Learning the Third Declension
Masculine / Feminine / Neuter 

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-ambiguous.

Masculine and Feminine Words of the Third Declension

Word

Full Meaning

 

RÊX

king (as subject)

 

RÊGIS

of the king

 

RÊGÎ

To / for the king

 

RÊGEM

king (as direct object)

 

RÊGE

By the king

 

RÊGÊS

(1) kings (as subject)
(2) kings (as direct object)

note plural
note plural

RÊGUM

Of the kings

note plural

RÊGIBUS

(1) To / for the kings
(2) By the kings

note plural
note plural

Neuters of the Third Declension

Word

Full Meaning

 

NÔMEN

(1) name (as subject)
(2) name (as direct object)

 

NÔMINIS

of the name

 

NÔMINÎ

To / for the name

 

NÔMINE

By the name

 

NÔMINA

(1) names (as subject)
(2) names (as direct object)

note plural
note plural

NÔMINUM

Of the names

note plural

NÔMINIBUS

(1) To / for the names
(2) By the names

note plural
note plural
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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 rêge; does not mean "by means of the king" but [something was done] "by the king."

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  tempus
   2  corporibus
   3  carmina
   4  labôrem
   5  virtûtis
   6  virgine
   7  virtûtum
   8  virtûtês
   9  nôminibus
  10  corpora
  11  hominem
  12  nômen
  13  uxôre
  14  carminibus
  15  virginum
  16  amôrês
  17  môrem
  18  temporî
  19  virginî
  20  virtûtibus
  21  virginis
  22  môrî
  23  carmine
  24  amôrum
  25  corpus
  26  amôribus
  27  cîvitâtês
  28  pâcem
  29  rêge
  30  uxôrum
  31  nôminî
  32  virtûte
  33  tempora
  34  amôrem
  35  uxôris
  36  carmen
  37  cîvitâte
  38  cîvitâtibus
  39  hominum
  40  hominês
  41  rêgem
  42  nômine
  43  corporum
  44  corporî
  45  rêgis
  46  amor
  47  hominibus
  48  labôrês
  49  uxôrem
  50  virtûtis
  51  temporum
  52  carminî
  53  cîvitâs
  54  pâcis
  55  labôribus
  56  môrês
  57  virginem
  58  nôminis
  59  tempore
  60  nôminum
  61  amôrî
  62  homô
  63  môribus
  64  pâcês
  65  virtûtem
  66  temporis
  67  môris
  68  corporis
  69  labor
  70  cîvitâtî
  71  pâcibus
  72  rêgês
  73  virtûs
  74  amôre
  75  cîvitâtum
  76  labôris
  77  uxôrî
  78  virginibus
  79  carminis
  80  temporibus
  81  nômina
  82  cîvitâtem
  83  môs
  84  rêgibus
  85  uxôrês
  86  virgô
  87  homine
  88  labôrum
  89  hominî
  90  rêgî
  91  hominis
  92  amôris
  93  pâx
  94  uxôribus
  95  virginês
  96  uxor
  97  labôrî
  98  pâcî
  99  corpore
  100  carminum
  101  cîvitâtis
  102  rêx
  103  môre
  104  pâcum
  105  labôre
  106  môrum
  107  pâce
  108  rêgum
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   1   states (as direct object)
   2   maidens (as direct object)
   3   of the excellence
   4   of the wives
   5   by the love
   6   by the excellences
   7   maiden (as direct object)
   8   to / for the wife
   9   of the king
  10   songs (as direct object)
  11   of the maiden
  12   of the times
  13   by the song
  14   wife (as direct object)
  15   bodies (as direct object)
  16   excellences (as direct object)
  17   of the peace
  18   of the character
  19   of the maidens
  20   love (as subject)
  21   to / for the maiden
  22   maiden (as subject)
  23   to / for the kings
  24   by the maidens
  25   to / for the time
  26   peace (as subject)
  27   body (as direct object)
  28   to / for the labors
  29   of the love
  30   by the state
  31   persons (as direct object)
  32   loves (as subject)
  33   of the loves
  34   time (as direct object)
  35   of the name
  36   song (as subject)
  37   excellence (as direct object)
  38   to / for the excellence
  39   of the time
  40   of the peaces
  41   of the excellences
  42   by the wives
  43   to / for the king
  44   by the body
  45   labor (as direct object)
  46   labors (as direct object)
  47   songs (as subject)
  48   of the state
  49   of the songs
  50   song (as direct object)
  51   to / for the maidens
  52   state (as subject)
  53   to / for the character
  54   by the times
  55   to / for the peace
  56   by the person
  57   customs (as direct object)
  58   states (as subject)
  59   of the states
  60   excellence (as subject)
  61   to / for the times
  62   body (as subject)
  63   to / for the loves
  64   by the labor
  65   by the kings
  66   names (as direct object)
  67   bodies (as subject)
  68   to / for the name
  69   of the bodies
  70   by the songs
  71   excellences (as subject)
  72   love (as direct object)
  73   to / for the wives
  74   person (as subject)
  75   to / for the songs
  76   by the custom
  77   peaces (as direct object)
  78   persons (as subject)
  79   of the persons
  80   by the loves
  81   maidens (as subject)
  82   by the peaces
  83   to / for the custom
  84   by the states
  85   to / for love
  86   by the name
  87   labor (as subject)
  88   kings (as direct object)
  89   labors (as subject)
  90   to / for the states
  91   of the labors
  92   by the excellence
  93   person (as direct object)
  94   wives (as subject)
  95   of the song
  96   by the names
  97   wife (as subject)
  98   to / for the labor
  99   to / for the peaces
  100   by the bodies
  101   to / for the song
  102   loves (as direct object)
  103   of the wife
  104   of the kings
  105   by the peace
  106   times (as direct object)
  107   customs (as subject)
  108   of the customs
  109   by the maiden
  110   custom (as direct object)
  111   times (as subject)
  112   of the body
  113   custom (as subject)
  114   to / for the bodies
  115   time (as subject)
  116   to / for the names
  117   by the customs
  118   to / for the person
  119   by the persons
  120   to / for the state
  121   by the king
  122   wives (as direct object)
  123   names (as subject)
  124   of the names
  125   by the wife
  126   kings (as subject)
  127   name (as subject)
  128   to / for the persons
  129   king (as subject)
  130   to / for the customs
  131   state (as direct object)
  132   to / for the excellences
  133   by the labors
  134   to / for the body
  135   by the time
  136   peaces (as subject)
  137   peace (as direct object)
  138   of the labor
  139   name (as direct object)
  140   of the person
  141   king (as direct object)
  142   of the custom