The ablative will regularly be found associated with the following prepositions:
| ad | to |
| ante | before |
| apud | among, at the house of |
| circum | around |
| contra | against |
| extra | outside |
| in | into |
| inter | between |
| intra | within |
| per | through |
| post | after |
| praeter | beyond |
| prope | near |
| propter | on account of |
| super | above |
| sub | under |
| trans | across |
| ultra | beyond |
The three prepositions in, sub, super can also take the ablative. When they are found with the accusative, they denote motion towards, around, or beyond.
I walk in the garden in Latin would be: in horto ambulo but I walk into the garden in Latin would be: in hortum ambulo.
For other uses of the accusative, see Uses of the accusative.
Examples from the exercises
Identify the preposition and accusative in each sentence. Translate.
The number after each question indicates the exercise from which it has been drawn, so that you can look at the example in context.
- duorum pedum in latitudinem amplectitur.Exercise 10
- haec poena apud eos est gravissima.Exercise 11
- et ne nos inducas in tentiationem.Exercise 2
- crescit in dies singulos hostium numerus.Exercise 7
- per auras crescendo. Exercise 9
Further examples drawn from Cicero
- sed me ipse consolabar existimans non longinquum inter nos digressum et discessum fore De senectute XXIII.84
- Multas ad res perutiles Xenophontis libri sunt. De senectute XVII.59
- Sed venio ad agricolas, ... De senectute XVI.56
- censorque ante superiorem consulatum fuisset De senectute V.16
- Atque haec ille egit septimo decimo anno post alterum consulatum ... De senectute V.16
- cum apud regem Pyrrhum legatus esset ... De senectute XIII.63
- ...tamquam contra morbum sic contra senectutem ... De senectute XI.35
- ... qui amisso oppido fugerat in arcem. De senectute IV.11
- ad Capuam profectus sum. De senectute IV.10
- Sed redeo ad me. De senectute X.31
