Does numeral unus have plural form?
For example, lets do declination of unus rex.
In plural is it unus reges?
It would be duo reges.
Hm, I am not sure that I explained it well.
I don’t know in english but in my native Serbian language there are different forms of “one king” and “one kings”, actually “one” is not same in plural (original would be “jedan kralj” and “jedni kraljevi”).
So, one has also plural forms, that’s why I asked for latin.
Yes, it does have plural forms. From Allen & Greenough’s grammar:
It [unus] often has the meaning of same or only. The plural is used in this sense; but also, as a simple numeral, to agree with a plural noun of a singular meaning: as, ūna castra, one camp (cf. §137. b). The plural occurs also in the phrase ūnī et alterī, one party and the other (the ones and the others).
The plural forms are regular – same as you’d get with magnus. So it would be uni reges (in the nominative).
An “one” in Old English was used sometimes in the plural as well, as in the Blickling Homily XV: Spel be Petrus & Paulus, where the plural means “alone”
Þonne be þære lare mines lareowes þe þu me befrune, ne magan þær nænige oþre men onfon, butan þa ane þe mid clænum geleafan hie to þæm gegearwiaþ.
“Then about the lore of my teacher that thou askedst me, there may not any other men receive [it], but those alone that with clean belief prepare themselves thereto.”
In Modern English we sometimes use a plural a with the word few too, as in a few kings.
Thanks for the clarification.
Thanks for help.
How do you declinate plural uni?
Singular genitive and dative have forms unius and uni.
Is it:
m. pl.
- uni
- unorum
- unis
- unos
- unis
In this way (it’s regular in the plural)…
Declinatur ità (aequale hoc adjectivum cum pluralis numeris est)…
Casus singulis numeri (generis masculini, feminini, neutrius)
Nominativus > unus una unum
Vocativus > une una unum
Accusativus > unum unam unum
Genitivus > unius unius unius
Dativus > uni uni uni
Ablativus > uno una uno
Casus pluralis numeri (generis masculini, feminini, neutrius)
Nominativus > uni unae una
Vocativus > uni unae una
Accusativus > unos unas una
Genitivus > unorum unarum unorum
Dativus > unis unis unis
Ablativus > unis unis unis
I thought there isn’t vocative form?
In book that I learn from there isn’t.
Nor is it in my books and I’ve always wondered why not. “Ô numere une! (Oh, number one! What a nice number you are!)” Maybe one does say, “Ô numere unus!”. It’s not unusual that I should be wrong and could do with correction.
Meis libris etiam deest et semper me rogo quâ ratione? “Ô numere une! Ut bellus numerus es!” Fortassè quidem dicis, “Ô numere unus!” Saepè erro et corrigendus sum.
Lewis and Short says:
voc. > une> , Plaut. ap. Prisc. p. 673 P.; Cat. 37, 17; cf. Varr. L. L. 8, § 63 Müll.; Aug. Conf. 1, 7
In other words, yes there is a vocative. It is both regularly formed and quite rare, so I am not surprised a basic textbook would omit it.
That makes sense. 