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?’).