Lesson 1: Introduction to verbs

What is a verb?
A verb is a word that describes an action. Verbs are often called doing words. Examples of verbs: to work, to call, to pray, to be, to think.

First conjugation verbs

Verbs are divided into groups called conjugations. You can recognise first conjugation verbs as they end are. These are examples of first conjugation verbs

confirmare dare edificare laborare legare orare vocare

to confirm to give to build to work to leave to pray to call

To conjugate, or list the parts, of first conjugation verbs 1. Remove the are 2. Add these endings

-o -as -at -amus -atis -ant

I you he/she/it we you they

Look at our example of dare

Latin do das dat damus datis dant

Means in English I give you give he/she/it gives we give you give they give

Did you notice that most of the endings include a? This is called the Key letter. The exception is the form for I which ends in o. Can you see how these examples were made?

Latin laboro legas edificat oramus vocatis legant

Means in English I work you bequeath he/she/it builds we pray you call they bequeath

1. In English, the words I, you, she, he, it, we or they show who is doing the verb. In Latin, these words are usually unnecessary. damus means we give. A separate word for we is not needed. 2. In Latin, there are two ways of saying you. For example, both das and datis mean you give. The form used depends on the number of people:

You (singular) when there is one person, for example das You (plural) when there are two or more people, for example datis

There were two forms of you in English: thou givest and you give. Thou is not used widely in modern English.

Latin document points This tutorial concentrates on I, he/she/it, we and they. These are more likely to appear in records than the two forms of you.

3. In our example of dare, the action is happening now the present tense. In English, there are three ways of describing actions in the present:

In Latin, just one word can be used to convey all three meanings. Latin is more concise than English. It uses fewer words to express the same meaning. Dont worry if this seems like a lot to take in. You will get used to Latin and it will become easier. You can get encouragement and advice on the help the learning process page.

Lesson 2: Introduction to nouns; first declension nouns; cases of nouns

What is a noun?
a person, place or thing. For example: the queen, a parish, the charter. Nouns are divided into groups called declensions. Nouns that end in a belong to the first declension. They are mostly feminine. In Latin, there are no words for a or the.

When you are reading a document, you can decide which meaning is appropriate. These are examples of Latin nouns from the first declension.

domina ecclesia parochia terra vidua

Have you noticed that they all end in a?

lady church parish land widow

Peoples names are also nouns. In Latin, womens names often end in a.

Maria Isabella

Mary Isabella

First declension nouns

The first part of a noun stays the same, but endings are added to give different meanings:

Singular carta carta cartam

Meaning charter(s) Subject of the sentence: A charter costs 2 pounds. Oh charter(s)! charter(s) Object of the sentence: The king grants the charter. of the charter(s) The seal of the charter is broken. to or for the charter(s) They refer to the charters. by, with or from the charter(s) He claims the land by a charter.

Plural carte carte cartas

carte carte carta

cartarum cartis cartis

The ending of a noun is crucial, as it tells you

whether the noun is singular or plural what role the noun is playing in the sentence

Read through carta again. Can you see that some endings are the same, but have different meanings? For example, carte means

Charters Of the charter To or for the charter

To decide which meaning is appropriate, read the rest of the sentence. For example, if part of a sentence is she asked the king and the remaining word is carte, the meaning of cartethat would make sense is for the charter.

All first declension nouns take the same endings as carta except

anima filia

soul daughter

filiabus means to or for the daughters and by, with or from the daughters animabus means to or for the souls and by, with or from the souls

A few first declension nouns are masculine. You are only likely to come across these three words:

agricola papa parsona

farmer pope parson

You can see that a noun has six different meanings, each relating to a case.

Six cases of nouns 1. Nominative

Used for the subject of the verb. The subject is the person or thing doing the verb. For example

regina orat

the queen prays

The queen is the subject, as she is praying. The queen is in the nominative case.

2. Vocative
Used to call or address someone or something. For example

O domina! O regina! O Maria!

Oh lady! Oh queen! Oh Mary!

The vocative case is the same as the nominative, except in the second declension.

Latin document points

The vocative case is used in chronicles and in the inscriptions on tombs. You will not find it in many other sources.

3. Accusative
Used for the object of a verb. The object is the person or thing the verb is done to. For example

domina cartam confirmat.

The lady confirms the charter.

the lady is the subject and in the nominative. the charter is the object and in the accusative.

4. Genitive
Used for nouns that are of something else and also to show possession. For example

terra ecclesie.

The land of the church. The widows daughters.

filie vidue. 5. Dative

Used for nouns that are to or for something. For example

terram ecclesie do.

I give land to the church.

I give is the verb do. land is the object it is in the accusative. to the church is in the dative.

6. Ablative
Used for nouns that are by, with or from something. For example

papa ecclesiam carta confirmat.

The pope confirms the church by a charter.

the pope is the subject it is in the nominative. confirms is the verb. the church is the object it is in the accusative. by a charter is ablative.

Word order in Latin

Think about the order that words are arranged in sentences.

In English, The word order is:

I give land. subject (I) + verb (give) + object (land).

The Latin translation is: The word order is: The subject is:
Often in Latin

terram do. object (land) + verb (I give). I, which is expressed in the worddo.

The subject is at the beginning of the sentence The verb is at the end of the sentence The object of the sentence follows the subject

domine cartas dant. The word order is:

the ladies give charters. subject (the ladies) + object (charters) + verb (give).

However, these rules were not always applied and vary between documents. You may find that the word order is different in your document. It may even be in the same order as English. Look out for sentences that do and dont keep to these rules during the tutorial.

