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 to confirm
dare to give
edificare to build
laborare to work
legare to leave, bequeath
orare to pray
vocare to call

To conjugate, or list the parts, of first conjugation verbs
1. Remove the are
2. Add these endings
Top of page
-o I
-as you
-at he/she/it
Glossary Word list
Grammar table

-amus we
-atis you
-ant they
Look at our example of dare
Latin Means in English
do I give
das you give
dat he/she/it gives
damus we give
datis you give
dant 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 Means in English
laboro I work
legas you bequeath
edificat he/she/it builds
oramus we pray
vocatis you call
legant they bequeath


Differences between English and Latin verbs
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1. Look at the verb to give. In English, the ending of the verb changes once: it acquires
an s in he gives. In Latin, the ending of the verb changes every time. The ending of
the verb is crucial as it tells you the
Tense (when the action happens - the present tense )
person (who is doing the action - I, you, he, she, it, we or they)
number (how many people are doing the verb if one, then its singular; if
two or more, its plural)
Read through dare again and notice how the endings change.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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:





Lesson 2: Introduction to nouns; first declension nouns; cases of
nouns
Glossary Word list
Grammar table


What is a noun?
A noun is 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 lady
Ecclesia church
Parochial parish
Terra land
vidua widow
Have you noticed that they all end in a?
Peoples names are also nouns. In Latin, womens names often end in a.
Maria Mary
Isabella Isabella
All Latin nouns have a gender they are either masculine, feminine or neuter. Even
charters and parishes have a gender! In English we give some nouns a gender, for example
we describe ships as she.

First declension nouns
Nouns are divided into groups called declensions . Nouns that end in a belong to
the first declension. They are mostly feminine.
The first part of a noun stays the same, but endings are added to give different
meanings:
Singular Meaning Plural
carta
charter(s)
Subject of the sentence: A charter
costs 2 pounds.
carte
carta Oh charter(s)! carte
cartam
charter(s)
Object of the sentence: The king
grants the charter.
cartas
carte
of the charter(s)
The seal of the charter is broken.
cartarum
carte
to or for the charter(s)
They refer to the charters.
cartis
carta
by, with or from the charter(s)
He claims the land by a charter.
cartis


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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 carte that would make sense is for the charter.
All first declension nouns take the same endings as carta except
Anima soul
Filia 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 farmer
Papa Pope
parsona parson
You can see that a noun has six different meanings, each relating to a case .
Each case has a singular and a plural ending.
To decline a noun means to list these cases.
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! Oh lady!
O regina! Oh queen!
O Maria! 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.
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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.
filie vidue.
The widows
daughters.
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
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Think about the order that words are arranged in sentences.
In English, I give land.
The word order is:
subject (I) + verb
(give) + object (land).

The Latin translation is: terram do.
The word order is:
object (land) + verb (I
give).
The subject is:
I, which is expressed
in the worddo.
Often in Latin
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 ladies give charters.
The word order is:
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.
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 Singular Plural
Nominative -us -i
Vocative -e or -i -i
Accusative -um -os
Genitive -i -orum
Dative -o -is
Ablative -o -is
Look at our example of dominus lord , sir, the Lord
Case Singular Plural
Nominative dominus domini
Vocative domine domini
Accusative dominum dominos
Genitive domini dominorum
Dative domino Dominis
Ablative domino Dominis
More second declension masculine nouns:
Top of page
annus year
deus God
filius son
Mens names often belong to the second declension:
Gregorius Gregory
Henricus Henry
Stephanus Stephen
Willelmus William
Here are some sentences showing you how the new
words are used:
dominus terram legat
The lord bequeaths
land

terra domini The land of the lord
Deo et ecclesie lego
I leave to God and

the Church
Henrico confirmo I confirm to Henry
Willelmus terram
Gregorii dat
William gives the land
of Gregory

dominus et domina
terram Deo et
ecclesie confirmant
The lord and the lady
confirm the land to
God and the Church

anno domini
in the year of [our]
Lord
anno is ablative
and here means
in the
year; dominiis
genitive


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
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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 esquire
faber smith
magister
master ,
teacher
puer boy
They can be divided into two groups.
First
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
confirmo
I confirm charters to master
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
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These are declined with these endings:
Case Singular Plural
Nominative -um -a
Vocative -um -a
Accusative -um -a
Genitive -i -orum
Dative -o -is
Ablative -o -is
Look at our example of regnum reign
Case Singular Plural
Nominative regnum regna
Vocative regnum regna
Accusative regnum regna
Genitive regni regnorum
Dative regno regnis
Ablative regno regnis
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These are more neuter nouns:
mercatum market
testamentum will, testament
regnum regine the reign of
Marie Queen Mary
Some neuter nouns that end in um have a stem that
ends in i
escambium exchange
manerium manor
Westmonasterium
Westminster

They decline in the same way but keep the i.
dominus manerii The lord of the manor
Stephanus maneria carta
confirmat
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.





