Latin Nouns

Latin nouns are divided into five declensions, each with distinct case endings. They vary by:

• Case: Nominative, Vocative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, Ablative, and sometimes Locative.
• Number: Singular and Plural.
• Gender: Masculine, Feminine, or Neuter.

Each declension has characteristic Genitive singular endings:

1. 1st Declension: -ae (e.g., puellae – “of the girl”)
2. 2nd Declension: -ī (e.g., servī – “of the slave”)
3. 3rd Declension: -is (e.g., cīvis – “of the citizen”)
4. 4th Declension: -ūs (e.g., manūs – “of the hand”)
5. 5th Declension: -ēī (e.g., rēī – “of the thing”)

Case endings indicate each noun’s function (subject, object, possession, etc.) within a sentence.