Lesson 3: Second declension nouns; to be

Second declension nouns

The largest group is masculine and ends in us, er or ir Some are neuter and end in um

Masculine us ending These are declined with these endings:

Case Nominative Vocative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative

Singular -us -e or -i -um -i -o -o

Plural -i -i -os -orum -is -is

Look at our example of dominus lord, sir, the Lord

Case Nominative Vocative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative

Singular dominus domine dominum domini domino domino

Plural domini domini dominos dominorum dominis dominis

More second declension masculine nouns: More second declension masculine nouns: Top of page

annus deus filius

year God son

Mens names often belong to the second declension:

Gregorius Henricus Stephanus Willelmus

Gregory Henry Stephen William

Here are some sentences showing you how the new words are used:

dominus terram legat terra domini Deo et ecclesie lego Henrico confirmo Willelmus terram Gregorii dat

The lord bequeaths land The land of the lord I leave to God and the Church I confirm to Henry William gives the land of Gregory

dominus et domina The lord and the lady terram Deo et ecclesie confirm the land to confirmant God and the Church anno is ablative and here means in the year; dominiis genitive

anno domini

in the year of [our] Lord

Tip

Often abbreviated to AD, anno domini is used in the Christian calendar to express dates after the birth of Jesus.

Vocative singular is the same as the nominative except in second declension nouns

Ending us when the vocative ends with an e Ending ius in names like Gregorius vocative ends with an i

Masculine er ending
Top of page These take the same endings as masculine us ending nouns except

Nominative singular ends in er Vocative singular is the same as the nominative You will only come across these four words. They are declined in the grammar table.

armiger faber magister puer

They can be divided into two groups. First;

esquire smith master, teacher boy

puer and armiger which always keep their e when they are declined. Second; magister and faber. When they are declined, they only keep the e of the er in the nominative and vocative singular cases. For example

faber terras legat

The smith bequeaths lands

In this sentence, faber has an e because it is in the nominative case.

cartas magistro Stephano

I confirm charters to master

confirmo

Stephen

Whereas in this sentence, magister has lost its e, because it is in the dative case.
Tip

Thinking of related English words may help you remember this: magistrate and fabricate do not have an e.

'vir'

man, husband

The only second declension noun ending ir. It is fully declined in the grammar table.

Neuter um ending
Top of page These are declined with these endings:

Case Nominative Vocative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative

Singular -um -um -um -i -o -o

Plural -a -a -a -orum -is -is

Look at our example of regnum reign

Case Nominative Vocative Accusative Genitive Dative

Singular regnum regnum regnum regni regno

Plural regna regna regna regnorum regnis

Ablative
These are more neuter nouns:

regno

regnis
Top of page

mercatum testamentum regnum regine Marie

market will, testament the reign of Queen Mary

Some neuter nouns that end in um have a stem that ends in i

escambium manerium

exchange manor

Westmonasterium Westminster
They decline in the same way but keep the i.

dominus manerii Stephanus maneria carta confirmat

The lord of the manor Stephen confirms the manors by charter

Handy hints

Learn noun endings quickly by looking for patterns: 1. Nominative and vocative endings are always the same except for second declension nouns ending in us. 2. Nominative and accusative cases of neuter nouns are always the same. The plural always ends in a. 3. Accusative singular for masculine and feminine nouns always ends in m; accusative plural for masculine and feminine nouns always ends in s. 4. Genitive plural of all declensions ends in um. 5. Dative and ablative plurals are always the same. In the first and second declensions, the ending is usually is.

esse - to be
This is an irregular verb, both in English and in Latin, as it does not follow the usual patterns of conjugation.

Latin sum es est sumus estis sunt

Means in English I am you are (singular) he/she/it is we are you are (plural) they are

esse does not have an object. Words associated with it are in the nominative case. Dont try to put them into the accusative.

vir sum dominus est testamentum est Isabella et Maria sumus agricole sumus vidue sunt

I am a man He is the lord It is the will We are Isabella and Mary We are the farmers They are the widows nominative plural as there is more than one

Isabella regina est.

Isabella is the queen

Both Isabella and regina must be in the nominative

domine regine sunt Maria et Isabella

The ladies are queens Mary and Isabella are

regine sunt

queens.

In this example, Maria and Isabella are nominative singular, as there is one of each woman. regine is nominative plural as there are two queens.
Latin document points: medieval names

Mens names often include the phrase son of: Henricus filius Willelmi Henry son of William. Willelmus filius Henrici William son of Henry. cartas Willelmo filio Stephani do I give charters to William son of Stephen.

Willelmo and filio are both in the dative case because the charters are given to him. Stephani stays in the genitive, because William is the son of Stephen.

Lesson 4: Non; second conjugation verbs; numbers

non - not
Its easy to turn a sentence into a negative sentence. Put non in front of the verb:

agricola laborat agricola non laborat regina cartas confirmat regina cartas non confirmat
Second conjugation verbs
These end in -ere.

The farmer works The farmer does not work The queen confirms the charters The queen does not confirm the charters

debere habere iacere monere

To conjugate

to owe to have to lie, be situated to warn, summon

movere sedere tenere videre

to move to sit to hold to see

these verbs, remove the -ere and add these endings:

Latin -eo -es -et -emus -etis -ent

English I you he/she/it we you they

Latin habeo habes habet habemus habetis habent

English I have you have he/she/it has we have you have they have
Top of page

The key letter in these endings is e.

dominus Stephanus maneria tenet ecclesiam video cartas terris tenemus dominos monemus Gregorius testamentum non habet
Handy hints for conjugating verbs All verbs that end with -o -t -mus -nt relate to I relate to he/she/it relate to we relate to they

Lord Stephen holds the manors. I see the church. We hold the charters for the lands. We warn the lords. Gregory does not have a will.

Remember: this applies to all conjugations.