Lesson 3: Second declension nouns; to
be

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 Means in English
sum I am
es you are (singular)
est he/she/it is
sumus we are
estis you are (plural)
sunt 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 I am a man
dominus est He is the lord
testamentum est It is the will
Isabella et Maria
sumus
We are Isabella
and Mary

agricole sumus
We are the
farmers
}
nominative plural
as there is more
than one
vidue sunt
They are the
widows
Glossary Word list
Grammar table


Isabella regina est. Isabella is the queen
Both Isabella and regina must be in the nominative
domine regine sunt
The ladies are
queens
Maria et Isabella
regine sunt
Mary and Isabella are
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 The farmer works
agricola non laborat The farmer does not work
regina cartas confirmat The queen confirms the charters
regina cartas non confirmat
The queen does not confirm the
charters
Second conjugation verbs
These end in -ere.
debere to owe movere to move
habere to have sedere to sit
iacere to lie, be situated tenere to hold
monere to warn, summon videre to see
To conjugate these verbs, remove the -ere and add these endings:
Latin English Latin English
-eo I habeo I have
-es you habes you have
-et he/she/it habet he/she/it has
-emus we habemus we have
-etis you habetis you have
-ent they habent they have
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The key letter in these endings is e.
dominus Stephanus maneria tenet
Lord Stephen holds the
manors.
ecclesiam video I see the church.
cartas terris tenemus
We hold the charters for the
lands.
dominos monemus We warn the lords.
Gregorius testamentum non habet Gregory does not have a will.

Handy hints for conjugating verbs
All verbs that end with
-o relate to I
-t relate to he/she/it
-
mus
relate to we
-nt relate to they
Remember: this applies to all conjugations.

Numbers
quattuor four
(sometimes quatuor just one t)
quinque five
sex six
septem seven
octo eight
novem nine
decem ten
centum
one
hundred

These numbers do not decline.

dominus quattuor maneria tenet The lord holds four manors.
octo parochie sunt There are eight parishes.
centum dominos monemus We summon one hundred lords.
vidua quinque maneria ecclesie legat
The widow leaves five manors to the
church.
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 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
the new will
bonus dominus a good lord
predicta regina
Isabella
the aforesaid
Queen Isabella
sancta Maria Saint Mary
An adjective
Is normally in front of the noun it describes; sometimes it is behind
Agrees with the noun in
o Gender (masculine, feminine or neuter)
o Number (singular or plural)
o Case (nominative, vocative, accusative, genitive, dative or ablative)
Belongs to one of two groups depending on whether it declines
o Like first and second declension nouns
o Like third declension nouns
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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
Masculin
e
Feminin
e
Neute
r
Nominativ
e
novus nova novum
Vocative nove nova novum
Accusative novum novam novum
Genitive novi nove novi
Dative novo nove novo
Ablative novo nova novo

Plural
Masculin
e
Feminin
e
Neuter
novi nove nova
novi nove nova
novos novas nova
novorum novarum
novoru
m
novis novis novis
novis novis novis

Most first and second declension adjectives take these endings.
novam ecclesiam video I see the new church.
Noun and adjective are feminine accusative singular.
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.
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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 old
bonus , -a, -um good
dimidius , -a, -um half
dominicus , -a, -um demesne
magnus , -a, -um great, big
predictus , -a, -um aforesaid
quietus , -a, -um free, quit
sanctus , -a, -um saint , holy

ecclesia sancte Marie church of Saint Mary
ecclesia sancti Edwardi church of Saint Edward
Edwardus, -i
(m.) Edward
ego dimidium manerium
filiabus predictis domini do
I give a half manor to the
aforesaid daughters of the
lord.

predicta domina tenet
dimidium mercatum nova
carta
The aforesaid lady holds half
a market by a new charter.

dominice terre domini sunt
They are the demesne lands
of the lord.

dimidiam marcam predicto
agricole damus
We give half a mark to the
aforesaid farmer.

