : latitude, lateral
• longus, longa, longum, long : long
• magnus, magna, magnum, large, great : magnitude, magnanimous
• malus, mala, malum, bad, evil : malice, malign
• meus, mea, meum, my, mine : me?
• multus, -a, -um, much, many : multitude
• parvus, parva, parvum, small, little : ???
• tuus, tua, tuum, your, yours (when speaking to a single person) : thy?