Numbers

quattuor quinque sex septem octo novem decem centum

four five six seven eight nine ten one hundred

(sometimes quatuor just one t)

These numbers do not decline. dominus quattuor maneria tenet octo parochie sunt centum dominos monemus vidua quinque maneria ecclesie legat
Introducing new nouns
From now on, new nouns will be written as they appear in the word list. They will be given in the nominative singular, followed by the genitive singular ending. The gender of the noun will be given and its meaning in English.

The lord holds four manors. There are eight parishes. We summon one hundred lords. The widow leaves five manors to the church.

The genitive singular ending is very important, as it tells you which declension the noun belongs to.

Lesson 5: First and second declension adjectives; egoand nos

Adjectives
Concentrate on learning words marked with an asterisk* first. An adjective is a word used to describe a noun

novum testamentum bonus dominus predicta regina Isabella sancta Maria

An adjective

the new will a good lord the aforesaid Queen Isabella Saint Mary

o o o o o

Is normally in front of the noun it describes; sometimes it is behind Agrees with the noun in Gender (masculine, feminine or neuter) Number (singular or plural) Case (nominative, vocative, accusative, genitive, dative or ablative) Belongs to one of two groups depending on whether it declines Like first and second declension nouns Like third declension nouns

This lesson covers adjectives that decline like first and second declension nouns. Look at our example of novus, -a, -um new

novus, -a, -um new Singular Case Nominativ e Masculin e novus Feminin e nova Neute r novum Masculin e novi novi Plural Feminin e nove nove Neuter nova nova

Vocative

nove

nova novam nove nove nova

novum novos novum novi novo novo novis novis novorum

novas novarum novis novis

nova novoru m novis novis

Accusative novum Genitive Dative Ablative novi novo novo

Most first and second declension adjectives take these endings.

novam ecclesiam video

Noun and adjective are feminine accusative singular.

I see the new church.

parsona pueros novos vocat

The parson calls the new boys.

Noun and adjective are masculine accusative plural. Dont assume that the ending of the noun and the adjective are always the same. Sometimes they are different, for example

novus agricola est

He is the new farmer.

Noun and adjective are both masculine nominative singular. In the word list, first and second declension adjectives are written novus , -a, -um This shows the three nominative singular forms:

novus is masculine and declines like dominus from the second declension nova is feminine and declines like carta from the first declension novum is neuter and declines like testamentum from the second declension

When you see an adjective written like this, you will know that it is first or second declension. You will be able to decline it using the same endings as novus.

antiquus , -a, -um bonus , -a, -um dimidius , -a, -um dominicus , -a, -um magnus , -a, -um

old good half demesne great, big

predictus , -a, -um quietus , -a, -um sanctus , -a, -um ecclesia sancte Marie ecclesia sancti Edwardi ego dimidium manerium filiabus predictis domini do predicta domina tenet dimidium mercatum nova carta dominice terre domini sunt dimidiam marcam predicto agricole damus

aforesaid free, quit saint, holy

church of Saint Mary church of Saint Edward I give a half manor to the aforesaid daughters of the lord. The aforesaid lady holds half a market by a new charter. They are the demesne lands of the lord. We give half a mark to the aforesaid farmer.
beautiful

Edwardus, -i (m.) Edward

Look out for adjectives that end er in the masculine nominative singular. Most lose the e when declined, for example pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum A few keep the e, for example liber, -era, -erum free These are fully declined in the table of grammar

Irregular adjectives
There are nine irregular adjectives. These decline like novus, -a, -um but

Genitive singular ends -ius Dative singular ends i for all genders

You are most likely to find unus, totus and alius, so remember these three.

alius , alia, aliud alter , altera, alterum

the other [genitive singular is sometimes alterius]* the other (of two things)

neuter , neutra, neutrum neither (of two things) nullus , -a, -um solus , -a, -um totus , -a, -um ullus , -a, -um unus , -a, -um uter , utra, utrum no, none alone, only all, whole* any one* which (of two things) And they owe one mark to the other lord. I give the whole manor, half the market, other lands and eight marks to the sons of Henry.

et debent unam marcam alii domino totum manerium dimidium mercatum terras alias et octo marcas filiis Henrici do
Numbers

Numbers two and three also decline. Obviously, they only have plural forms. You will learn the endings with practice.

duo Case Nominative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative Masculine duo duo(s) duorum duobus duobus Feminine due duas duarum duabus duabus Neuter duo duo duorum duobus duobus

two

totam terram duabus filiabus Gregorii legamus

We leave all the land to the two daughters of Gregory.

duo maneria et duas marcas Willelmo filio Edwardi carta do et confirmo

I give and confirm by charter to William son of Edward two manors and two marks. tres three

Case Nominative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative

Masculine and Feminine tres tres trium tribus tribus

Neuter tria tria trium tribus tribus They are the parsons of three parishes.

parsone trium parochiarum sunt

Handy hints - patterns in word endings Keep looking for these. For example, when you read through tres, note that

Genitive plural ends in um Dative and ablative plurals are the same

What other patterns can you see?

Lesson 5: First and second declension adjectives; ego and nos

ego and nos
Usually, Latin verbs do not need separate words for I, you, he, she, it, we or they. However, they are sometimes used to add emphasis, particularly at the beginning of grants. Ego and nos are called personal pronouns
Latin document points You are only likely to come across ego I and nos we.

since they stand in the place of a person.

ego Maria regina predictum I, Queen Mary, give and confirm manerium ecclesie sancti Gregorii the aforesaid manor to the do et confirmo church of saint Gregory. We, William and Isabella, give nos Willelmus et Isabella terras et and confirm the lands and maneria filiis et filiabus Henrici manors to the sons and damus et confirmamus daughters of Henry. I, Stephen, leave all the lands to God and to the church of Saint Mary

ego Stephanus terras totas Deo et ecclesie sancte Marie lego

Note that ego or nos is at the opposite end of the sentence from the verb.

