The Ablative
- Of Separation, Privation, and Want ( § 400)
- Of Source (participles of origin etc.) ( § 403)
- Of Cause ( labōrō, exsiliō, etc.) ( § 404)
- Of Agent (with ab after Passives) ( § 405)
- Of Comparison ( THAN) ( § 406)
What are Ablatives in Latin grammar?
Ablatives are to Latin grammar what black holes are to space: They suck in all matter and energy. Well, sort of. Actually, the ablative case is the case for all sorts of time and space-related uses. In other words, this case shows the following:
What is the ablative case?
The Ablative Case is historically a conflation of three other cases: the true ablative or case of separation ("from"); the associative-instrumental case ("with" and "by"); and the locative case ("in").
Which prepositions are followed by the ablative case?
In the case of super, the accusative means "above" or "over", and the ablative means "concerning". The prepositions which are followed by the ablative case are the following: without the knowledge of, unknown to (also an adverb).
What are the different types of ablative adverbs?
The most usefully distinguished types of associative-instrumental ablative are: Manner. Any noun referring to qualities of action (swiftness, cleverness, praiseworthiness) can be made into an adverb with cum: cum celeritate = "quickly"; cum sapientia = "wisely".
How many ablatives are there in Latin?
The ablative case in Latin has 4 main uses: With certain prepositions, eg. in, cum, sub, ab. Instrumental ablative, expressing the equivalent of English "by", "with" or "using"
How many types of ablatives are there?
398. Under the name ablative are included the meanings and, in part, the forms of three cases—the ablative proper, expressing the relation FROM; the locative, IN; and the instrumental, WITH or BY.
What is the ablative case in Latin examples?
The ablative case is very frequently used with prepositions, for example ex urbe "out of the city", cum eō "with him". Four prepositions (in "in/into", sub "under/to the foot of", subter "under", super "over") may take either an accusative or an ablative.
What does ablative mean in Latin?
From Middle English ablative, ablatife, ablatyf, ablatif, from Old French ablatif (“the ablative case”), from Latin ablātīvus (“expressing removal”), from ablātus (“taken away”), from auferō (“I take away”).
What are the Latin cases?
There are 6 distinct cases in Latin: Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative, Ablative, and Vocative; and there are vestiges of a seventh, the Locative.
What is dative Latin?
In Latin the dative has two classes of meanings. The dative denotes an object not as caused by the action, or directly affected by it (like the accusative), but as reciprocally sharing in the action or receiving it consciously or actively.
Is ex ablative or accusative?
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.a (before a consonant) / ab (before a vowel) by, fromdefrom, concerning, of, fore (before a consonant) / ex (before a vowel) from, out ofprebefore4 more rows
How do you know if a case is ablative?
The ablative of agent expresses the person by whom an action is performed. You can spot this ablative because it is always accompanied by the preposition ab / ā “by.”
Why is it called the ablative case?
The ablative case in Latin (cāsus ablātīvus) appears in various grammatical constructions, including following various prepositions, in an ablative absolute clause, and adverbially. The Latin ablative case was derived from three Proto-Indo-European cases: ablative (from), instrumental (with), and locative (in/at).
What is an ablative absolute in Latin?
One of the most common uses of present and perfect participles in Latin is a construction called the Ablative Absolute. The ablatives of a participle and a noun (or pronoun) are used to form a substitute for a subordinate clause defining the circumstances or situation in which the action of the main verb occurs.
What are the ablative endings?
Here are the basic and very general rules for making a singular ablative: If a word ends in "-us" then the ablative ends in "-o". Tullius becomes Tullio. If a word ends in "-a", then the ablative ends in long "-á"....Forming the ablative in all declensions.Fifth declensionE-StemDative- Ablativediébus–ébus9 more rows•Sep 10, 2012
What case is UTOR?
Similarly, our verb "to use" is followed by a direct object, but the Latin equivalent, "utor, uti, usus sum", takes the ablative case, obviously because Latin simply doesn't conceive of the action of using something in quite the same way we do in English.
What case is UTOR?
Similarly, our verb "to use" is followed by a direct object, but the Latin equivalent, "utor, uti, usus sum", takes the ablative case, obviously because Latin simply doesn't conceive of the action of using something in quite the same way we do in English.
What are the ablative endings?
