Adjectives

Understanding Adjectives

  • Adjectives in Latin, like English, are words that describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence.
  • Adjectives typically describe a noun’s attributes including size, colour, personality qualities, and more.
  • Unlike English, Latin adjectives must reflect the gender, case, and number (GCN) of the nouns they are describing.
  • There are three categories of adjectives: 1st and 2nd declension, 3rd declension, and what is sometimes described as irregular, including comparatives and superlatives.

1st and 2nd Declension Adjectives

  • This group of adjectives have both a masculine and feminine form that follows the 1st declension, and a neuter form that follows the 2nd declension.
  • For example, magnus, magna, magnum (big); masculine/feminine form magnus/magna, neuter form magnum.
  • Note how these adjectives follow the 1st declension endings (masculine and feminine) and 2nd declension endings (neuter) perfectly.

3rd Declension Adjectives

  • These adjectives only have one form, which gets its endings from the 3rd declension.
  • They can be identified by their genitive singular ending in -is, eg. fortis, forte.
  • For example, fortis can mean ‘strong’ for masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns depending on context.

Irregular Adjectives

  • This group includes comparatives and superlatives.
  • Comparative adjectives compare two things, it ends in -ior for masculine and feminine and -ius for neuter. For example, ‘stronger’ is fortior, fortior, fortius.
  • Superlative adjectives (ending in -issimus for masculine/feminine, -issimum for neuter) indicate the highest degree of something. For example, ‘strongest’ is fortissimus, fortissima, fortissimum.

Using Adjectives in Latin

  • Adjectives typically agree with the nouns they modify in gender, case, and number (GCN).
  • An adjective can come before or after the noun it describes. The order is flexible in Latin and often used to emphasise importance or for stylistic purposes.
  • Recognising different declension adjectives and their ability to agree with nouns in GCN is vital for accurate translation work.
  • Adjectives are also crucial in understanding the nuances and detailing in Latin texts. They add depth to the writing and provide crucial information about the text’s subjects.