Lesson 6: Hic, hec, hoc; third and fourth conjugation verbs

hic, hec, hoc:
Hic, hec, hoc has several meanings

This when it's an adjective describing a noun He, she, it when it's a pronoun standing in for a noun

hic, hec, hoc agrees with the noun it relates to.

Singular Case Masculine Feminine hec hanc huius huic hac Neuter hoc hoc huius huic hoc Adjective this this of this to this by this Pronoun he, she, it him, her, it his, her, its to him/her/it by him/her/it

Nominative hic Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative Plural Case hunc huius huic hoc

Masculine Feminine he has harum his or hiis his or hiis

Neuter hec hec horum his or hiis his or hiis

Adjective these these of these to these by these

Pronoun they them their to them by them

Top of page

Nominative hi Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative hos horum his or hiis his or hiis

hec est concordia

this is the agreement

concordia, e (f.) agreement

confirmamus hac carta hec maneria domino lego hoc testamento has predictas septem acras terre

we confirm by this charter these manors to the lord. I bequeath by this will these acra, aforesaid seven acres of land. e (f.) acre plegius, i (m.)pledge

hi sunt plegii Edwardi Basset

These are the pledges of Edward Basset

As always, dont try to learn all of the endings at once! First look for patterns

Genitive singular is the same for all genders Dative singular is the same for all genders Nominative singular and accusative singular are the same for neuter Dative and ablative plurals are the same

Third conjugation verbs

Verbs from the third conjugation end ere. When the -ere is removed, the stem is either a consonant or u.

cognoscere concedere dicere mittere ostendere petere reddere solvere

To conjugate these verbs

to know, get to know to concede, grant, allow to say to send to show to require, seek, petition to give back, pay to pay

1. Remove the -ere to find the stem 2. Add these endings

Latin -o -is -it -imus -itis -unt

Look at our example of concedere to concede

English I you (singular) he/she/it we you (plural) they

Latin concedo concedis concedit concedimus conceditis concedunt regina totum manerium Westmonasterii magistro Stephano concedit

English I concede you concede (singular) he/she/it concedes we concede you concede (plural) they concede

The queen concedes the whole manor of Westminster to master Stephen

The widows do not surrender vidue predictas terras filiabus the aforesaid lands to the domini non reddunt daughters of the lord. nos Edwardus et Johanna tres We, Edward and Joanna, pay marcas domino novo three marks to the new lord. solvimus predicta vidua reginam novam petit the aforesaid widow petitions the new queen quod, because, that (after to know,to say etc.)

Johanna, e (f.) Joanna

Maria dicit quod non habet cartam

Mary says that she does not have the charter

Some third conjugation verbs are called io verbs because they have different endings

-io for the I form (instead of o) -iunt for the they form (instead of unt) to make, do

You are most likely to come across facere

novum testamentum facio

I make a new will

Fourth conjugation verbs; obire

Verbs from the fourth conjugation end -ire.

audire scire venire

to hear to know to come

To conjugate these verbs, remove the -ire and add these endings.

Latin -io -is -it -imus -itis -iunt

Look at our example of venire to come

English I you (singular) he/she/it we you (plural) they

Top of page

Latin venio venis venit venimus venitis veniunt

English I come you come (singular) he/she/it comes we come you come (plural) they come

agricole ad curiam veniunt

the farmers come to the court

ad curiam, e (f.) to the court

non scio

I do not know

Handy hints - third and fourth conjugation verbs Did you notice the similarities between the endings of regular third and fourth declension verbs? Look back at the lesson and check. The difference is that in the fourth declension, the I and they forms have an i. Noticing patterns like this makes learning Latin much easier.

Obire to die This is an irregular verb, which although similar to a fourth conjugation verb, is a compound of 'eo, ire, ivi, itum - to go'. It conjugates in the following way:

obeo obis obit obimus obitis obeunt

I die you die he/she dies we die you (pl) die they die

Lesson 7: Third declension nouns and adjectives

Third declension nouns
You can identify third declension nouns by their genitive singular ending -is. You cannot identify third declension nouns in the nominative because they

Have various forms and spelling Have endings that do not reveal their gender Can be masculine, feminine or neuter

To decline a third declension noun:

Find the genitive singular, which will end -is Remove the -is, leaving you with the stem Add the endings shown below

Endings for Masculine and Feminine nouns

Top of page

Case Nominative Vocative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative

Singular various same as nominative -em -is -i -e

Plural -es -es -es -um -ibus -ibus

Look at our example of rex, regis (m.) king

Case Nominative Vocative

Singular rex rex

Plural reges reges

Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative

regem regis regi rege

reges regum regibus regibus

Endings for Neuter nouns

Top of page

Case Nominative Vocative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative

Singular various same as nominative same as nominative -is -i -e

Plural -a -a -a -um -ibus -ibus

The genitive, dative and ablative endings are the same as for rex.
Remember nominative and accusative cases of neuter nouns are always the same. The plural always ends in a.

Look at our example of jus, juris (n.) law, right

Case Nominative Vocative Accusative Genitive

Singular jus jus jus juris

Plural jura jura jura jurum

Dative Ablative

juri jure

juribus juribus
Top of page

Common third declension nouns:

abbas, abbatis (m.) etas, etatis (f.) executor, executoris (m.)

abbot age executor

heres, heredis (m., f.) heir homo, hominis (m.) miles, militis (m.) pater , patris (m.) uxor , uxoris (f.) man knight father wife

You need to know the genitive case of a third declension noun, in order to decline it. Therefore, both the nominative and genitive forms are provided in full in this tutorial.

curia domini Regis Gregorius Basset et Johanna Hastings executores Willelmi Stuart sunt

the court of the lord king Gregory Basset and Joanna Hastings are the executors of William Stuart

These personal names decline like third declension nouns:

Agnes, Agnetis Johannes, Johannis Mathildis, Mathildis Simo, Simonis

(f.) (m.) (f.) (m.)

