5.6 Declensions summary
We are now in a position to summarise the case endings for puella and populus. Table 12 below includes plural endings as well as singular.
Case | 1st declension, puella | 2nd declension, populus |
---|---|---|
singular | puella | populus |
nominative | puella | populus |
accusative | puellam | populum |
genitive | puellae | populī |
dative | puellae | populō |
ablative | puellā | populō |
plural | ||
nominative | puellae | populī |
accusative | puellās | populōs |
genitive | puellārum | populōrum |
dative | puellīs | populīs |
ablative | puellīs | populīs |
Latin also has a ‘vocative’ case, used for direct address, e.g ō puella, ‘girl!’, … . The ending is routinely the same as the nominative, the notable exception being 2nd declension singular nouns, where -us usually becomes -e, as in the dying words of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: et tu, Brūte? (‘You too, Brutus?’).