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Latin 102-05, S'21

Nouns in 5 declensions

Although the overwhelming plurality of Latin nouns belong to the three declensions you already know, Latin has a total of five declensions.
This week, we will learn the few nouns of the fourth and fifth declensions that occur several times in Hyginus.

Fifth declension

Like the second declension, fifth-declension nouns have a genitive singular ending in -i; you can tell them apart by looking at the nominative singular, since the fifth declension regularly shows the ending -es. Learn these three very important nouns, and refer to the paradigms of fifth-declension nouns in the L3 textbook here to figure out how they decline.

  • dies, diei m: day
  • fides, fidei f: faith
  • res, rei f: thing, matter, affair

Fourth declension

Fourth-declension nouns have a genitive singular in -ūs. Refer to the paradigms of fourth-declension nouns in the L3 textbook here. How many possibly forms can end in -us for masculine or feminine nouns of the fourth declension? for neuter nouns?

Learn these four fourth-declension nouns:

  • currus, currūs, m: chariot
  • domus, domūs, f: house, home
  • genu, genūs, n: knee
  • impulsus, impulsūs, m: (striking against), influence, instigation

Latin 102, Spring 2021. Encounter a historical language and culture, and engage with how they continue to shape structures of power today.
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