Here are the basic and very general rules for making a singular ablative: If a word ends in "-us" then the ablative ends in "-o". Tullius becomes Tullio. If a word ends in "-a", then the ablative ends in long "-á"....Forming the ablative in all declensions.Fifth declensionE-StemDative- Ablativediébus–ébus9 more rows•Sep 10, 2012
What case is ex in Latin?
ablative caseMedieval Latin – using the preposition de to express 'of'. de is followed by the ablative case....Prepositions.a (before a consonant) / ab (before a vowel) by, fromdefrom, concerning, of, fore (before a consonant) / ex (before a vowel) from, out ofprebefore4 more rows
Why is it called the ablative case?
The ablative case in Latin (cāsus ablātīvus) appears in various grammatical constructions, including following various prepositions, in an ablative absolute clause, and adverbially. The Latin ablative case was derived from three Proto-Indo-European cases: ablative (from), instrumental (with), and locative (in/at).
What is the ablative case?
In Latin grammar, the ablative case (in Latin, cāsus ablātīvus) is one of the six cases of nouns. Traditionally, it is the sixth case (Latin: cāsus sextus, cāsus latīnus ). It has forms and functions derived from the Proto-Indo-European ablative, instrumental, and locative. It expresses concepts similar to those of the English prepositions from; with, by; and in, at. It is sometimes called the adverbial case, since phrases in the ablative can be translated as adverbs: incrēdibilī celeritāte, "with incredible speed", or "very quickly"
What does "freed them from fear" mean?
For example, Cicerō hostēs ab urbe prohibuit, "Cicero kept the enemy away from the city"; eōs timōre līberāvit, "he freed them from fear". Ablative of place from which describes active motion away from a place.
What is locative ablative?
Some meanings of the ablative descend from the Proto-Indo-European locative case . Ablative of place where marks a location where an action occurred. It usually appears with a preposition, such as in, but not always; e.g., hōc locō "in this place".
When to use ablative of agent?
Ablative of agent is a more generalized version of the ablative of personal agent, used when the agent is an inanimate object. When the agent is a person, the preposition ā/ab is used, for example rēx ā mīlitibus interfectus est "The king was killed by the soldiers"; but when the agent is a thing, the preposition is omitted and the ablative case is sufficient, for example: rēx armīs mīlitum interfectus est "the king was killed by the weapons of the soldiers".
What is the ablative of degree of difference?
Ablative of degree of difference is used with comparative adjectives and words implying comparison: aliquot ante annīs "a few years earlier" (lit. "earlier by a few years").
What is the ablative of personal agent?
Ablative of personal agent marks the agent by whom the action of a passive verb is performed. The agent is always preceded by ab/ā/abs. Example: Caesar ā deīs admonētur, "Caesar is warned by the gods".
What does the ablative proper mean?
Some uses of the ablative descend from the Proto-Indo-European ablative case. Ablative of separation implies that some person or thing is separated from another.
The Ablative
398. Under the name ablative are included the meanings and, in part, the forms of three cases—the ablative proper, expressing the relation FROM; the locative, IN; and the instrumental, WITH or BY.
Footnotes
1. Thus the Ablative of Cause may be, at least in part, of Instrumental origin, and the Ablative Absolute appears to combine the Instrumental and the Locative.
What does "rex" mean?
The means by which an action was carried out. E.g. oculīs vidēre, “to see with the eyes”. Ablative of Agent. The person or object that does a deed. E.g. rex a militibus interfectus est “the king was killed by the soldiers” with personal agents, but impersonally it reads rex armis militum interfectus erat “the king was killed by the weapons ...
What is the ablative of description?
Ablative of Description. A noun in the ablative, accompanied by an adjective, can be used to describe the qualities by which a person is characterized. This is sometimes combined with Ablative of Source or Origin.
What is the locative of "place in which"?
Place in which – this is the locative, and rules vary. (First and second plural, plus third plural- use the ablative) E.g. Athenis – in Athens, at Athens. Sardibus – in Sardes, at Sardes. Ablative of Cause. The ablative is often used to explain why something is done, or its “cause.”.
What are the cases of the ablative?
The Survival Guide to the Uses of the Ablative. There are many cases within the Latin language including: the Nominative, the Accusative, the Genitive and the Dative. The last case is call the ablative which has many functions and purpose.
Is there a word of measurement in the ablative?
This is very similar to ablative of comparison, but there are not two objects being compared, but only one word of measurement (little, big, small, few, great,etc.) in the ablative
What ablatives are used after comparatives?
a. The idiomatic ablatives opīniōne, spē, solitō, dictō, aequō, crēdibilī, and iūstō are used after comparatives instead of a clause.
When is the ablative used in a sentence?
In sentences expressing or implying a general negative the ablative (rather than quam) is the regular construction when the first member of the comparison is in the nominative or accusative.