Look out for adjectives that end er in the masculine nominative singular.
Most lose the e when declined, for example pulcher, pulchra,
pulchrum beautiful
A few keep the e, for example liber, -era, -erum free
These are fully declined in the table of grammar
Irregular adjectives
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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
the other [genitive singular is
sometimes alterius]*
alter , altera, alterum the other (of two things)
neuter , neutra, neutrum neither (of two things)
nullus , -a, -um no, none
solus , -a, -um alone, only
totus , -a, -um all, whole*
ullus , -a, -um any
unus , -a, -um one*
uter , utra, utrum which (of two things)

et debent unam marcam alii
domino
And they owe one mark to the
other lord.

totum manerium dimidium
mercatum terras alias et octo
marcas filiis Henrici do
I give the whole manor, half the
market, other lands and eight
marks to the sons of Henry.
Numbers
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Numbers two and three also decline. Obviously, they only have plural forms.
You will learn the endings with practice.
duo two
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative duo due duo
Accusative duo(s) duas duo
Genitive duorum duarum duorum
Dative duobus duabus duobus
Ablative duobus duabus duobus

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

tres three
Case
Masculine and
Feminine
Neuter
Nominative tres tria
Accusative tres tria
Genitive trium trium
Dative tribus tribus
Ablative tribus tribus

parsone trium parochiarum sunt
They are the parsons of three
parishes.


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?

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 since they stand in
the place of a person.

Latin document points
You are only likely to come across ego I and nos we.

ego Maria regina predictum I, Queen Mary, give and confirm
manerium ecclesie sancti Gregorii
do et confirmo
the aforesaid manor to the
church of saint Gregory.

nos Willelmus et Isabella terras
et maneria filiis et filiabus Henrici
damus et confirmamus
We, William and Isabella, give
and confirm the lands and
manors to the sons and
daughters of Henry.

ego Stephanus terras totas Deo
et ecclesie sancte Marie lego
I, Stephen, leave all the lands to
God and to the church of Saint
Mary
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 Neuter Adjective Pronoun
Nominative hic hec hoc this he, she, it
Accusative hunc hanc hoc this him, her, it
Genitive huius huius huius of this his, her, its
Dative huic huic huic to this to him/her/it
Ablative hoc hac hoc by this by him/her/it

Plural
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter Adjective Pronoun
Nominative hi he hec these they
Accusative hos has hec these them
Genitive horum harum horum of these their
Dative his or hiis his or hiis his or hiis to these to them
Ablative his or hiis his or hiis his or hiis by these by them
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hec est concordia this is the agreement
concordia, -
e (f.)
agreement

confirmamus hac carta hec
maneria domino
we confirm by this charter
these manors to the lord.


lego hoc testamento has I bequeath by this will these acra, -
predictas septem acras terre aforesaid seven acres of
land.
e (f.) acre

hi sunt plegii Edwardi Basset
These are the pledges of
Edward Basset
plegius, -
i (m.)pledge

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
to know, get to
know
concedere
to concede,
grant, allow
dicere to say
mittere to send
ostendere to show
petere
to require,
seek, petition
reddere to give back, pay
solvere to pay
To conjugate these verbs
1. Remove the -ere to find the stem
2. Add these endings
Latin English
-o I
-is you (singular)
-it he/she/it
-imus we
-itis you (plural)
-unt they
Look at our example of concedere to concede
Latin English
concedo I concede
concedis
you concede
(singular)
concedit
he/she/it
concedes
concedimus we concede
conceditis
you concede
(plural)
concedunt they concede

regina totum manerium
Westmonasterii magistro
The queen concedes the
whole manor of Westminster

Stephano concedit to master Stephen

vidue predictas terras filiabus
domini non reddunt
The widows do not surrender
the aforesaid lands to the
daughters of the lord.


nos Edwardus et Johanna tres
marcas domino novo
solvimus
We, Edward and Joanna, pay
three marks to the new lord.
Johanna, -
e (f.) Joanna

predicta vidua reginam
novam petit
the aforesaid widow petitions
the new queen


Maria dicit quod non habet
cartam
Mary says that she does not
have the charter
quod,
because, that
(after to
know,to say
etc.)
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)
You are most likely to come across facere to make, do
novum testamentum facio I make a new will

Fourth conjugation verbs; obire
Verbs from the fourth conjugation end -ire.
audire to hear
scire to know
venire to come
To conjugate these verbs, remove the -ire and add
these endings.
Latin English
-io I
-is you (singular)
-it he/she/it
-imus we
-itis you (plural)
-iunt they
Top of page
Look at our example of venire to come
Latin English
venio I come
venis you come (singular)
venit he/she/it comes
venimus we come
venitis you come (plural)
veniunt 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 I die
obis you die
obit he/she dies
obimus we die
obitis you (pl) die
obeunt they die

