Latin nouns have case-endings that make them like little phrases rather than like simple individual words. After you have studied the full chart of the declension, practice perceiving the ending-ambiguities immediately, and instead of thinking of the case-names (e.g. dative, ablative, etc.), give the full meanings as conventionalized here. This chart shows you which endings are unambiguous (have only one case as a possibility), and which are doubly- or triply-ambiguous.

Note: These ways of indicating the meanings of the words are only conventions: determining meaning in a sentence is more complex than substituting simple formulae like these. The purpose of this exercise is to get you into the habit of noticing and distinguishing and registering different inflected forms automatically and effortlessly. To achieve the necessary speed and ease of understanding, you should practice these exercises until you recognize the full meanings without having to pause and recall the declension-table. Be aware that in the ablative case, if the noun refers to a person rather than a thing, then the noun is made the object of the preposition a or ab: a puellā does not mean "by means of the girl" but [something was done] "by the girl."

Give the full meaning of each word-form or phrase in the practice-exercises below, following the conventions given above. N.B.: English-to-Latin exercises are found below the Latin-to-English ones.

1. philosophiae
2. īrā
3. pecūniārum
4. sententiīs
5. porta
6. fāmīs
7. nautae
8. īram
9. rosa
10. rosārum
11. vītās
12. pecūniam
13. fortūnās
14. philosophiam
15. nautās
16. vītīs
17. fortūna
18. puellā
19. portās
20. fāmās
21. patriam
22. puellārum
23. philosophiīs
24. rosam
25. rosae
26. puellam
27. patria
28. īra
29. fāmam
30. portā
31. puellās
32. sententiae
33. poenae
34. fōrmam
35. fāma
36. philosophiā
37. sententiās
38. poenam
39. vītae
40. philosophiārum
41. puellae
42. pecūniae
43. vītam
44. īrae
45. fōrmārum
46. nautīs
47. puella
48. portam
49. pecūniīs
50. nautam
51. pecūnia
52. fortūnam
53. fāmā
54. pecūniās
55. rosīs
56. poenīs
57. fortūnīs
58. rosā
59. portae
60. vītā
61. portīs
62. fāmārum
63. fōrma
64. poenās
65. fōrmā
66. fortūnā
67. fāmae
68. fortūnārum
69. sententiam
70. īrārum
71. īrīs
72. nauta
73. nautārum
74. patriā
75. patriās
76. pecūniā
77. philosophia
78. poena
79. patriārum
80. fōrmīs
81. poenā
82. patriīs
83. portārum
84. puellīs
85. rosās
86. sententia
87. fōrmae
88. sententiā
89. sententiārum
90. vīta
91. vītārum
92. poenārum
93. patriae
94. fortūnae
95. philosophiās
96. īrās
97. fōrmās
98. nautā

  

1. reputation (subject)
2. lives (direct object)
3. of the punishment
4. by the money
5. by the shapes
6. opinions (subject)
7. gates (direct object)
8. to the country
9. by the fortune
10. opinions (direct object)
11. by the country
12. shape (subject)
13. punishments (direct object)
14. farmers (direct object)
15. of the gate
16. by the shape
17. by the philosophy
18. by the fortunes
19. lives (subject)
20. to the money
21. girl (direct object)
22. to the angers
23. roses (subject)
24. to the sailor
25. money (direct object)
26. reputations (direct object)
27. to the farmer
28. to the punishments
29. fortune (subject)
30. of the reputation
31. of the girl
32. by the punishment
33. by the angers
34. philosophies (direct object)
35. by the reputation
36. farmers (subject)
37. girls (direct object)
38. to the philosophy
39. by the anger
40. girls (subject)
41. to the anger
42. anger (subject)
43. fortunes (direct object)
44. of the shape
45. of the rose
46. to the girls
47. by the gate
48. by the sailors
49. life (direct object)
50. to the monies
51. reputation (direct object)
52. to the punishment
53. gates (subject)
54. to the fortune
55. sailor (subject)
56. of the fortune
57. of the opinion
58. by the girl
59. by the countries
60. rose (direct object)
61. to the sailors
62. shape (direct object)
63. to the gate
64. country (subject)
65. punishments (subject)
66. of the anger
67. of the life
68. to the shape
69. by the rose
70. by the monies
71. reputations (subject)
72. of the punishments
73. opinion (direct object)
74. to the countries
75. fortune (direct object)
76. to the girl
77. money (subject)
78. of the sailor
79. of the farmer
80. by the opinion
81. by the philosophies
82. farmer (subject)
83. of the philosophies
84. philosophies (subject)
85. to the reputation
86. shapes (subject)
87. of the gates
88. philosophy (subject)
89. anger (direct object)
90. of the country
91. of the reputations
92. to the rose
93. by the life
94. by the punishments
95. life (subject)
96. shapes (direct object)
97. of the monies
98. to the gates
99. by the farmers
100. monies (subject)
101. gate (direct object)
102. of the farmers
103. to the fortunes
104. fortunes (subject)
105. of the girls
106. roses (direct object)
107. by the sailor
108. punishment (subject)
109. of the money
110. of the shapes
111. by the farmer
112. by the gates
113. opinion (subject)
114. angers (direct object)
115. of the countries
116. to the roses
117. by the lives
118. sailor (direct object)
119. to the opinion
120. punishment (direct object)
121. to the shapes
122. countries (subject)
123. of the lives
124. angers (subject)
125. of the roses
126. gate (subject)
127. of the philosophy
128. of the fortunes
129. by the reputations
130. by the girls
131. rose (subject)
132. of the sailors
133. by the opinions
134. country (direct object)
135. to the life
136. philosophy (direct object)
137. to the reputations
138. farmer (direct object)
139. to the philosophies
140. sailors (subject)
141. of the opinions
142. girl (subject)
143. of the angers
144. by the roses
145. countries (direct object)
146. to the lives
147. sailors (direct object)
148. to the opinions
149. monies (direct object)
150. to the farmers