Unit 2 - Second Declension Masculine Nouns

(See Collins pp. 13-14)

So we've learned the 1st declension (usually feminine) that has these endings for the different cases in singular a, ae, ae, am, ā,  and these endings for plural:  ae, ārum, īs, ās, īs.  We should have these thoroughly memorized by now.

Now we are on to the 2nd declension.  These nouns are either masculine or neuter.  The neuter has slightly different endings, so we'll do the masculine first.

Singular
Nominative - us (sometimes r)
Genitive - ī
Dative - ō
Accusative - um
Ablative - ō

Plural
Nominative - ī
Genitive - ōrum
Dative - īs
Accusative - ōs
Ablative - īs

So if you look at the different endings you can find some patterns.  Notice that the acc. sing. always ends in -m; fem. is -ās and masc. is -ōs.  Notice that both the dative plural and the ablative endings are the same, just as in the 1st declension.  Notice that the genitive plural also ends in -rum but has a different vowel in front of it.  Instead of -ārum now it is -ōrum.  Notice that like the 1st declension the genitive singular is the same as the nominative plural.  Why did the Romans do that?  I don't know.  Maybe they were crazy.  Actually, it is pretty easy to tell a sing. gen. from a nom. pl. because of the context and noun-verb agreement.

Let's decline, as Collins does, one noun ending in -us and one noun ending in -r.

Servus (slave)

Singular
N - Servus
G - Servī
D - Servō
Ac - Servum
Ab - Servō

Plural
N - Servī
G - Servōrum
D - Servīs
Ac - Servōs
Ab - Servīs

Now we'll do . . .

Puer (boy)

Singular
N - Puer
G - Puerī
D - Puerō
Ac - Puerum
Ab - Puerō

Plural
N - Puerī
G - Puerōrum
D - Puerīs
Ac - Puerōs
Ab - Puerīs

So as you can see they decline exactly the same way, except for the nominative singular.

Homework:  memorize this the same way you did the 1st declension, by chanting out loud many times:  us, ī, ō, um, ō . . .  ī, ōrum, īs, ōs, īs.

Collins next introduces us to the verb to be.  Verbs are conjugated and nouns are declined.  Remember that!  You will accidentally confuse them or misspeak and call one the other, when you meant just the opposite.  Or you will do that if you are anything like me!

Present tense of the linking or 'copulative' verb to be:

Singular:
1st person - sum (I am)
2nd person - es (you sing. are)
3rd person - est (he, she, it is)

Plural:
1st person - sumus (we are)
2nd person - estis (y'all are)
3rd person - sunt (they are)

These endings reflect typical endings for present tense active indicative* verb conjugations.  The -m ending on sum is a little weird, thus making it an officially irregular verb, but later on you'll learn that in other tenses -m is a common ending to signify 1st person singular.  But we are getting ahead of ourselves!  Here is the paradigm:

Singular:
1st person - ō (I)
2nd person - s (you)
3rd person - st (he, she, it)

Plural:
1st person - mus (we)
2nd person - tis (y'all)
3rd person - nt (they)

Homework:  memorize sum, es, est, sumus, estis, sunt.  Then if you really want to, memorize the paradigm -ō, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt.  Chant these out loud many times to drill them into your head.

*I will explain what these words mean later.