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* towards, to, for, at
ante* before
apud* at, by, near, to, towards
inter* among, between
iuxta* next to, near, according to
per* by, through, during
post* after
Prepositions + ablative case
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a (before a consonant)/ab (before a vowel)
by, from
coram in the presence of, before
cum* with
de* from, concerning, of, for
e (before a consonant)/ex (before a vowel)
from, out of
pre* before
pro*
for, during, as far as, in
accordance with, in return for
sine without
Prepositions + either accusative or ablative
case
in*
+
accusative
into, onto + ablative in, on
super*
+
accusative
over + ablative 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
Fine between Mary and
Simon concerning the
lands next to the church
at Westminster
finis, -is (m.) fine
domina tenet
manerium de
Westmonasterio
cum pertinenciis
de rege pro
servicio de uno
milite
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

To show possession
To indicate who something belongs to, we use:
Latin Means Declines like
meus, mea, meum my novus, -a, -um
tuus, tua, tuum
your,
yours
(one
person)
novus, -a, -um
suus, sua, suum
his,
her,
its,
their
(own)
novus , -a, -um
noster, nostra, nostrum
our,
ours
pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum
vester , vestra, vestrum
your,
yours
(two or
more
people)
pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum
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
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For example
anima mea my soul
The Latin word for soul is anima, -e (f.).
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.
The abbot
gives lands
with
appurtenances
to the knights
for their
services.

solvit sex
solidos de
fine suo. Et
quietus est.
He pays six
shillings of his
fine. And he is
quit.
solidus , -i (m.)
shilling
condo
testamentum
meum in
hunc modum
lego totam
terram
meam uxori
mee.
I make my
will in this
manner: I
leave all my
land to my
wife.
modus , -i (m.)
manner, method
condere to make a will
ordino
Henricum et
Agnetem
meos veros
executores.
I appoint
Henry and
Agnes my true
executors.
verus, -a, -um true
ordinare to appoint
juratores
dicunt super
sacramentum
suum quod
Jacobus est
heres
Johannis
The jurors
state on their
oath that
James is the
heir of John.
sacramentum , -i (n.)
oath

Jacobus , -i (m.) James

jurator, juratoris (m.) juror

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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.
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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 Person
-i I
-isti you (singular)
-it he/she/it
-imus we
-istis you (plural)
-erunt they
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Look at our example of tenere to hold
Latin Means and
tenui I held I have held
tenuisti you held
you have
held
tenuit
he/she/it
held
he/she/it has
held
tenuimus we held we have held
tenuistis you held
you have
held
tenuerunt they 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.
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Conjugation First Second Fourth
Infinitive (to
...)
laborare tenere audire
Stem in past
tense
laborav- tenu- audiv-

idem Edwardus manerium
de Johanne tenuit per
novem annos
The same Edward held the
manor from John for nine
years.
idem the same
Georgius in terra dominica
domini laboravit
George worked in the lords
demesne land.
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 to give
past stem
is ded
obire to die
past stem is
obii

Henricus rex terram
per cartam suam
dedit.
King Henry gave the
land by his charter.
in hoc anno abbas de
Eboraco obiit.
In this year the abbot
of York died.
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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
Means in
English
Past tense
Means in
English
cepi I took feci I did
concessi I conceded* misi I sent
dixi I said* reddidi I gave back
duxi I led

ego Simo episcopus dedi
concessi et confirmavi per
hanc cartam meam.
I, Bishop Simon, have
given, conceded and
confirmed by this my
charter.
episcopus, -
i (m.) bishop
juratores dixerunt quod
vidua manerium concessit
coram domino.
The jurors said that the
widow conceded the manor
in the presence of the lord.

