Adjectives with nouns

[manderson]

Okay, poeta is a masculine noun that used the first declension. If you were to say "great poet", would you use the second declension for "great"?

Hence

Poeta magnus

or

Poeta magna

[Lucus Eques]

The first, poeta magnus.

[manderson]

That's what I thought, but it seemed a bit wierd. Thanks a lot!

[bellum paxque]

As long as you remember that adjectives agree in GENDER not in FORM, you will have little difficulty with this sort of thing. Once you get into the third (and other) declensions, adjectives and nouns will start to look less and less alike. In fact, Latin authors, especially poets, but also prose writers, prefer to avoid the jingle (tintinnatio?) of sounds like uirorum bonorum.

Of course, there's the whole problem of memorizing the gender of nouns! But there are some good clues you will learn for the 3rd declension, and the other declensions are pretty easy. Plus, with practice will come facility.

Best luck,

David