Singular and plural
Number in Latin means whether a word refers to one thing (singular) or more than one (plural).
Can recognize Singular and plural in a short Latin prompt
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Marcus reads.
Julia sees the tablet.
Zaměřte se na zvýrazněné části. Co mají společného?
Number in Latin means whether a word refers to one thing (singular) or more than one (plural). Both nouns and verbs carry number, and they must match, so reading it correctly tells you how many people or things are involved and who is doing the action.
English marks the plural mostly by adding "-s" (cat, cats). Latin instead changes the whole ending, and the ending it uses depends on the noun's declension and case, so there is no single plural marker to memorize.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nom. 1st | puella | puellae |
| Nom. 2nd | servus | servī |
| Nom. 3rd | rēx | rēgēs |
| Verb (3rd person) | amat (loves) | amant (love) |
Subject and verb agree in number:
- Puella cantat. - The girl sings.
- Puellae cantant. - The girls sing.
- Rēgēs veniunt. - The kings are coming.
The commonest English-speaker slip is reading the plural as a possessive: puellae can be "girls" (nominative plural) but also "of the girl" (genitive singular). The verb ending resolves it: puellae cantant must be "the girls sing," because cantant is plural. Always check that subject and verb agree in number, and let the verb settle any ambiguous noun ending.
Marcus reads.
Example for Singular and plural.
Julia sees the tablet.
A short A1 sentence with visible endings.
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