1. Notes for Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3
Nouns
Notes for
Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3

2. Latin is an inflected language…
… which means we have to look at the ends of words to know what role a word will play in a sentence. This means that the endings of words will change as the role the word has in a sentence changes.

3. Noun: Definition: a person, place, thing or idea.
There are 5 groups of nouns in Latin, with a specific set of endings for each group. We will learn 3 of them in Latin 1.
A group of nouns is called a declension.

4. Nominative Case
The person, place, thing or idea that is performing the verb in a sentence is called a subject.
Subjects in Latin end in –us, -a, or have an irregular ending which we will indicate with a *.
When a noun is wearing the subject ending, it is said to be in the nominative case, which is just a way of saying that it is in the form that makes it the subject of a verb.

5. Examples: 1st declension subjects wear an –a:
Metella, culina, via
2nd declension subjects wear a –us.
Caecilius, Quintus, servus, amicus
3rd declension subjects do not have a standard ending and varies a great deal. (Remember, we will indicate these with a *)
Grumio, canis, mercator, Clemens, pater

6. Accusative Case
The person, place, thing or idea that the verb is happening to is called a direct object.
Direct objects in Latin end in -am, -um, or -em.
When a noun is wearing the direct object ending, it is said to be in the accusative case, which is just a way of saying that it is in the form that makes it the direct object of a verb.

7. Examples: 1st declension direct objects wear an –am:
Metellam, culinam, viam
2nd declension direct objects wear a –um.
Caecilium, Quintum, servum, amicum
3rd declension direct objects wear an –em, and sometimes change their spelling.
Grumionem, canem, mercatorem, Clementem, patrem

8. Practice Identify the subject and the direct object in each sentence:
Caecilius pecuniam numerat.
ancilla hortum intrat.
mercator canem audit.
dominus ancillam laudat.
Clemens vinum portat.
Metella mercatorem salutat.