Latin for Beginners, Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge [easy novels to read .TXT] 📗

is a pronoun that asks a question. In English the interrogatives are who? which? what? In Latin they are «quis?» «quid?» (pronoun) and «quī?» «quae?» «quod?» (adjective).

«226.» Examine the sentences

a. Who is the man? «Quis est vir?» b. What man is leading them? «Quī vir eōs dūcit?»

In a, who is an interrogative pronoun. In b, what is an interrogative adjective. Observe that in Latin «quis», «quid» is the pronoun and «quī», «quae», «quod» is the adjective.

«227.» 1. The interrogative adjective «quī», «quae», «quod» is declined just like the relative pronoun. (See §221.)

2. The interrogative pronoun «quis», «quid» is declined like «quī», «quae», «quod» in the plural. In the singular it is declined as follows:

          MASC. AND FEM. NEUT.
  Nom. «quis», who? «quid», what? which?
  Gen. «cuius», whose? «cuius», whose?
  Dat. «cui», to or for whom? «cui», to or for
                                          what or which?
  Acc. «quem», whom? «quid», what? which?
  Abl. «quō», from, etc., whom? «quō», from, etc.,
                                          which or what?

NOTE. Observe that the masculine and feminine are alike and that all the forms are like the corresponding forms of the relative, excepting quis and quid.

«228.» EXERCISES

I. 1. Quis est aeger? Servus quem amō est aeger. 2. Cuius scūtum habēs? Scūtum habeō quod lēgātus ad castellum mīsit. 3. Cui lēgātus suum scūtum dabit? Fīliō meō scūtum dabit. 4. Ubi Germānī antīquī vīvēbant? In terrā quae est proxima Rhēnō Germānī vīvēbant. 5. Quibuscum[1] Germānī bellum gerēbant? Cum Rōmānīs, qui eōs superāre studēbant, Germānī bellum gerēbant. 6. Quī virī castra pōnunt? Iī sunt virī quōrum armīs Germānī victī sunt. 7. Quibus tēlīs cōpiae nostrae eguērunt? Gladiīs et telīs nostrae cōpiae eguērunt. 8. Ā quibus porta sinistra tenēbātur? Ā sociīs porta sinistra tenēbātur. 9. Quae prōvinciae ā Rōmānīs occupātae sunt? Multae prōvinciae ā Rōmānīs occupātae sunt. 10. Quibus virīs deī favēbunt? Bonīs virīs deī favēbunt.

[Footnote 1: «cum» is added to the ablative of relative, interrogative, and personal pronouns instead of being placed before them.]

[Illustration: GERMANI ANTIQUI]

II. 1. What victory will you announce? 2. I will announce to the people the victory which the sailors have won. 3. The men who were pitching camp were eager for battle. 4. Nevertheless they were soon conquered by the troops which Sextus had sent. 5. They could not resist our forces, but fled from that place without delay.

«229.» THE FAITHLESS TARPEIA (Concluded)[2]

Tarpēia, commōta ōrnamentīs Sabīnōrum pulchrīs, diū resistere nōn potuit et respondit: “Date mihi[3] ōrnāmenta quae in sinistrīs bracchīs geritis, et celeriter cōpiās vestrās in Capitōlium dūcam.” Nec Sabīnī recūsāvērunt, sed per dūrās magnāsque castellī portās properāvērunt quō[1] Tarpēia dūxit et mox intrā validōs et altōs mūrōs stābant. Tum sine morā in[2] Tarpēiam scūta graviter iēcērunt; nam scūta quoque in sinistrīs bracchiīs gerēbant. Ita perfida puella Tarpēia interfecta est; ita Sabīnī Capitōlium occupāvērunt.

[Footnote 2: Explain the use of the tenses in this selection.]

[Footnote 3: to me.]

[Footnote 1: quō = whither, to the place where. Here «quo» is the relative adverb. We have had it used before as the interrogative adverb, whither? to what place?]

[Footnote 2: upon.]

LESSON XXXIX THE THIRD DECLENSION · CONSONANT STEMS

[Special Vocabulary]

«barbarus, -a, -um», strange, foreign, barbarous. As a noun, «barbarī, -ōrum», m., plur., savages, barbarians «dux, ducis», m., leader (duke). Cf. the verb «dūcō» «eques, equitis», m., horseman, cavalryman (equestrian) iūdex, iūdicis, m., judge «lapis, lapidis», m., stone (lapidary) «mīles, mīlitis», m., soldier (militia) «pedes, peditis», m., foot soldier (pedestrian) «pēs, pedis»,[A] m., foot (pedal) «prīnceps, prīncipis», m., chief (principal) «rēx, rēgis», m., king (regal) «summus, -a, -um», highest, greatest (summit) «virtūs, virtūtis», f., manliness, courage (virtue)

[Footnote A: Observe that «e» is long in the nom. sing, and short in the other cases.]

«230.» «Bases and Stems.» In learning the first and second declensions we saw that the different cases were formed by adding the case terminations to the part of the word that did not change, which we called the «base». If to the base we add «-ā» in the first declension, and «-o» in the second, we get what is called the «stem». Thus «porta» has the base «port-» and the stem «portā-»; «servus» has the base «serv-» and the stem «servo-».

