Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #101: The Ablative Case

The focus for today's lesson is something new: the ablative case! So far, you know the nominative, accusative and genitive cases, and now the ablative case makes four. That means there is just one more case to go, the dative (plus the vocative, which is not exactly a case).

So, there are lots of different ways that the ablative case is used in Latin, but we'll start with the easiest one to recognize: the ablative case is used with most of the prepositions in Latin (a few prepositions take the accusative; you'll learn about those later). For today's lesson, all the sayings feature the preposition in, meaning "in" like in English, plus the ablative.

For first-declension nouns, the nominative case ending is short a, and the ablative ending is long a. In some Latin textbooks is written ā, with a long mark, or "macon," written over the vowel. In normal printed Latin, however, there are no long marks, so I have chosen not to use long marks here.

About pronounciation. For the ancient Romans, there was a difference in pronounciation between long vowels and short vowels, and it was a difference of quantity, that is, the quantity of time (long or short) that the vowel was pronounced. In English, we don't make a quantity distinction. Instead, our vowels have different qualities. For example, the word "day" in English is not a long a; instead, it is a kind of a-i sound (as you might guess from the spelling).

The real key to Latin pronounciation (in my opinion) is the word stress, and whether the final a is short or long does not change the word stress. So, you can prolong the ablative -a if you want, but don't worry about it too much. Just focus on the meaning!

To get ready, here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before:

So, here are today's proverbs:

1. Periculum in mora.
(There is) danger in delay.
pe-RI-culum in mora.

You already know all the words in this saying, and the word mora (morā) is the ablative form of the noun mora.

Of course, we use this same saying in English too, and it has a special meaning in legal language; you can find out more at the wiktionary: danger in delay.

2. Latet anguis in herba.
(A) snake hides in (the) grass.
latet anguis in herba.

The word herba (herbā) is the ablative form of the noun herba, which you've seen before.

The noun anguis, "snake," is a third-declension noun in the nominative case; it's the subject of the verb.

We also use the phrase "snake in the grass" in English.

3. Dicit piger: leo est in via.
(The) lazy (man) says: (There's a) lion in (the) way.
dicit piger: leo est in via.

The word via (viā) is the ablative form of the noun via, another word you've seen before.

The masculine adjective piger, "lazy," is being used substantively here, as a noun: "lazy (man)." You haven't seen this adjective before, but you have seen the related noun: pigritia.

The word piger is in the nominative case, the subject of the verb dicit, while the third-declension noun, leo, is the subject of the verb est.

The idea is that someone lazy makes excuses, including absurd, impossible excuses, to get out of making any kind of effort. This saying actually comes from the Book of Proverbs in the Bible.

4. In cavea non canit luscinia.
(A) nightingale doesn't sing in (a) cage.
in CA-vea non canit lus-CI-nia.

The word cavea (caveā) is the ablative form of the noun cavea, "cage," and the Latin word is actually the origin of English "cage."

The noun luscinia, "nightingale," is in the nominative case, the subject of the verb.

The verb canit, "sings," is related to a verb you have seen already: cantat.

For a beautiful reflection on the sadness of the caged bird that does sing, see the poem Sympathy by the African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. (He was born in 1872 to parents who had been enslaved; more at Wikipedia.)

5. Gladiator in arena consilium capit.
(The) gladiator is-making (his) plan in (the) arena.
gladi-A-tor in a-RE-na con-SI-lium capit.

The word arena (arenā) is the ablative form of the noun arena, a Latin word we also use in English. The literal meaning of arena is "sand," and it then came to refer specifically to the sand-filled arena; the sand was spread to absorb the blood that was spilled in the competitions. You can learn more at Wikipedia: Arena.

The word gladiator is one we use in English, and it is in the nominative case here; it is the subject of the verb. You also know the Latin word it comes from: gladius.

The word consilium, "plan, advice, stratagem," is a second-declension neuter noun, so this form could be accusative or nominative; since you already have a subject for the verb, gladiator, that means consilium is in the accusative case, the object of the verb.

This statement is ironic: if the gladiator is only getting his plan together once he is in the arena, it is definitely too late! The successful gladiator needs to make his plan before he is in the arena.

Here's a recap: