Ablative Singular: -a and -o
Ablative Endings -a and -o
Two endings for where, with and from.
How It Works
| Declension | Nominative | Ablative singular | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| first | puella | puella | with the girl |
| second, masculine | amicus | amico | with the friend |
| second, neuter | verbum | verbo | with the word |
In Puella in horto est the girl is the subject. In Marcus cum puella in horto est she is in the ablative after cum. The word looks the same.
Some books mark the ablative with a long mark over the a. Lessons here leave the mark out, so the sentence has to show which one it is.
Check the word before: if a preposition that takes the ablative stands in front of puella, it is ablative. If puella is the subject of the verb, it is nominative.
Second declension nouns are easier, because the ablative ending -o differs from the nominative -us or -um.
Examples (5)
- Marcus in villa est.
Marcus is in the house.
Villa is ablative after in.
- Iulia cum puella in horto est.
Iulia is in the garden with the girl.
Puella is ablative after cum.
- Pueri cum amico ad forum veniunt.
The boys come to the forum with their friend.
Amico is ablative after cum.
- Puer sine libro non est laetus.
The boy without a book is not happy.
Libro is ablative after sine.
- Sacerdos in ecclesia est.
The priest is in the church.
Ecclesia is ablative after in, and it is spelled like the nominative.
Common Mistakes
Using the accusative after cum.
Iulia cum puellam in horto est.Iulia cum puella in horto est.Cum takes the ablative. The ablative of puella is puella, with a long a.
How It Connects
Learn This First
These are the ablative endings of two families you know.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Ablative Singular: -a and -o in Bubblegum
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