Download Study Guide: National Latin Exam

Study Guide: National Latin Exam
The ESSEntial verb: sum, esse: to be.
Know all forms, three tenses: sum (I am)
What’s tricky here?
eram
(I was)
ero
ErAnt (they were)
(I will be)
ErUnt (they will be)
Predicate nominatives:
When using any tense of “esse,” know that a noun that follows it will be in the NOMINATIVE CASE.
Sum amica tua
(I am your friend)
(a female friend)
Eram amicus tuus
(I was your friend)
(a male friend)
Ero amica tua.
(I will be your friend)
(a female friend)
Sunt amicae tuae.
(They are your friends)
(several female friends)
Erant amici tui
(They were your friends)
(several male friends)
Erunt amicae tuae.
(They will be your friends)
(several female friends)
REMEMBER: PREDICATE NOMINATIVE WITH LINKING VERB, ESSE!
Predicate adjectives with “esse”:
When using an adjective after any tense of “esse,” know that the adjective will be in the nominative case.
Sum laeta.
(I am happy)
(a woman)
Eram laetus.
(I was happy)
(a man)
Ero laeta.
(I will be happy)
(a woman)
Sunt laetae.
(They are happy)
(several women)
Erant laeti.
(They were happy)
(several men)
Erunt laetae
(They will be happy)
(several women)
Note that if the subject is nominative plural, the predicate adjective is nominative plural. Practice with these
sentences: HINT: Ask yourself the GENDER AND NUMBER of the subject BEFORE you answer the question).
Viri sunt good:
A) bonus
B) bonum
C) boni
D) bonae
Claudia erat a Roman woman:
A) feminam Romanam
B) femina Romana
C) feminum Romanum
D) feminae Romanae
Milites erunt terrified.
A) perterritus
B) perterritos
C) perterritas
D) perterriti
Mater et soror erunt happy:
A) laeti
B) laetas
C) laetae
D) laeta
Poetae erant sad:
A) miseri
B) miserae
C) miseros
D) miseras
Prepositions:
A Latin preposition can be followed by a noun in either of two cases: accusative or ablative. Memorize the
prepositions that take the ablative case. Then, when you encounter any other preposition, you will know that it must be
followed by the accusative case. The prepositions that take the ablative case are as follows:
AB
away from
DE
down from
concerning
EX
out of
PRO
for
CUM
with
IN***
in
SINE
without
SUB
under
***“In” also takes the accusative case when motion is established, and means “into” or “onto.”
E.g.:
I am sitting in a chair:
Sedeo in sella.
(ablative, no motion)
I walk into the woods.
In silvam ambulo.
(accusative, motion)
Familiarize yourself with the following prepositions:
CONTRA
against
POST
after
ANTE
before
AD
to, toward
PER
through
TRANS
across
CIRCUM
around
PROPE
near
These prepositions are followed by the accusative case. Do you have to memorize this? NO. Just remember which
prepositions take the ablative case. ALL OTHERS TAKE THE ACCUSATIVE. Practice with these sentences:
HINT: Watch out for singulars and plurals!! Supply a singular form if one is needed.
Supply a plural form if one is needed.
Puer subito currit into the house.
A)
in villā
B)
ad villam
C)
in villas
D)
in villam
C)
ad patria
D)
in patriam
C)
feminā
D)
feminae
Nauta navigabat (was sailing) to his country.
A)
in patriā
B)
ad patriam
Canis currebat circum the woman.
A)
feminam
B)
femina
Milites veniebant across the bridge. (pons, pontis, 3rd declension)
A)
trans pons
B)
trans ponte
C)
trans pontibus D)
trans pontem
Agricola descendit de the mountain (mons, montis, 3rd declension)
A)
monte
B)
montem
C)
mons
D)
montibus
B)
in arbores
C)
in arbore
D)
in arboribus
C)
in agrum
D)
in agrō
Pueri sedent in the trees.
A)
in arborem
Uxores (the wives) stabant (were standing) in the fields.
A)
in agros
B)
in agris
Study Guide: National Latin Exam
Quot: how many? Typical questions on the exam are as follows
Quot sunt decem minus unus?