Agnes John Matilda Simon

predictus abbas Johannes hoc The aforesaid Abbot John manerium tenet holds this manor. Simo filius et heres predicte Agnetis est et etatis decem annorum est Simon is the son and heir of the aforesaid Agnes and is [of] the age of ten years.
Top of page A phrase that you will often see at the beginning of royal documents is

Willelmus dei gratia rex Maria dei gratia regina

William by the grace of God king Mary by the grace of God queen I, John, by the grace of God king, give and confirm the land by this charter to Abbot Simon

gratia, -e (f.) grace

ego Johannes dei gratia rex terram abbati Simoni hac carta do et confirmo
Genitive plural '-ium'

Some third declension nouns end -ium in the genitive plural. For example pars, partis (f.) part; civis, civis (m.) citizen

summa partium

the sum of the parts

summa, -e (f.) sum

Third declension adjectives

These have the same endings as third declension nouns except that adjectives have

-i for ablative singular -ium for genitive plural -ia for nominative, vocative and accusative neuter plural

There are two main forms of third declension adjectives

Masculine and Feminine Neuter

Case

Singular

Plural omnes omnes omnes omnium omnibus omnibus common faithful final lawful parochial total

Singular omne omne omne omnis omni omni

Plural omnia omnia omnia omnium omnibus omnibus

Top of page

Nominative omnis Vocative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative omnis omnem omnis omni omni

communis , -e fidelis, -e finalis, -e legalis, -e parochialis , -e totalis, -e summa totalis

, parish

sum total (used in

accounts) hec est finalis concordia lego terram ecclesie omnium sanctorum
Declined in the Grammar table

this is the final concord I leave the land to the church of All Saints

2. Masculine, feminine and neuter are the same in the Nominative

ingens, ingentis presens, presentis sapiens, sapientis vetus, veteris

huge present wise old

Top of page forms of these are given in the word list.

The nominative and genitive

They take the same endings as omnis.

confirmamus hac presenti carta domine Mathildi ius curiam tenere

We confirm by this present charter to the lady Matilda the right to hold a court.

Did you notice the use of tenere to mean to hold?

Lesson 8: Prepositions; possession

Prepositions
A preposition is a word that goes in front of a noun. The preposition does not decline, but it changes the case of the noun that follows it. Concentrate on learning words marked with an asterisk* first. Most prepositions are followed by a noun in the accusative or the ablative case. Some can be followed by a noun in either case, depending on their meaning.

Prepositions + accusative case

ad* ante* apud* inter* iuxta* per* post*

towards, to, for, at before at, by, near, to, towards among, between next to, near, according to by, through, during after
Top of page

Prepositions + ablative case

a (before a consonant)/ab (before a vowel) by, from coram cum* de* in the presence of, before with from, concerning, of, for

e (before a consonant)/ex (before a vowel) from, out of pre* pro* before for, during, as far as, in accordance with, in return for

sine

without

Prepositions + either accusative or ablative case

in* super*

+ accusative + accusative

into, onto over

+ ablative + ablative

in, on upon
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Prepositions which can take both cases use

accusative to describe movement towards something ablative to describe the position of something which is static

finis inter Mariam et Simonem de terris iuxta ecclesiam apud Westmonasterium domina tenet manerium de Westmonasterio cum pertinenciis de rege pro servicio de uno milite

Fine between Mary and finis, -is (m.) fine Simon concerning the lands next to the church at Westminster The lady holds the manor of Westminster with appurtenances of the king for the service service of one knight pertinentia , -e (f.) appurtenance servicium , -ii (n.) service

Lesson 8: Prepositions; possession

To show possession
To indicate who something belongs to, we use:

Latin meus, mea, meum

Means my

Declines like novus, -a, -um

tuus, tua, tuum

your, yours novus, -a, -um (one person) his, her, its, novus , -a, -um their (own) our, ours pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum

suus, sua, suum

noster, nostra, nostrum

your, yours vester , vestra, vestrum (two or pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum more people)
These decline like the adjectives novus and pulcher, so you will be familiar with the endings. They are fully declined for you in the Grammar table They agree with whatever is owned in

Case Gender Number anima, -e (f.).

The Latin word for soul is

A soul is feminine, regardless of whether it belongs to a woman or a man. In our example, soul is feminine, nominative, singular and therefore my is too.

pater noster

our father

nominative, masculine, singular

testamentum suum his/her will

nominative, neuter, singular

abbas terras cum pertinenciis militibus dat pro serviciis suis. solvit sex solidos de fine suo. Et quietus est. condo testamentum meum in hunc modum lego totam terram meam uxori mee. ordino Henricum et Agnetem meos veros executores. juratores dicunt super sacramentum suum quod Jacobus est heres Johannis

The abbot gives lands with appurtenances to the knights for their services. He pays six shillings of his fine. And he is quit. I make my will in this manner: I leave all my land to my wife. solidus , -i (m.) shilling modus , -i (m.) manner, method condere to make a will

I appoint Henry and Agnes my true executors. The jurors state on their oath that James is the heir of John.

verus, -a, -um true ordinare to appoint

sacramentum , -i (n.) oath Jacobus , -i (m.) James jurator, juratoris (m.) juror

Top of page
Latin document points The king or queen often referred to himself or herself as we (nos) and to his or her possessions as our (noster). in curia nostra in our court (phrase used by king/queen for the royal court)

You will also find eius used for of him, of her, of it and eorum, earum, eorum (masculine, feminine and neuter plural respectively) used for of them, theirs.

Edwardus et uxor eius finem de duobus solidis debent

Edward and his wife owe a fine of two shillings.

