First and second declensions

For an introduction to adjectives and their declensions, see the Adjectives overview

1st and 2nd declension adjectives take the same endings as 1st and 2nd declension nouns.

If you look one up in a dictionary, you will find it with three possible endings,

bonus, -a, -um

bonus means good

The three different forms written out completely would be bonus, bona, bonum. These are the masculine, feminine, and neuter nominative singulars.

So

bonus filius
good son
but
bona filia
good daughter

Singular Plural
Masc Fem Neut Masc Fem Neut
Nominative bonus bona bonum boni bonae bona
Accusative bonum bonam bona bonos bonas bona
Genitive boni bonae boni bonorum bonarum bonorum
Dative bono bonae bono bonis bonis bonis
Ablative bono bona bono bonis bonis bonis

Summary of case functions

Nominative subject What it is that does the verb
Accusative (direct) object What it is the verb acts upon
Genitive 'of'
Dative (indirect) object 'for, to'
Ablative 'by, with, from'

Possessive adjectives

Latin also declines the possessive adjectives 'my, your, his, her, its, our, their' in the same fashion; that is to say, they are first and second declension adjectives.

  1. et stuppea vincula collo ... Exercise 1
  2. magnus adulescentium numerus. Exercise 11
  3. inde loci mortalia saecla creavit ... Exercise 9
  4. quia anima mea dulcedine requiescit. Exercise 5
  5. manu pineam quate taedam. Exercise 4

Examples drawn from the exercises

Locate the adjective in each sentence and identify its number, gender and case. Note with which noun the adjective agrees.

The number after each question indicates the exercise from which it has been drawn, so that you can look at the example in context.

Further examples drawn from Cicero

  1. idemque nunc lectissimos viros ... Pro Caelio5
  2. Sunt enim ista maledicta pervulgata ... Pro Caelio6
  3. Quis est enim, cui via ista non pateat? Pro Caelio8
  4. tum etiam multos ... viros et bonos ... Pro Caelio14
  5. ... cupidus et firmus amicus ... Pro Caelio14