The Ablative Case
The case for where, with and from.
How It Works
| Question | Latin | English |
|---|---|---|
| where? | in villa | in the house |
| with whom? | cum amicis | with friends |
| from where? | ex horto | out of the garden |
| without what? | sine pecunia | without money |
The ablative singular ends in -a (first declension) and -o (second), and the plural ends in -is.
The ablative also does jobs without a preposition, such as means and time. You meet those at Level 3.
The word ablative comes from a Latin verb that means carry away, which fits from.
The preposition tells you the case, so learn each preposition with its case. The next two entries list the ablative and accusative prepositions.
Examples (5)
- Marcus in villa est.
Marcus is in the house.
Villa is ablative after in.
- Iulia cum amicis in horto est.
Iulia is in the garden with her friends.
Amicis and horto are ablative.
- Pueri ex horto veniunt.
The boys come out of the garden.
Horto is ablative after ex.
- Marcus sine pecunia est.
Marcus is without money.
Pecunia is ablative after sine.
- Puella de amico audit.
The girl hears about her friend.
Amico is ablative after de.
Common Mistakes
Using the accusative after sine.
Marcus sine pecuniam est.Marcus sine pecunia est.Sine takes the ablative: sine pecunia.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The ablative follows the dative in the case list.
Related Patterns
- Ablative Singular: -a and -oAblative Endings -a and -o
The singular endings.
Level 2 - Dative and Ablative Plural: -isDative and Ablative Plural Endings -is
The plural ending.
Level 2 - Prepositions That Take the Ablative
The list of prepositions.
Level 2 - By Means Of: the ablative
A job without a preposition, at Level 3.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice The Ablative Case in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Latin lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
