Just started -- Problem with questions

Are you learning Latin with D'Ooge's Beginners Latin Book? Here's where you can meet other learners using this textbook. Use this board to ask questions and post your work for feedback and comments from others.
Post Reply
Flavius_Julius
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 10:31 pm

Just started -- Problem with questions

Post by Flavius_Julius »

Hi Im using D'Ooge's and I don't know if I overlooked something or what, but I seem to be having a problem with questions. Well actually the dative, ablative, accusative in general all of a sudden. Now some statements are using the accusative instead of the dative for "to and for" and this question in the book,

Why does Galba's daughter give arms and weapons to the wicked farmer?
I wrote, Cur filia Galbae agricolae malo armam et telam dat?
But the key shows arma et tela. Thats nom.

Here is another:

"Cur Lesbia cum nauta bono a/ex casa properat?" what case is casa? two ablatives?
with nauta bono is ablative here but in this sentence "Agricola malus cum praeda ad vicum properat" is praeda ablative?
and why is it ad vicum instead of vico dative?

Well if you can understand all my babble I applaud you and thank you for your help.

modus.irrealis
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 1093
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:08 am
Location: Toronto

Re: Just started -- Problem with questions

Post by modus.irrealis »

Flavius_Julius wrote:Why does Galba's daughter give arms and weapons to the wicked farmer?
I wrote, Cur filia Galbae agricolae malo armam et telam dat?
But the key shows arma et tela. Thats nom.
Here "arma" and "tela" are neuter plural so the forms can be either nominative or accusative, and hence are accusative here.
"Cur Lesbia cum nauta bono a/ex casa properat?" what case is casa? two ablatives?
with nauta bono is ablative here but in this sentence "Agricola malus cum praeda ad vicum properat" is praeda ablative?
and why is it ad vicum instead of vico dative?
"casa" is an ablative but here it's due to the preposition "ex". It's the preposition that determines the case of the noun it governs, although some prepositions govern different cases with different meanings.

"Praeda" is ablative, yes. "cum" as a preposition always takes the ablative.

If you're thinking of English "to", it covers a lot more ground than the Latin dative -- it's rare for these basic words or case usages to map perfectly between two languages. Roughly speaking, "to" corresponds to the dative when it refers to the recipient of something but when "to" refers to a destination you use the accusative, usually with a preposition like "ad" here.

Flavius_Julius
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 10:31 pm

Re: Just started -- Problem with questions

Post by Flavius_Julius »

Hey, thanks Modus. I forgot all about the neuter altogether. LOL. I jumped the gun. I get it now.

Thanks,
Thomas

Post Reply