As the fourth declension was characterized by lots of U's in the endings, the fifth is characterized by many E's. Nouns of the fifth declension are recognized by the genitive singular ending -ēī or -eī. The -e- of -eī is short after a consonant and long after a vowel. Let's look at one of each: diēs, diēī, day, and spēs, speī, hope.

As you can see, they're the same except for the short/long E in the -eī endings. There's really not much new here; the fifth declension looks a lot like the others, especially the third, but with -ē- everywhere.

In Lesson 11, we learned that we form adverbs from first and second declension adjectives by adding the -ē ending to the stem.

We can also form adverbs from third declension adjectives by adding -ter, -iter, or -er to the stem. The normal ending is -ter, but -er is used if the stem ends in -t, and -iter is used if the stem ends in a consonant that doesn't work well with -ter.

• aciēs, aciēī, f., straight line, battle line
• diēs, diēī, m., day
• merīdiēs, -ēī, m., midday, noon; south
• rēs, reī, f., thing, matter, property, fact
• spēs, speī, f., hope

• frūmentārius, -a, -um, grain-related
• pūblicus, -a, -um, public, belonging to the people

• itaque, (conjunction), and so, therefore
• neque/nec, (adverb/conjunction), and not, nor

All fifth declension nouns are feminine except diēs and merīdiēs, which are masculine. Diēs is also feminine when used in certain idioms referring to a fixed day or time in general.

Merīdiēs can mean “south” for the same reason we say “approaching from six o'clock” when something is coming from the south or behind us. Six o'clock is at the bottom of our clock, while noon was at the bottom of their sundial.

Rēs doesn't really mean “thing,” but it has so many possible meanings that no specific word will cover them. It's somewhat analogous to “stuff” in English. The Romans combined rēs with many different adjectives to refer to things that didn't have a more specific noun.

• rēs frūmentāria, thing having to do with grain → grain supply
• rēs publica, public thing → state, republic
• rēs novae (plural), new things → revolution
• rēs familiāris, family thing → private property

Many of these are idioms; it's not obvious that “new things” means “revolution” and not “new shoes.” In most cases the context will show the meaning.

Nec/Neque. These are the same word, but neque is used when it precedes a consonant and nec would be difficult to pronounce, like a/an in English. It has the basic meaning of “and not,” but it has a few special uses when combined with other words:

• nec…et… - not only…but also…
• nec…nec… - neither…nor…
• nec nōn - and besides, and certainly

You'll note from that last one that the Romans had no fear of the double negative. To stress “and certainly” they said “not not”!

Two idioms for time of day are multō diē, late in the day, and multā nocte, late at night. Note that these are ablatives of time when. Translated literally, they mean “at much day” and “at much night.”

• The white horses were not only beautiful, but they also ran swiftly.
• Tiberius was the leader of the Roman republic for ten years.
• We walked through the mountains for five days and arrived at the river late at night.
• The farmers carried the grain supply into the middle of town.
• The boys and girls stood in a straight line before the game.
• I will build a large house in which my family will live.
• You who listen to the words of the poet will find hope.
• The general freed the slaves whom he captured in the great battle.
• The men who had come from Italy pitched camp and made a fire late in the day.
• The king gave gifts to all the women who spoke sweetly.

Marcus et Julia erant frater et soror qui cum patre matreque eorum sub monte. Canem Brutum qui semper currebat habuerunt. Marcus ramulum¹⁾ iaciebat et Brutus ad eum regerebat.

Silva alta trans flumen ab domu eorum erat. Olim puer et puella in silvam ppaucas horas ambulaverunt. Cum Brutus ad domum sine eis revenerat, pater eorum incepit eos quaerere²⁾. Multo die eos in parvo tugurio³⁾ piscatoris⁴⁾ invenit. Domum multa nocte pervenerunt, et nihil cenae eis erat. Mater eorum, cuius ira erat graviter magna, eam felibus⁵⁾ dederat.

Give an English word derived from each Latin word in the lesson.

Now we have no more declensions to learn; we know all the declensions and forms to use any noun or adjective in any case.

• The white horses were not only beautiful, but they also ran swiftly. - Nec equi albi erant pulchri, nec celeriter cucurrerunt.
• Tiberius was the leader of the Roman republic for ten years. - Tiberius dux rei publicae Romanae decem annos erat.
• We walked through the mountains for five days and arrived at the river late at night. - Per montes quinque dies ambulavimus et ad flumen multa nocte pervenimus.
• The farmers carried the grain supply into the middle of town. - Agricolae rem frumentariam in medium oppidum portaverunt.
• The boys and girls stood in a straight line before the game. - Pueri et puellae in acie ante ludum steterunt.
• I will build a large house in which my family will live. - Domum magnum in quo gens mea habitabit muniam.
• You who listen to the words of the poet will find hope. - Tu qui verba poetae magnae auditis spem invenietis.
• The general freed the slaves whom he captured in the great battle. - Imperator servos quos in proelio magno cepit liberavit.
• The men who had come from Italy pitched camp and made a fire late in the day. - Viri qui ab Italia venerant castra posuerunt et ignem multo die fecerunt.
• The king gave gifts to all the women who spoke sweetly. - Rex dona omnibus feminis quae dulciter dixerunt.

Marcus and Julia were a brother and sister who lived with their father and mother at the foot of the mountain. They had a dog, Brutus, who was always running. Marcus would throw a stick and Brutus would carry (it) back to him.

There was a deep forest across the river from their home. Once the boy and girl walked for a few hours into the forest. When Brutus returned home without them, their father began to search for them. Late in the day he found them in a small fisherman's hut. They arrived home late at night, and there was no dinner for them. Their mother, whose anger was seriously great, had given it to the cats.

• aciēs, aciēī, f., straight line, battle line - ??
• diēs, diēī, m., day - diurnal, diary
• merīdiēs, -ēī, m., midday, noon; south - meridian
• rēs, reī, f., thing, matter, property, fact - real
• spēs, speī, f., hope - ??

• frūmentārius, -a, -um, grain-related - ??
• pūblicus, -a, -um, public, belonging to the people - public, republic

• itaque, (conjunction), and so, therefore - ??
• neque/nec, (adverb/conjunction), and not, nor - ??