Third Declension: Accusative -em, -es

Level 3

The object of the verb ends in -em for one and -es for many.

How It Works

Nominative	Genitive	Accusative singular	Accusative plural
rex	regis	regem	reges
pater	patris	patrem	patres
mater	matris	matrem	matres
urbs	urbis	urbem	urbes
civis	civis	civem	cives

Neuter nouns have no accusative ending of their own: the accusative is the same as the nominative (corpus, nomen).

In the plural the nominative and the accusative look the same: reges can be the subject or the object. The verb helps: Cives urbem vident has a plural verb, so cives is the subject.

Some i-stem nouns also have -is in the accusative plural, as in urbis. Learn -es first.

Examples (5)

Marcus regem videt.
Marcus sees the king.
Regem is accusative singular.
Puella patrem et matrem salutat.
The girl greets her father and mother.
Patrem and matrem are accusative singular.
Cives urbem vident.
The citizens see the city.
Cives is the nominative plural, and urbem is accusative singular.
Sacerdos homines benedicit.
The priest blesses the people.
Homines is accusative plural. The verb is singular, so sacerdos is the subject.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie.
Give us today our daily bread.
Panem is the accusative singular of panis. The line is from the Pater noster.

Common Mistakes

Leaving the object in the nominative.
Iulia pater videt.
Iulia patrem videt.
Pater is the nominative, the form of a subject. The object of videt needs the accusative: patrem.
Using the second declension accusative -um on a third declension noun.
Marcus regum videt.
Marcus regem videt.
The second declension accusative ends in -um (servum), but rex is third declension. Regum is the genitive plural, of the kings, so the verb has no object. The accusative singular of rex is regem.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Third Declension: Accusative -em, -esLevel 3

Learn This First

This is the accusative of the third family.

Third Declension: rex, regis
Know the third family, because the accusative singular and plural are -em and -es: regem, reges.
Level 3

Practice Third Declension: Accusative -em, -es in Bubblegum

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