Third declension nouns
Third-declension nouns are the largest and most varied noun family in Latin, and they include some of the commonest words: rēx (king), mīles (soldier)
Can recognize Third declension nouns in a short Latin prompt
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Marcus reads.
Julia sees the tablet.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Third-declension nouns are the largest and most varied noun family in Latin, and they include some of the commonest words: rēx (king), mīles (soldier), urbs (city), homō (person). They can be any gender, and their nominative singular comes in many shapes, so this is the declension where you most need the genitive.
The reliable signal is the genitive ending -is. Chop off the -is and you get the stem to which all other endings attach, which is why dictionaries always list the genitive (e.g. rēx, rēgis).
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | rēx | rēgēs |
| Genitive | rēgis | rēgum |
| Dative | rēgī | rēgibus |
| Accusative | rēgem | rēgēs |
| Ablative | rēge | rēgibus |
Examples:
- Mīles rēgem servat. - The soldier saves the king.
- Vōx hominis clāra est. - The person's voice is clear.
The trap for English speakers is expecting the nominative to predict the endings; it does not. From rēx alone you could not guess the stem rēg-. Always learn the genitive with the word. Also note that rēgēs is both nominative and accusative plural, so once again the ending alone will not tell you subject from object; use the verb and context.
Marcus reads.
Example for Third declension nouns.
Julia sees the tablet.
A short A1 sentence with visible endings.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises