dative with adjectives

Latin Learning Latin
1

When using such words as GRATUS (pleasing) you should be using the
dative. In the following sentence the following should be happening:

A victory pleasing to the Emperor

Victory = Nominative
Pleasing = Dative
Emperor = Dative

Both ‘pleasing’ and ‘emperor’ are in the dative. I think you always put
the adj and the noun in the dative. Is this correct?

If this is true then the following sentence:

LOCUS TEMPLO IDONEUS
A place suitable for the temple

shouldnt have the word IDONEO been used since it is in the dative?

In another example:

PRAEMIUM GRATUM PUERIS
A reward pleasing to the boys

has both GRATUM and PEURIS in the dative

Then why is IDONEUS in the nominative?



thanks.

2

Is pleasing not describing the victory there?

3

LOCUS TEMPLO IDONEO would mean “A place for the suitable temple”.


In another example:

PRAEMIUM GRATUM PUERIS
A reward pleasing to the boys

has both GRATUM and PEURIS in the dative

GRATUM is nominative neuter singular, agreeing with PRAEMIUM.

Then why is IDONEUS in the nominative?

For what you intend to say, it’s correct, agreeing with LOCUS.

:slight_smile:

~FILIUS LUNAE

4

In short, adjectives always agree with the noun that they modify.

Sometimes, other nouns depend on these adjectives. These nouns are then put in the dative case to indicate that dependence.

locus = noun (“place”)
locus idoneus = adjective agreeing with locus (which place? the suitable place)
locus idoneus templo = noun depending on idoneus (suitable for what? suitable for a temple)

-David

5

What you are saying is that the adjective will always agree with the
noun that it modifies and then the noun depending on a word like
‘IDONEUS’ is put in the dative.

  1. PRAEMIUM GRATUM PUERIS

Nominative Neuter + Nominative Neuter + Dative

The adjective conjugation of -UM -I -O -UM -O is not important here and
-UM overlaps coincidentally. It is not a question of the dative it is
a Nominative neuter agreement which uses the same ending



is this correct?

thanks.

6

What you are saying is that the adjective will always agree with the
noun that it modifies and then the noun depending on a word like
‘IDONEUS’ is put in the dative.

Yes, this is correct.

(Now, some adjectives take nouns in the dative, while other adjectives take nouns in the ablative or genitive. You’ll have to learn the particular case associated with a given adjective as you go along. But most takes nouns in the dative.)

The adjective conjugation of -UM -I -O -UM -O is not important here and
-UM overlaps coincidentally. It is not a question of the dative it is
a Nominative neuter agreement which uses the same ending

is this correct?

Yes, if I understand you correctly. Let’s use a third conjugation noun instead.

ARS GRATA PUERIS

Nominative Feminine + Nominative Feminine + Dative

Notice that the adjective (grata) agrees with the noun (ars). The second noun, pueris completes the sense of grata by appearing in the dative case. In other words, we answer the question “an art pleasing to whom?” with “to boys”: pueris