But what about 3rd-declension accusatives...? Do you remember the rule for neuter nouns and adjectives in Latin? In Latin, as also in English and in all the Indo-European languages, the neuter accusative is the same as the nominative form.
So, the neuter nouns and adjectives of the 3rd declension do not have a special ending for you to learn; instead, you get to just use the nominative form for the accusative!
To get ready, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:
1. Finis coronat opus.
(The) end crowns (the) work.
Finis co-RO-nat opus.
You already know finis which is a 3rd-declension masculine noun; it's in the nominative case, so you know it's the subject of the sentence.
The verb coronat is new, but you already know the noun: corona, "crown."
Here's the 3rd-declension neuter noun, opus, "work." We use this word in the phrase magnum opus, literally, "a great work," or "masterpiece." The word could be in the nominative or accusative case; since finis is in the nominative case, that lets you know opus must be accusative, the object of the verb.
Here's the 3rd-declension neuter noun, opus, "work." We use this word in the phrase magnum opus, literally, "a great work," or "masterpiece." The word could be in the nominative or accusative case; since finis is in the nominative case, that lets you know opus must be accusative, the object of the verb.
The idea here is that the reason why you complete a project is so that you can have a "crowning achievement," reaching your final goal.
2. Caput Nili quaerit.
(Someone) seeks (the) head of-the-Nile.
Caput Nili quaerit.
You already know the word caput, and it's a neuter 3rd-declension noun. That means it could be the subject of the verb or the object, and the only way to know is by context. The sentence makes sense if caput is the object of the verb; it doesn't make sense as the subject.
2. Caput Nili quaerit.
(Someone) seeks (the) head of-the-Nile.
Caput Nili quaerit.
You already know the word caput, and it's a neuter 3rd-declension noun. That means it could be the subject of the verb or the object, and the only way to know is by context. The sentence makes sense if caput is the object of the verb; it doesn't make sense as the subject.
The word Nili is the genitive of Nilus, the name of the river Nile.
This is a proverbial way to refer to an incredibly difficult task, perhaps an impossible task. That's because the headwaters of the Nile were a mystery to the Romans. We now know that the Nile actually has two main sources: the Blue Nile and the White Nile. The Blue Nile flows out of Lake Tana in Ethiopia, and the White Nile from from Lake Victoria in Uganda (they meet in Khartoum, Sudan). You can see a map at Wikipedia: Nile.
3. Sola apis mel conficit.
Only (a) bee makes honey.
Sola apis mel CON-ficit.
You already know the feminine adjective sola and the feminine noun apis; the phrase sola apis is in the nominative case, the subject of the verb.
3. Sola apis mel conficit.
Only (a) bee makes honey.
Sola apis mel CON-ficit.
You already know the feminine adjective sola and the feminine noun apis; the phrase sola apis is in the nominative case, the subject of the verb.
You also know the word mel, a 3rd-declension neuter noun. It could be either nominative or accusative; the verb already has a subject, sola apis, so you know that it is the object.
The verb conficit, "makes, prepares," is new to you, but it is a compound of a verb you have seen already: facit. You can see this Latin root in English "confection."
The verb conficit, "makes, prepares," is new to you, but it is a compound of a verb you have seen already: facit. You can see this Latin root in English "confection."
The idea is that a bee, and only a bee, can make honey. Other insects build hives, like wasps for example, but for honey, you need a beehive.
4. Rotat omne fatum.
Fate rotates everything.
Rotat omne fatum.
The verb rotat is new to you, but you already know the noun that it comes from: rota. Latin rotat gives us English "rotate."
4. Rotat omne fatum.
Fate rotates everything.
Rotat omne fatum.
The verb rotat is new to you, but you already know the noun that it comes from: rota. Latin rotat gives us English "rotate."
You already know the neuter 3rd-declension adjective omne. In this sentence, the adjective is being used substantively, as a noun: "every(thing)."
You also know the neuter 2nd-declension noun fatum.
From context, you can see that fatum must be the subject of the verb, while omneis the object.
The metaphor here is the proverbial "Wheel of Fortune," Rota Fortunae. Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down: Fortuna never stops spinning her wheel.
5. Timet naufragus omne fretum.
(A) shipwrecked (man) fears every sea.
Timet NAU-fragus omne fretum.
The word naufragus, "shipwrecked," is new to you, but you can recognize the parts of this compound: nau- (ship, a root you've seen in nauta, "sailor") and frag- from the verb frangit, "breaks." So a naufragus is a "ship-break," or what we call "shipwreck" in English.
The word fretum means "strait" and also, more generally, the "sea" itself. It is a neuter 2nd-declension noun, and omne agrees the noun: omne fretum, "every sea." This phrase could be nominative or accusative; because naufragus is nominative, that lets you know that omne fretum is the accusative, making it the object of the verb.
Compare the English saying, "Once bitten, twice shy." If someone met a disaster at sea, every sea, even a calm sea, is a source of fear.
Here's a recap:
Plus the LOLCats!
Here's a recap:
- Finis coronat opus.
- Caput Nili quaerit.
- Sola apis mel conficit.
- Rotat omne fatum.
- Timet naufragus omne fretum.
Plus the LOLCats!
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