Quot sunt tres et quattuor?
novem
septem
Familiarize yourself with Roman numerals:
IX
VII
V
5
X
10
Learn:
L
50
C
100
D
500
centum
mille, milia
100
1,000
M
1000
Date of founding of Rome in Roman numerals: DCCLIII
Date of present year:
MM
Date of last year:
MCMXCIX
Formation of adverbs:
i.e.,
happy to happily
sad to sadly
beautiful to beautifully
Lop the “a” from the feminine nominative form of the adjective. pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum, beautiful
feminine form is pulchra
Add an “e”
PULCHR
PLUS “e”
Happily: laetē
Know the irregular adverbs:
Vocative Case:
PULCHR
PULCHRĒ, beautifully
Sadly miserē
BENE (well)
and
MALE (badly)
Whenever there is conversation or a direct address and a person or thing is named, the
named noun will be in the vocative case.
Fili, te amo.
Juli, veni ad me.
Son, I love you.
Julius, come to me!
(direct address)
(a command, therefore, direct address)
Fili and Julius are in the vocative case because the son and Julius are being addressed directly.
Vocative rule: the same as the nominative singular or plural in all declensions, except:
2nd declension masculine nouns ending in “us” drop “us” and add “e”: servusserve
2nd declension masculing nouns ending in “ius” just drop the “us”: filiusfili
Imperative Mood:
Used when commands are given:
The imperative singular is formed by finding the stem of a verb:
The imperative plural is formed by adding “te” to the stem:
portare, to carry
monēre, to warn
legere, to read
audire, to hear
HINT:
(1st Conj, stem vowel is “a”)
(2ndt Conj, stem vowel is “e”)
(3rd Conj, stem is vowels are E/I)
(4th Conj, stem vowel is “I”)
Serve, porta aquam!
AMA: Love!
AMATE: Love!
Sing.
porta
monē
lege
audi
(One person addressed)
(more than one person)
Plural
portate
monēte
legite
audite
If someone is giving a command or order, there is direct address taking place. Often, as above, an
imperative is paired with a noun in the vocative case.
Note these irregular imperative forms:
FAC Do!
(facere)
DIC! Speak!
(dicere)
DUC! Lead!
(ducere)
VERBS THAT MAY SIGNAL USE OF THE DATIVE CASE:
do, dare
narro, narrare
respondeo, respondēre
dico, dicere
monstro, monstrare
ostendo, ostendere
to give
to narrate, to tell
to respond, to answer
to say, to tell
to show (we derive demonstrate from “monstro”)
to show
(give “to” someone)
(tell “to” someone)
(respond “to” someone)
(say “to” someone)
(show “to” someone)
(show “to” someone)
Be on high alert for these verbs. (Verbs of GIVING, TELLING, SAYING, SHOWING)
They will probably be followed by an object (accusative) and an indirect object (dative).
E.g.:
Dabat librum sorori.
Dabo cibum viro.
He was giving the book to [his] sister. (dative of indirect object)
I will give the food to [my] husband. (dative of indirect object)
Narrabamus fabulas fratribus. We used to tell stories to [our] brothers.
Narrabunt fabulas filiis.
They will tell stories to [their] daughters.
(dative of ind. obj.)
(dative of ind. obj.)
Dicet veritatem mihi.
Dicit nihil tibi.
(dative of ind. obj.)
(dative of ind. obj.)
He will tell the truth to me.
He says nothing to you.
KNOW YOUR QUESTION WORDS: Ubi? Cur? Quis? Quid (etc.)
CONSULT HANDOUT
KNOW HOW TO TRANSLATE THE IMPERFECT:
I used to __________
OR
I was ____________ing
NEVER
I did…..
they used to _______
OR
they were __________ing
NEVER
they did…..
KNOW HOW TO USE PRONOUNS:
SUBJECT PRONOUNS (NOMINATIVE CASE) (not necessary; only used for emphasis)
Ego
tu
nos
vos
I
you
we
you
E.g.
Ego dico.
Tu es misera.
I am speaking.
You are unhappy.
OBJECT PRONOUNS (ACCUSATIVE CASE)
me
te
me
you
E.g.
Amas me.
Amo te.
nos
us
You love me.
I love you.
Nos sumus laeti.
Vos auditis.
vos
you (pl.)
Amas nos.
Amo vos.
INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS (DATIVE CASE)
mihi
tibi
nobis
to me
to you
to us
vobis
to you (pl.)
PRONOUNS WITH ABLATIVE CASE:
me
te
pro me
pro te
(for me)
(for you)
nobis
pro nobis
(for us)
vobis
pro vobis
(for you)
nobiscum
with us
vobiscum
with you (pl.)
Note oddity with the preposition “CUM”:
mecum
with me
tecum
with you
We are happy.
You are listening.
You love us.
I love you (plural).