Latin adjectives - declensions

Latin adjectives - declensions

Latin adjectives can belong to the 1st and the 2nd declension (adjectives in -us, most adjectives in -er) or the 3rd declension (adjectives with other endings). Following words are declined like adjectives: - possessive determiners : meus, tuus, suus, noster, voster (the 1st and the 2nd declension) - demonstrative pronouns (with modifications - see the link) - and some other pronominal adjectives : ullus, nullus, uter, neuter, solus, unus, totus, alter, alius.


Adjectives in -us, -a, -um
They are declined according to the 2nd declension in masculine and neuter gender, and to the 1st declension in feminine. Examples : magnus, bonus, possessive words : meus, tuus, suus: magnus, magna, magnum : singular
casemasculinumfemininumneutrum
nom.magnusmagnamagnum
voc.magnemagnamagnum
acc.magnummagnammagnum
gen.magnimagnaemagni
dat.magnomagnaemagno
abl.magnomagnamagno
Plural:
casemasculinumfemininumneutrum
nom. voc.magnimagnaemagna
acc.magnosmagnasmagna
gen.magnorummagnarummagnorum
dat. abl.magnismagnismagnis

The word "meus" (my) has a unique vocative "mi" : mi fili - my son.

Adjectives in -er, -(e)ra, -(e)rum
They are declined according to the 2nd declension in masculine and neuter gender, and to the 1st declension in feminine. Examples : sacer, dexter, miser, possessive words : noster, vester. Some of them lose -e- before all endings, some of them maintain it : sacer, sacra, sacrum, noster, nostra, nostrum, but : miser, misera, miserum, alter, altera, alterum:
sacer, sacra, sacrum : singular
casemasculinumfemininumneutrum
nom. voc.sacersacrasacrum
acc.sacrumsacramsacrum
gen.sacrisacraesacri
dat.sacrosacraesacro
abl.sacrosacrasacro
Plural:
casemasculinumfemininumneutrum
nom. voc.sacrisacraesacra
acc.sacrossacrassacra
gen.sacrorumsacrarumsacrorum
dat. abl.sacrissacrissacris


Peculiarities of pronominal adjectives
Pronominal adjectives ullus, nullus, uter, neuter, solus, unus, totus, alter, alius have irregular genitive singular in -ius and dat. sing. in -i in all genders :
gen. sg. : ullius, nullius, utrius, neutrius, solius, unius, totius, alterius, alius / alterius.
dat. sg. : ulli, nulli, utri, neutri, soli, uni, toti, alteri, alii.
Alius has two more specific forms : nom. acc. voc. neutri "aliud", its genitive alius is also often replaced with alterius.

Adjectives with other endings (3rd declension)
Adjectives with other endings (like omnis) are declined differently, according to the 3rd declension. The adjectives of 3rd declension have different forms in nom.voc.sing. (and acc.sg. neutri) and all other cases. They often change the form in gen. sing. Their gen. sing. has the ending -is.
Other forms can be formed on the basis of the genitive : -is changes to -i in dat. and abl. sg., -em in acc.sg. masc. fem., -es in nom. acc. voc. plur. masc.fem., -ia in nom. acc.voc. plur. neutri, -ium in gen.plur., -ibus in dat.abl.plur.

omnis, omnis, omne
casemasc. fem. sg.neutrum sg.masc.fem.pl. neutrum pl.
nom. voc.omnisomneomnesomnia
acc.omnemomneomnesomnia
gen.omnis omnium
dat.abl.omni omnibus
Nom. sg. of 3rd declension adjectives can have two forms (omnis, omne), one form only - especially adjectives in -ens (ingens) or 3 forms (relatively rare situation).

ingens
casemasc. fem. sg.neutrum sg.masc.fem.pl. neutrum pl.
nom. voc.ingensingensingentesingentia
acc.ingentemingensingentesingentia
gen.ingentis ingentium
dat.abl.ingenti ingentibus

The adjectives in comparative have two forms in nom. sing. -or and -us (superior, superius). They have abl. sing. in -e (superiore), nom. plur. neutri in -a (not -ia : superiora) and gen. plur. in -um (superiorum).

superior, superius
casemasc. fem. sg.neutrum sg.masc.fem.pl. neutrum pl.
nom. voc.superiorsuperiussuperioressuperiora
acc.superioremsuperiussuperioressuperiora
gen.superioris superiorum
dat.superiori superioribus
abl.superiore superioribus