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esse to be
This is an irregular verb. Note its different form in the
past tense.
Latin
Means in
English
and
fui I have been I was
fuisti
you have you were
been (singular)
fuit
he/she/it has
been
he/she/it was
fuimus
we have
been
we were
fuistis
you have
been
you were
(plural)
fuerunt
they have
been
they were

homines episcopi non fuerunt
in curia
The men of the bishop were
not in court.
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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.
Mary is the lady. Mary holds
the land.
becomes
Maria domina est que terram
tenet.
Mary is the lady who holds
the land.
The two sentences must have a noun in common.
In our example, each sentence contains 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.
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Singular
Masculine Feminine Neuter Means
Nominative qui que quod who/which
Accusative quem quam quod whom/which
Genitive cuius cuius cuius
whose, of
whom
Dative cui cui cui
to whom, to
which
Ablative quo qua quo by
whom/which;
in whom/which

Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Means
Nominative qui que que who/which
Accusative quos quas que whom/which
Genitive quorum quarum quorum
whose, of
whom
Dative quibus quibus quibus
to whom, to
which
Ablative quibus quibus quibus 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
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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 Agnes is the daughter to
terram lego. 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.
The ablative is also used after the prepositions
a (by whom/which) and in (in whom/which).
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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

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.) daughter
filius, -i (m.) son
pater, patris (m.) father
puer , -eri (m.) boy
uxor, uxoris (f.) wife
vir, viri (m.) man, husband
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Here are some new useful words
ava, -e (f.) grandmother
avus, -i (m.) grandfather
frater, fratris (m.) brother*
mater, matris (m.) mother*
parens, parentis (m.
and f.)
parent
soror, sororis (f.) sister*

idem avus petit versus
Elizabetham de Segrave
The same grandfather
petitions against
versus
against Elizabetha, -
que fuit uxor fratris sui. Elizabeth de Segrave
who was the wife of his
brother.
e (f.) Elizabeth
post mortem ave et
matris suarum
Johannes quinque libras
abbati et monachis
concessit pro missis pro
animabus suis.
After the death of his
grandmother and
mother, John granted
five pounds to the abbot
and monks for masses
for their souls.
libra, -e (f.)
pound missa, -e (f.)
Mass monachus, -
i (m.)
monkmors , mortis (f.)
death
item lego terram cum
pertinenciis sorori mee
ad terminum vite sue
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 Singular Plural
Nominative -us -us
Vocative -us -us
Accusative -um -us
Genitive -us -uum
Dative -ui -ibus
Ablative -u -ibus

Look at our example of redditus, -us (m.) rent
Case Singular Plural
Nominative redditus redditus
Vocative redditus redditus
Accusative redditum redditus
Genitive redditus reddituum
Dative redditui redditibus
Ablative redditu redditibus
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Examples of fourth declension nouns:
adventus , -us (m.)
appearance in
court,
arrival,Advent

comitatus , -us (m.)
county, earldom,
county court
exitus, -us (m.) profits, exit, revenue
ingressus, -us (m.) entry, right of entry
manus, -us (f.) hand
obitus, -us (m.)
death, anniversary of
a death
visus , -us (m.) view


Tip
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
by hand
in manu regis in the kings hand
in manibus domini
in the hands of the
lord (compare with
the phrase above)
in comitatu in the county
visus franciplegii
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
The abbot and monks
have the right of entry
and exit for their pigs.
porcus, -
i (m.) pig

conquestus, -us (m.)
the Norman
conquest of
England in
1066
a conquestu since the Conquest
post conquestum 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
regis
Edwardi
quarti post
conquestum
primo
in the
first
year of
the reign
of King
Edward
the fourth 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
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redditus huius domus tres
solidi est
The rent of this house is
three shillings

apud domum regis At the kings house
Idem abbas dixit quod
comes Simo dedit
ecclesiam domui sue
monachorum
The same abbot said that
earl Simon gave the
church to his house of
monks

ego Ricardus has duas
domus in magna via lego
meis filiabus
I, Richard, leave these
two houses in the main
street to my daughters.
Ricardus , -
i (m.)
Richard
Neuter nouns are rare. There is an example in the
table of grammar.

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 faith
res a thing


Endings of fifth declension nouns
Case Singular Plural
Nominative -es -es
Vocative -es -es
Accusative -em -es
Genitive -ei -erum
Dative -ei -ebus
Ablative -e -ebus
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Look at our example of res (f.) thing
Case Singular Plural
Nominative res res
Vocative res res
Accusative rem res
Genitive rei rerum
Dative rei rebus
Ablative re rebus

in cuius rei testimonium huic
testamento meum sigillum
apposui
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
fidei defensor defender of the faith
defensor, defensoris (m.) defender


Tip
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.) day
meridies,
midday, south
meridiei (m.)
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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 Anna is without a day [for a
hearing in court]
Anna, -e (f.)
Anna
Maria habet diem coram
justiciariis regis
Mary has a day before the
kings justices

agricola domino laborat
per tres dies
the farmer works for the lord
for three days

ante meridiem before noon (where the
English a.m. comes from)

post meridiem after noon (where the
English
p.m.comes
from)

