In English, nouns tell us what role they play in the sentence by the word order. Subjects usually come first, then verbs, and then objects. In Latin, nouns change form to tell us what their role is. The following chart lists the Latin cases and some of their common uses. (There are other uses besides these, but this list will do for now.)
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Case |
Use |
Example |
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Nominative |
Subject |
Mārcus arborem vidit. Marcus sees the tree. |
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Predicate nominative |
Cornēlia puella est. Cornelia is a girl. |
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Genitive |
Possession |
Haec est villa Flaviae . This is Flavia's house. This is the house of Flavia. |
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Dative |
Indirect object |
Sextus canī cibum dat. Sextus gives the dog food. Sextus gives food to the dog. |
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Accusative |
Direct object |
Caledōnia cenam coquit. Caledonia cooks dinner. |
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Ablative |
After various prepositions |
Aurēlia in atriō sedet. Aurelia sits in the atrium. |
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Cornēlius ēx hortō currit . Cornelius runs out of the garden. |
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Cornēlia cum Flāviā ambulat . Cornēlia walks with Flavia. |
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Vocative |
Direct address |
Sexte , ubi es? Sextus , where are you? |