Lesson 9: Using the word list for verbs; verbs - past tense
Using the word list
We have set out the word list for this tutorial in the same way as most Latin dictionaries. When you use the word list, you will be gaining the experience and confidence to use a dictionary. Concentrate on learning words marked with an asterisk* first. Verbs are given in parts (called the principal parts ). Our example is tenere to hold:

The parts are always arranged in this order: sometimes part four is not given. Top of page
Remember That parts one, two and three tell you: the I form of the present tense, the infinitive and the I form of the past tense respectively.

Knowing this, you will be able to look a verb up in a dictionary and conjugate it. Why not try looking up verbs in the word list for practice?

Verbs - past tense

The past tense is used for actions that have been completed. All verbs have the same endings in the past tense:

Ending -i -isti -it -imus -istis

Person I you (singular) he/she/it we you (plural)

-erunt

they
Top of page

Look at our example of tenere to hold

Latin tenui tenuisti tenuit tenuimus tenuistis tenuerunt

Means I held you held he/she/it held we held you held they held

and I have held you have held he/she/it has held we have held you have held they have held

The past tense can be translated in two ways in English. You will be able to work out which meaning is appropriate for your document. The endings are added onto the stem of the verb. The stem in the past tense is slightly

different from the stem in the present tense. This table shows how the stems of first, second and fourth conjugation verbs are formed in the past tense. Top of page

Conjugation Infinitive (to ...) Stem in past tense

First

Second

Fourth audire audiv-

laborare tenere laborav- tenu-

idem Edwardus manerium de Johanne tenuit per novem annos Georgius in terra dominica domini laboravit

The same Edward held the manor from John for nine years. George worked in the lords demesne land.

idem the same

Georgius, -ii (m.) George

testamentum probatum coram domino apud Eboracum in predicto anno domini

Will proved before the lord at York in the aforesaid year of the Lord

Eboracum, -i (n.) York probatum, proved probare to prove a will

Two important verbs have an irregular stem:

dare obire

to give to die

past stem is ded past stem is obii

Henricus rex terram per cartam suam dedit. in hoc anno abbas de Eboraco obiit.

King Henry gave the land by his charter. In this year the abbot of York died.
Top of page

Third conjugation verbs

There is no set rule for creating the past stem of third conjugation verbs. Here are some examples of common verbs:

Past tense cepi concessi dixi duxi

Means in English I took I conceded* I said* I led

Past tense feci misi reddidi

Means in English I did I sent I gave back

ego Simo episcopus dedi concessi et confirmavi per

I, Bishop Simon, have given, conceded and

episcopus, i (m.) bishop

hanc cartam meam. juratores dixerunt quod vidua manerium concessit coram domino.
esse to be

confirmed by this my charter. The jurors said that the widow conceded the manor in the presence of the lord.
Top of page

This is an irregular verb. Note its different form in the past tense.

Latin fui fuisti fuit fuimus fuistis fuerunt

Means in English I have been you have been he/she/it has been

and I was you were (singular) he/she/it was

we have been we were you have been they have been you were (plural) they were

homines episcopi non fuerunt The men of the bishop were in curia not in court.
Top of page Remember that if you dont know the past or present tense of a verb, you can find it by looking up the verb in a dictionary and conjugating the principal parts.
Handy hint - verbs In the past and the present tense, verbs ending in 1. t relate to he/she/it 2. -nt relate to they

Lesson 10: Qui, que, quod; the family

qui, que, quod
This means

Who, whom when masculine or feminine Which when neuter

qui, que or quod is used to join two short sentences together. For example

Maria domina est. Maria terram tenet.

becomes

Mary is the lady. Mary holds the land.

Maria domina est que terram tenet.

Mary is the lady who holds the land.

in common. In our example, each sentence contains

The two sentences must have a noun the word Maria.

To avoid repeating the noun when the two sentences are joined, qui, que or quod is used to replace it. In our example, que replaces Maria in the second half of the new sentence. qui, que or quod is a relative pronoun. Top of page

Singular Masculine Nominative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative qui quem cuius cui quo Feminine que quam cuius cui qua Neuter quod quod cuius cui quo Means who/which whom/which whose, of whom to whom, to which by whom/which; in whom/which

Plural Masculine Nominative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative qui quos quorum quibus quibus Feminine que quas quarum quibus quibus Neuter que que quorum quibus quibus Means who/which whom/which whose, of whom to whom, to which by whom/which; in whom/which

There is no vocative

case.

To work out which form of qui, que or quod to use, take the 1. Number from the noun that it replaces

2. Gender from the noun that it replaces 3. Case from its relationship with the verb in its part of the sentence Top of page

hec est Maria que fuit uxor Johannis Ely.

This is Mary who was the wife of John Ely.

que agrees in number and gender with the noun: it is feminine singular like Maria. It is nominative because Maria is the subject of the verb fuit.

hoc manerium est quod rex tenet.

This is the manor which the king holds.

quod is neuter singular like manerium. It is accusative because manerium is the object of tenet.

hic miles est cuius uxor Isabella est.

This is the knight whose wife is Isabella.

cuius is masculine singular like miles. It is genitive because Isabella is the wife of the knight.

Agnes est filia cui meam terram lego.

Agnes is the daughter to whom I leave my land.

cui is feminine singular like Agnes. It is dative because I leave my land to Agnes.

hoc testamentum est quo terram lego.

This is the will by which I leave the land.

quo is neuter singular like testamentum. It is ablative because I leave the land by the will. a (by whom/which) and in (in

The ablative is also used after the prepositions whom/which).