Days of the week

dies septimane septimana, -e (f.)
week

dies Lune Monday
not Sunday!
Note the feminine form
dies Martis Tuesday
dies Mercurii Wednesday
dies Iovis Thursday
dies Veneris Friday
dies Sabbati Saturday
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 likewise
non not
Here are some other common adverbs
celeriter quickly
falso falsely
libere freely*
quiete peacefully*
Did you notice that English adverbs often end in -ly?
However, not all do
bene well
ibidem
at/in the
same place*
ideo therefore
imperpetuum
forever, in
perpetuity
nunc now*
prius formerly
semper always*
sepe
often
sicut just as*
tandem at length*
ubi
where,
when*
videlicet
namely, to
wit, that is*
Top of page
prius pater meus castrum
de Ruislepe libere
tenuit sed nunc castrum
teneo per servicium
videlicet de
feodo unius militis
Before my father held the
castle of Ruislepe freely,
but now I hold the castle
by service, namely of one
knights fee.
castrum, -i
(n.) castle
sed but
feodum, -i
(n.) fee

vidua dicit quod vir falso
dicit et quod tenuit
predictum tenementum
libere et quiete a tempore
regis Edwardi
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 .
tenementum, -i
(n.) tenement
tempus, temporis
(n.) time,
period

dominus Johannes rex
pater domini regis qui nunc
est
The lord King John, father
of 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
[his] seal to the new
charter and quickly paid a
fine of three pounds.
Carolus, -i (m.)
Charles
hic meaning here, can also be used as an adverb. As
an adverb, it does not decline.
hic iacet here lies

Numbers and dates
Can you remember numbers one to ten?
Here they are again, this time with the form used to
express dates.
Latin English Latin English
unus, -a, -um one primus, -a, -um first
duo, due, duo two secundus second
tres, tria three tertius third
quattuor four quartus fourth
quinque five quintus fifth
sex six sextus sixth
septem seven septimus seventh
octo eight octavus eighth
novem nine nonus ninth
decem ten decimus tenth
viginti twenty vicesimus twentieth
triginta thirty tricesimus thirtieth
centum one hundred centesimus hundredth
mille one thousand millesimus 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 on the first

tricesimo die on the thirtieth day
anno domini
millesimo centesimo
vicesimo
in the year of the
Lord one thousand
one hundred and
twenty (or, 1120 AD)
anno regni regine
Elizabethe nono
in the ninth year of
the reign of Queen
Elizabeth

anno regni regis
Ricardi filii regis
Edwardi septimo
in the seventh year
of the reign of King
Richard son of King
Edward
There are more numbers in the reference section on
the Dating Latin documents page.
Numbers and dates
Can you remember numbers one to ten?
Here they are again, this time with the form used to
express dates.
Latin English Latin English
unus, -a, -um one primus, -a, -um first
duo, due, duo two secundus second
tres, tria three tertius third
quattuor four quartus fourth
quinque five quintus fifth
sex six sextus sixth
septem seven septimus seventh
octo eight octavus eighth
novem nine nonus ninth
decem ten decimus tenth
viginti twenty vicesimus twentieth
triginta thirty tricesimus thirtieth
centum one hundred centesimus hundredth
mille one thousand millesimus 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 on the first

tricesimo die on the thirtieth day
anno domini
millesimo centesimo
vicesimo
in the year of the
Lord one thousand
one hundred and
twenty (or, 1120 AD)
anno regni regine
Elizabethe nono
in the ninth year of
the reign of Queen
Elizabeth

anno regni regis
Ricardi filii regis
Edwardi septimo
in the seventh year
of the reign of King
Richard son of King
Edward
There are more numbers in the reference section on
the Dating Latin documents page.
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

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.
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

At the end of a grant, you will find a list of witness . The first name of each
witness will be in the ablative case.
The witnesses will be introduced with either of these clauses
hiis testibus
these being witnesses
or
teste
witnessed

hiis testibus Stephano
de Segrave Henrico
de Hastinges militibus
magistro Gregorio
Simone clerico et
aliis.
These being
witnesses Stephen
de Segrave, Henry
de Hastinges,
knights, Master
Gregory, Simon clerk
and others.
clericus, -i (m.) clerk

testis, testis (m.,
f.) witness
alius, alia, aliud other


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
This is the final
concord given
at York
or

datum per manum
nostrum apud
Westmonasterium
Given by our hand
atWestminster