Ablative case

A1 — Latin Grammar

The ablative case is the Latin "everything else" case.

Can recognize Ablative case in a short Latin prompt

Examples

— We dine with friends in the tavern.
— He fights with a sword.

Latin GrammarA1

Ablative case

The ablative case is the Latin "everything else" case.

Learning Goal

Can recognize Ablative case in a short Latin prompt

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

We dine with friends in the tavern.

He fights with a sword.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

The ablative case is the Latin "everything else" case. It covers ideas English handles with the little words by, with, from, in, and on: the means you use, the company you keep, the place where something happens, and the source you move away from.

Declension	Nominative	Ablative sing.	Ablative pl.
1st	puella	puellā	puellīs
2nd	servus	servō	servīs
3rd	rēx	rēge	rēgibus

Examples:

Gladiō pugnat. - He fights with a sword. (means)
In silvā ambulant. - They walk in the forest. (place)
Cum amīcīs venit. - He comes with his friends. (company)

Note the first-declension ablative singular puellā: on the page it looks just like the nominative puella, and only the macron marks the difference, so read vowel length carefully. English speakers also tend to hunt for a preposition; remember that a bare ablative like gladiō already means "with a sword" with no separate word.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

We dine with friends in the tavern.

One case does the work of several English prepositions: 'with friends' and 'in the tavern' are both ablative here.

He fights with a sword.

The instrument is a bare ablative: gladio = 'with a sword'. Cum is not used here; it stays for company (cum amicis) and for manner with a modifier (magno cum labore).

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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Frequently asked questions

When is Ablative case used?: The ablative case is the Latin "everything else" case. It covers ideas English handles with the little words by, with, from, in, and on : the means you use, the company you keep, the place where something happens, and the source you move away from.
How is Ablative case formed?: English leans on prepositions for all of this ("with a sword," "in the forest"). Latin often does the job with the ablative ending alone, and sometimes adds a preposition on top. Because so many meanings share one case, context decides which sense fits. Note the first-declension ablative singular puellā : on the page it looks just like the nominative puella , and only the macron marks the difference, so read vowel length carefully. English speakers also tend to hunt for a preposition; remember that a bare ablative like gladiō already means "with a sword" with no separate word.

Declension

Nominative

Ablative sing.

Ablative pl.

1st

puella

puellā

puellīs

2nd

servus

servō

servīs

3rd

rēx

rēge

rēgibus

Frequently asked questions

When is Ablative case used?

The ablative case is the Latin "everything else" case. It covers ideas English handles with the little words by, with, from, in, and on : the means you use, the company you keep, the place where something happens, and the source you move away from.

How is Ablative case formed?

English leans on prepositions for all of this ("with a sword," "in the forest"). Latin often does the job with the ablative ending alone, and sometimes adds a preposition on top. Because so many meanings share one case, context decides which sense fits. Note the first-declension ablative singular puellā : on the page it looks just like the nominative puella , and only the macron marks the difference, so read vowel length carefully. English speakers also tend to hunt for a preposition; remember that a bare ablative like gladiō already means "with a sword" with no separate word.