Top of page
Handy hint - quod Remember that quod means because and that, as well as which. To make sure you have the right meaning 1. Read the sentence carefully 2. Decide which meaning would make most sense 3. Check if quod follows a verb like to say or to know. If it does, it probably means that. For example, dicit quodhe says that 4. Remember quod only declines when it means which

Lesson 10: Qui, que, quod; the family

The family
Concentrate on learning words marked with an asterisk* first. We have already used these words for members of the family

filia, -e (f.) filius, -i (m.) pater, patris (m.) puer , -eri (m.) uxor, uxoris (f.) vir, viri (m.)
Here are some new useful words

daughter son father boy wife man, husband

Top of page

ava, -e (f.) avus, -i (m.) frater, fratris (m.) mater, matris (m.) parens, parentis (m. and f.) soror, sororis (f.)

grandmother grandfather brother* mother* parent sister*

idem avus petit versus The same grandfather versus Elizabetham de Segrave petitions against Elizabeth against Elizabetha, que fuit uxor fratris sui. de Segrave who was the e (f.) Elizabeth wife of his brother. post mortem ave et matris suarum Johannes quinque libras abbati et monachis concessit pro After the death of his grandmother and mother, John granted five pounds to the abbot and monks libra, -e (f.) pound missa, -e (f.) Mass monachus, i (m.)

missis pro animabus suis. item lego terram cum pertinenciis sorori mee ad terminum vite sue

for masses for their souls. monkmors , mortis (f.) death Likewise I leave the land with appurtenances to my sister for the term of her life.
item likewise vita, -e (f.) life terminus, -i (m.) term

Lesson 11: Fourth and fifth declension nouns; days of the week
Fourth declension nouns
There are

Usually masculine and end -us in the nominative singular Sometimes feminine and end -us in the nominative singular Occasionally neuter and end -u in the nominative singular Always -us in the genitive singular Characterised by u in their endings

Both masculine and feminine nouns take these endings.

Case Nominative Vocative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative

Singular -us -us -um -us -ui -u

Plural -us -us -us -uum -ibus -ibus

rent

Look at our example of redditus, -us (m.)

Case Nominative Vocative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative

Singular redditus redditus redditum redditus redditui redditu

Plural redditus redditus redditus reddituum redditibus redditibus

Top of page Examples of fourth declension nouns:

adventus , -us (m.)

appearance in court, arrival,Advent

comitatus , -us (m.) exitus, -us (m.) ingressus, -us (m.) manus, -us (f.) obitus, -us (m.) visus , -us (m.)
Tip

county, earldom, county court profits, exit, revenue entry, right of entry hand death, anniversary of a death view

In English, a manuscript is a document written by hand. This comes from Latin 1. manu is the ablative form of manus meaning by hand 2. script comes from scriptum meaning writing scriptum, -i (n.) writing

Common phrases involving fourth declension nouns:

per manum in manu regis in manibus domini in comitatu visus franciplegii

by hand

in the kings hand in the hands of the lord (compare with the phrase above) in the county view of frankpledge franciplegius, -ii (m.) frankpledge

curia visus franciplegii court of view of

frankpledge de redditu terre of the rent of the land

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domina Christina tria molendina aquatica tenet pro redditu de tribus solidis

Lady Christina holds three water mills for a rent of three shillings.

Christina, e (f.) Christina aquaticus, a, umworked by water

abbas et monachi ius ingressus et exitus porcis eis habent conquestus, -us (m.) a conquestu post conquestum

The abbot and monks porcus, have the right of entry and i (m.) pig exit for their pigs.

the Norman conquest of England in 1066

since the Conquest since the Conquest

These are both used to describe reigns since the Norman Conquest, for example

anno regni regis Edwardi quarti post conquestum primo

in the first year of the reign of King Edward the fourth since the Conquest

Roll your mouse over any of the five boxes of Latin words to reveal the English translation underneath. Take particular note of where the corresponding English word or phrase is placed within the sentence to observe the format.
anno regni in the first regis Edwardi year of the reign quarti of King Edward post conquestum the fourth primo since the Conquest

Do you see that primo the first goes with anno?

primus, -a, -um first

Now you can tackle the many versions of this phrase that you will find. domus, -us (f.) house is different from redditus in the

Ablative singular - domo Accusative plural can be domos or domus Genitive plural can be domuum or domorum

Top of page

redditus huius domus tres solidi est apud domum regis Idem abbas dixit quod comes Simo dedit ecclesiam domui sue monachorum ego Ricardus has duas domus in magna via lego meis filiabus

The rent of this house is three shillings At the kings house The same abbot said that earl Simon gave the church to his house of monks I, Richard, leave these two Ricardus , houses in the main street i (m.) to my daughters. Richard

Fifth declension nouns

This is the smallest declension. Fifth declension nouns

Usually end -es in the nominative singular End -ei in the genitive singular Are feminine except dies and words based on dies Have endings characterised by the letter e

You are likely to come across two feminine fifth declension nouns:

fides res

faith a thing

Endings of fifth declension nouns

Case Nominative Vocative Accusative Genitive Dative Ablative

Singular -es -es -em -ei -ei -e

Plural -es -es -es -erum -ebus -ebus

Top of page

Look at our example of res (f.) thing

Case Nominative Vocative Accusative Genitive

Singular res res rem rei

Plural res res res rerum

Dative Ablative

rei re

rebus rebus In witness of which [thing] I have affixed my seal to this will testimonium, -ii (n.)witness , testimony sigillum , i (n.) seal appono, -ere, -posui, positum (3) to affix

in cuius rei testimonium huic testamento meum sigillum apposui

fidei defensor defensor, defensoris (m.)

Tip

defender of the faith defender

If you have any British coins, take a look at them you will probably see these words, although they may be abbreviated to FD.

dies, diei (m.) meridies, meridiei (m.)

day midday, south

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dies and words based on dies are the only fifth declension nouns that are masculine. dies takes the same endings as res.

