Language/Latin/Grammar/Personal-Pronouns
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Introduction
In this lesson, we will be discussing personal pronouns in Latin. Pronouns are an essential part of the language, as they replace a noun and make sentences less repetitive. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize and use personal pronouns in Latin sentences.
Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Adjectives & 0 to A1 Course.
Latin Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns in Latin are used to replace a noun in a sentence. Like nouns, they can have different endings according to their function within the sentence. In Latin, personal pronouns change their form to match the gender, number, and case of the noun they are replacing.
Below is a table of the personal pronouns in Latin:
| Latin | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ego | /ˈe.ɡoː/ | I |
| tu | /tuː/ | you (singular) |
| is, ea, id | /iːs, ɛː.aː, ɪd/ | he, she, it |
| nos | /noːs/ | we |
| vos | /woːs/ | you (plural) |
| ei, eae, ea | /eɪ, eɪ.ɛː, ɛː.aː/ | they (masculine, feminine, neuter) |
Forms and Cases
Personal pronouns have different forms depending on their function within the sentence, represented by the Latin cases. In the table below, we will provide the forms of personal pronouns in the nominative and accusative cases, for reference.
| Latin | Nominative Form | Accusative Form | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ego | ego | me | I |
| tu | tu | te | you (singular) |
| is, ea, id | is | eum, eam, id | he, she, it |
| nos | nos | nos | we |
| vos | vos | vos | you (plural) |
| ei, eae, ea | ei | eos, eas, ea | they (masculine, feminine, neuter) |
As shown in the table above, the accusative form of personal pronouns is used when the pronoun is acting as the object of the sentence. The nominative form is used for the subject, which performs the action.
In Latin, personal pronouns also change their form to match the case. In addition to nominative and accusative case, there are also genitive, dative, ablative and, in some instances, a vocative case. The table below shows the different endings for personal pronouns according to the case.
| Latin | Nominative | Genitive | Dative | Accusative | Ablative | Vocative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ego | ego | mei | mihi | me | me | O ego |
| tu | tu | tui | tibi | te | te | O tu |
| is, ea, id | is, ea, id | eius | ei | eum, eam, id | eo, ea, eo | O is, O ea, O id |
| nos | nos | nostri | nobis | nos | nobis | O nos |
| vos | vos | vestri | vobis | vos | vobis | O vos |
| ei, eae, ea | ei, eae, ea | eorum, earum, eorum | eis | eos, eas, ea | eis | O ei, O eae, O ea |
Usage in Sentences
Now that we have seen the forms and cases of personal pronouns, we can focus on their usage in sentences. In Latin, personal pronouns can either be used for emphasis, to indicate the subject or object of the sentence, or to avoid repetition.
For example:
"Marcus me amat" (Marcus loves me). In this sentence, "me" is in the accusative case and is the object of the sentence.
"Tu mihi placet" (You please me). Here, "tu" is the subject of the sentence, and "mihi" is the dative form, meaning "to me".
"Ego sum doctor" (I am a doctor). In this case, the personal pronoun "ego" is not strictly necessary, but it can be used for emphasis, as in the English sentence "I am a doctor".
It is important to note that, in Latin, the use of personal pronouns is not as frequent as in English. Latin is an inflected language, which means that the endings of nouns and verbs can already indicate their subject and object, and pronouns are often used more sparingly.
Exercises
- Translate the following sentence into Latin: "He told us a secret."
- Complete the sentence: "Ego ... neco." (I kill...)
- What is the difference between the nominative and accusative case in Latin?
Conclusion
By mastering the personal pronouns in Latin, you will be able to communicate more effectively in the language. Understanding the different forms and cases of personal pronouns is an essential part of learning Latin grammar. Keep practicing and you will soon become proficient in using personal pronouns in sentences!
Great work on completing this lesson! Take a moment to investigate these connected pages: Imperative Tense & How to Use Have.
Videos
Latin Personal Pronoun Song (ego, tū, nōs, vōs) - YouTube
Latin Personal Pronouns Wheelock 11 - YouTube
Other Lessons
- Questions
- Latin Nouns
- Parts of speech Latin
- Conditional Mood
- Adjectives
- Coordinating Conjunctions
- Future Tense
- Indefinite Articles in Latin
- Plurals
- Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
Sources
| ◀️ Noun Declensions — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Numbers 1-100 ▶️ |