Uses of cases

• Nominative


  subject of the sentence
• Predicate nominative


  consists of the subject and a noun/adjective which the subject is connected to by a linking verb as a form of sum (esse, fui, futurus). Both subject and noun/adjective are in the nominative case.

  The table is red.
• Accusative case


  direct object
• Fratrem tuum praetorem creavimus

  Omnes eum felicem habebant.

  we elected your brother as praetor

  Object of compliment
• puellam in urbe vidit

  he saw the girl in the city

  object of preposition
• quinque dies.

  longum tempus stabamus

  for five days

  we were standing for a long time

  accusative time how long
• quattuor milia passuum

  (for) four miles

  accusative extent of space
• Dixit patrem amare filias.

  he said that the father loved his daughters.

  indirect statement (accusative infinitive)
• miles tergum vulneratus est.

  The soldier was wounded in (lit as to) his back

  accusative of 'respect' or 'part affected
• regis filius

  the king's son/the son of the king

  genitive of possession
• nihil boni

  tres milia civium

  nothing (of) good

  3000 (of) citizens

  partitive genitive
• femina magnae virtutis

  bellum decem annorum

  a woman of great virtue

  a war of 10 years/a 10 year war

  Genitive of description
• Liberi amorem magistri habent

  The children have love for the teacher

  Objective genitive

  used with words that represent actions or emotions such as amor, amoris (love), timor, timoris (fear), auxilium (help or aid)
• exercitus virorum fortium

  testamentum eius modi

  an army of brave men

  a will of this type

  genitive of material
• pugnandi causa

  for the sake of fighting

  following causa or gratia (with a gerund or gerundive)
• gentive is translated as the direct object with...

  verbs of remembering/forgetting (obliviscor, memini)
• Senatus asscusavit caedis eum

  The Senate accused him of murder

  genitive of charge or penalty
• Oraculum amico dixit

  he told the oracle to his friend/he told the friend the oracle

  Indirect object
• tibi non credo

  I do not believe you

  verbs that take the dative (credo, noceo)
• rem publicam civibus servavit

  he saved the state for the citizens

  Dative of advantage (or disadvantage)
• Arma agricolae non erant.

  est mihi canis

  The farmer did not have his weapons

  there is to me a dog

  dative of possession
• Ad urbem salutī mihi venit

  magno auxilio nostris amicis fuimus.

  He came to the city to save me

  We were a great help to our friends

  Things- Dative of Purpose

  Person- Dative of Reference
• id Romanīs faciendum erat.

  this had to be done by the Romans

  translated as 'by'

  dative of agent (with passive periphrastic)
• cives qui ex amphitheatro festinaverunt nunc in foro sunt.

  the citizens who hurried out of the amphitheatre are now in the forum.

  ablative following a preposition
• imperator gladio necatus est a cutode suo.

  The emperor was killed by his own guard with a sword

  ablative of agent and instrument
• agent (ablative)

  the person by whom an action is done
• instrument (ablative)

  the thing with which an action is done
• prima luce discessi, sed tribus diebus reveniam

  
  

  I left at first light, but I shall return within three days.

  ablative time when/within which
• hic puer fratre stultior est

  This boy is more stupid than his brother

  ablative of comparison
• servus ingentibus pedibus

  a slave with huge feet

  ablative of description
• hanc villam magno pretio emi

  I bought a house at (or for) a big price
• opere confecto omnes gavisi sumus.

  When the work was completed we all rejoiced

  ablative absolute