Anna sine die est Maria habet diem coram justiciariis regis agricola domino laborat per tres dies

Anna is without a day [for a hearing in court] Mary has a day before the kings justices the farmer works for the lord for three days

Anna, -e (f.) Anna

ante meridiem post meridiem

before noon (where the English a.m. comes from) after noon (where the English p.m.comes from)

Days of the week

dies septimane

septimana, -e (f.) week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday not Sunday! Note the feminine form

dies Lune dies Martis dies Mercurii dies Iovis dies Veneris dies Sabbati

dies Dominica Sunday

Lesson 12: Adverbs; numbers and dates; months; useful phrases; dating clauses
Adverbs
An adverb describes a verb. It provides information about how the verb is carried out. Adverbs usually comebefore the verb. They do not decline. Concentrate on learning words marked with an asterisk* first. You have already used some adverbs:

item non
Here are some other common adverbs

likewise not

celeriter falso libere quiete

quickly falsely freely* peacefully*

Did you notice that English adverbs often end in -ly? However, not all do

bene ibidem ideo imperpetuum nunc prius semper sepe sicut

well at/in the same place* therefore forever, in perpetuity now* formerly always*
often

just as*

tandem ubi videlicet

at length* where, when* namely, to wit, that is*

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prius pater meus castrum de Ruislepe libere tenuit sed nunc castrum teneo per servicium videlicet de feodo unius militis vidua dicit quod vir falso dicit et quod tenuit predictum tenementum libere et quiete a tempore regis Edwardi

Before my father held the castle of Ruislepe freely, but now I hold the castle by service, namely of one knights fee. The widow says that the man speaks falsely and that she has held the aforesaid tenement freely and peacefully since the time of King Edward .

castrum, -i (n.) castle sed but feodum, -i (n.) fee tenementum, -i (n.) tenement tempus, temporis (n.) time, period

dominus Johannes rex pater The lord King John, father of domini regis qui nunc est the lord king who is now. in nomine dei amen lego abbati tenementa imperpetuum tenere In the name of God amen I leave to the abbot the tenements to hold in perpetuity nomen, nominis (n.) name amen amen Londinium, -ii (n.) London

tandem Carolus sigillum carte nove apposuit et celeriter finem de tribus libris solvit.

At length Charles affixed Carolus, -i (m.) [his] seal to the new charter Charles and quickly paid a fine of three pounds.

hic meaning here, can also be used as an adverb. As an adverb, it does not decline.

hic iacet

here lies

Tip You will often see this phrase on tombs.

Numbers and dates

Can you remember numbers one to ten? Here they are again, this time with the form used to express dates.

Latin unus, -a, -um duo, due, duo tres, tria quattuor quinque sex septem octo novem decem viginti triginta centum mille

English one two three four five six seven eight nine ten twenty thirty one hundred one thousand

Latin primus, -a, -um secundus tertius quartus quintus sextus septimus octavus nonus decimus vicesimus tricesimus centesimus millesimus

English first second third fourth fifth sixth seventh eighth ninth tenth twentieth thirtieth hundredth thousandth

Dates are expressed using first, second, third, rather than one, two, three. These are always in the ablative case. Generally, the us ending becomes an o. For example

primo tricesimo die anno domini

on the first on the thirtieth day in the year of the

millesimo centesimo vicesimo

Lord one thousand one hundred and twenty (or, 1120 AD) in the ninth year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth in the seventh year of the reign of King Richard son of King Edward

anno regni regine Elizabethe nono

anno regni regis Ricardi filii regis Edwardi septimo

There are more numbers in the reference section on the Dating Latin documents page.

Months of the year

menses anni

mensis, -is (m.) month English meaning January February March April May June July August September October November December

Latin word Januarius, -i (m.) Februarius, -i (m.) Martius, -i (m.) Aprilis, Aprilis (m.) Maius, -i (m.) Junius, -i (m.) Julius, -i (m.) Augustus, -i (m.) September, Septembris (m.) October, Octobris (m.) November, Novembris (m.) December, Decembris (m.)

month of ... mensis Januarii mensis Februarii mensis Martii mensis Aprilis mensis Maii mensis Junii mensis Julii mensis Augusti mensis Septembris mensis Octobris mensis Novembris mensis Decembris

apud Londiniam quinto die Junii anno regni domine nostre tertio

at London on the fifth day of June in the third year of the reign of our lady

Lesson 12: Adverbs; numbers and dates; months; useful phrases; dating clauses
Useful phrases
Medieval documents may begin with this opening clause

sciant omnes

know all men

or

sciant presentes et futuri

know all [men] present and future Know all men that we, Simon de Burnham and Anna my wife have given, conceded and by this charter confirmed to Thomas Bishop of London all the land which lies next to the church of the vill of Burnham. Thomas, e (m.) Thomasvilla, -e(f.) vill

sciant omnes quod nos Simo de Burham et Anna uxor mea dedimus concessimus et per hanc cartam confirmavimus Thome episcopo Londonie totam terram que iacet iuxta ecclesiam de villa de Burnham.

At the end of a grant, you will find a list of witness the ablative case.

. The first name of each witness will be in

The witnesses will be introduced with either of these clauses

hiis testibus

these being witnesses witnessed These being clericus, -i (m.) clerk witnesses Stephen de Segrave, Henry de testis, testis (m., Hastinges, knights, f.) witness Master Gregory, Simon clerk and others. other

or

teste

hiis testibus Stephano de Segrave Henrico de Hastinges militibus magistro Gregorio Simone clerico et aliis. alius, alia, aliud

Dating clauses
A dating clause tells you where and when the document was drawn up. This may begin with the word for dated

datum if the document is neuter (for example, testamentum) data if the document is feminine (for example, carta, concordia)

hic est finalis concordia data apud Eboracum or datum per manum nostrum apud Westmonasterium

This is the final concord given at York

Given by our hand atWestminster