1. Some Latin Basics
Grammar

2. Terms
Inflection: changing the ending of the word to indicate modification of its grammatical function
Conjugation (v): what happens to verbs
Conjugation (n): a group of verbs that conjugate in a similar pattern
Decline (v): what happens to nouns
Declension (n): a group of nouns that decline in a similar pattern

3. Nouns *this is simplified but it gives the general idea
Cases (as indicated by the ending) show a nouns function in a sentence
Nominative: subject
Genitive: possession (of)
Dative: indirect object (to,for), acted upon
Accusative: direct object, receives the action
Ablative: Adverbial/prepositional
Vocative: formal address

4. Nouns also have Gender Number
Note: in Latin there are no articles (the,a)

5. Verbs 5 Characteristics Person: who the subject is
Number: how many subjects
Tense: when action takes place
Mood: speaker’s attitude toward what is being said
Voice: relation between the subject and action of the verb

6. Pronunciation Consonants are hard
‘s’ is voiceless (as in ‘hiss’ but not ‘his’)
‘v’ sounds like our ‘w’
Vowels are short unless they have a macron
ā, ē, ī, ō, ū
I and J are sometimes interchangeable