Declensions
A declension, simply put, is a grouping of nouns. Latin nouns decline, meaning the ending of the noun changes depending on what role it plays in the sentence. Latin has 5 declensions, our lessons will focus mainly on the first 3 declensions for the bulk of latin words come from these and only very few come from the 4th and 5th.
1st Declension
-All feminine nouns, except those denoting profession.
(e.g. nauta, nautae m. - sailor
agricola, agricolae m. - farmer
auriga, aurigae m. - charioteer)
- The first declension is classified by the -ae in the 2nd Principal Part
-1st Principal part always ends in -a
e.g. puella, puellae f. - girl
femina, feminae f. - woman
villa, villae f. - house
2nd Declension
-This declension has only masucline and neuter nouns, never feminine!-Masculine nouns will have a first Principal part ending in -us, or -r
-Neuter nouns will have a first Principal part ending in -um
- The second declension is classifed by the -i in the 2nd Principal Part
e.g. puer, pueri m. - boyhortus, horti m- garden
bellum, belli n. - war
3rd Declension
-Contains words from every gender!
-First Principal Part varies, but endings in this declension include,-a, -e, -i, -o, -y, -c, -l, -n, -r, -s, -t, or -x
-The third declension is classified by the -is in the 2nd Principal Part.
- The third declension almost always accompanies a spelling change
e.g. pater, patris m. -father
phoenix, phoenicis f. - phoenix
nomen, nominis n. - name