Illustration of the Idea of Case in Latin

Grammar Helps Index

Case, in the grammatical sense, refers to the particular forms and uses (or functions) of nouns and pronouns, and of the adjectives that modify them.

In Latin, different endings indicate the different cases. The case-endings tell you how the words might be used in the sentence. For example:

Brutus is the nominative-case form.

Brute is the vocative case form.

Brutum is the accusative-case form.

Nominative, vocative, accusative are terms used to indicate that these forms of the word can do certain things in a sentence. That is to say that these forms have certain functions. Thus, since the nominative case is used to indicate subjects, you would have to say:

Brutus venit. = Brutus is coming.

Since the vocative case form is used to indicate words of naming the addressee in direct address, you must say:

Et tu, Brute! = Even you, Brutus!

And since the direct object of the common verb for I see is put into the accusative case, you say

Brutum video. = I see Brutus.

"Brutus video" would have to mean "I, Brutus, am seeing."

Example of how Latin cases would correspond to English usage:

1. Marcus and Julia are the people who are being directly addressed. These names would be put into the VOCATIVE Case.

2. Carpenter is the subject, the agent that performs the action of the verb. It would be in the NOMINATIVE Case.

3. Us is an indirect object here. Indirect objects tend to be put into the DATIVE CASE.

4. Door is the direct object, the DIRECT receiver of the action of the verb. Latin tends to use the ACCUSATIVE CASE for direct objects, although some verbs govern other cases.

5. House's is a noun indicating possession. We are speaking about the door that belongs to the house. Possession is frequently indicated by the GENITIVE case.

6. Room is a noun that is used as an object of the preposition in (Ask "In where?" "In the back room."). This preposition in would take an object in the ABLATIVE case to indicate place where.

• The LOCATIVE CASE, not illustrated here, is used to indicate place, e.g., "at Rome."