These stem vowels, «-ā-» and «-o-», play so important a part in the formation of the case terminations that these declensions are named from them respectively the Ā- and O-Declensions.

«231.» «Nouns of the Third Declension.» The third declension is called the Consonant or I-Declension, and its nouns are classified according to the way the stem ends. If the last letter of the stem is a consonant, the word is said to have a consonant stem; if the stem ends in «-i-», the word is said to have an «i-»stem. In consonant stems the stem is the same as the base. In «i-»stems the stem is formed by adding «-i-» to the base. The presence of the «i» makes a difference in certain of the cases, so the distinction is a very important one.

«232.» Consonant stems are divided into two classes:

   I. Stems that add «-s» to the base to form the nominative singular.
  II. Stems that add no termination in the nominative singular.

CLASS I

«233.» Stems that add «-s» to the base in the nominative singular are either masculine or feminine and are declined as follows:

            «prīnceps», «mīles», m., «lapis»,
            m., chief soldier m., stone
  BASES OR
  STEMS «prīncip-» «mīlit-» «lapid-»

SINGULAR TERMINATIONS M. AND F. Nom. prīnceps mīles lapis -s Gen. prīn´cipis mīlitis lapidis -is Dat. prīn´cipī mīlitī lapidī -ī Acc. prīn´cipem mīlitem lapidem -em Abl. prīn´cipe mīlite lapide -e

            PLURAL
  Nom. prīn´cipēs mīlitēs lapidēs -ēs
  Gen. prīn´cipum mīlitum lapidum -um
  Dat. prīnci´pibus mīlitibus lapidibus -ibus
  Acc. prīn´cipēs mīlitēs lapidēs -ēs
  Abl. prīnci´pibus mīlitibus lapidibus -ibus

            «rēx», «iūdex», «virtūs», f.,
            m., king m.,judge manliness
  BASES OR
  STEMS «rēg-» «iūdic-» «virtūt-»

            SINGULAR TERMINATIONS
            M. AND F.
  Nom. rēx iūdex virtūs -s
  Gen. rēgis iūdicis virtū´tis -is
  Dat. rēgī iūdicī virtū´tī -ī
  Acc. rēgem iūdicem virtū´tem -em
  Abl. rēge iūdice virtū´te -e

            PLURAL
  Nom. rēgēs iūdicēs virtū´tēs -ēs
  Gen. rēgum iūdicum virtū´tum -um
  Dat. rēgibus iūdicibus virtū´tibus -ibus
  Acc. rēgēs iūdicēs virtū´tēs -ēs
  Abl. rēgibus iūdicibus virtū´tibus -ibus

1. The base or stem is found by dropping «-is» in the genitive singular.

2. Most nouns of two syllables, like «prīnceps» («prīncip-»), «mīles» («mīlit-»), «iūdex» («iūdic-»), have «i» in the base, but «e» in the nominative.

a. «lapis» is an exception to this rule.

3. Observe the consonant changes of the base or stem in the nominative:

    a. A final «-t» or «-d» is dropped before «-s»; thus «mīles» for
    «mīlets», «lapis» for «lapids», «virtūs» for «virtūts».

b. A final «-c» or «-g» unites with «-s» and forms «-x»; thus «iūdec» + «s» = «iūdex», «rēg» + «s» = «rēx».

4. Review §74 and apply the rules to this declension.

In like manner decline «dux, ducis», m., leader; «eques, equitis», m., horseman; «pedes, peditis», m., foot soldier; «pēs, pedis», m.,foot.

«234.» EXERCISES

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 291.

I. 1. Neque peditēs neque equitēs occupāre castellum Rōmānum poterant. 2. Summā virtūte mūrōs altōs cotīdiē oppugnābant. 3. Pedes mīlitum lapidibus quī dē mūrō iaciēbantur saepe vulnerābantur. 4. Quod novum cōnsilium dux cēpit? 5. Is perfidam puellam pulchrīs ōrnāmentīs temptāvit. 6. Quid puella fēcit? 7. Puella commōta aurō mīlitēs per portās dūxit. 8. Tamen praemia quae summō studiō petīverat nōn reportāvit. 9. Apud Rōmānōs antīquōs Tarpēia nōn est laudāta.

II. 1. What ship is that which I see? That («illud») ship is the Victory. It is sailing now with a favorable wind and will soon approach Italy. 2. The judges commanded the savages to be seized and to be killed. 3. The chiefs of the savages suddenly began to flee, but were quickly captured by the horsemen. 4. The king led the foot soldiers to the wall from which the townsmen were hurling stones with the greatest zeal.

[Illustration: NAVIGIUM]

LESSON XL

THE THIRD DECLENSION · CONSONANT STEMS (Continued)

[Special Vocabulary]

«Caesar, -aris», m., Cæsar «captīvus, -ī», m., captive, prisoner «cōnsul, -is», m., consul «frāter, frātris», m., brother (fraternity) «homō, hominis», m., man, human being «impedīmentum, -ī», n., hindrance (impediment); plur. «impedīmenta, -ōrum», baggage