Hello all, I am currently reading Benjamin L. D’Ooge’s Latin for Beginners.
I am on the possessive adjective pronouns lesson XIV.
There is noted that “the possessives agree with the name of the THING POSSESSED in gender, number, and case.”
However, afterwards, it is noted that “When your, yours, refers to one person, use tuus; when to more than one, use vester.” Then it gives the example that “Lesbia, your wreaths are pretty” uses tuae, while “Girls, your wreaths are pretty” uses vestrae.
But I thought possessives agree in number with the thing possessed. Is this an exception with tuus and vester?
I don’t know what D’Ooge says, but tuus and vester are actually not pronouns but adjectives, and as such they agree with the noun or pronoun that they modify. “Possessives” is an ambiguous term: they may be either adjectives (e.g. tuus, vester) or pronouns (e.g. tu, te, tibi). A well-known Latin grammar is Gildersleeve’s, and there too tuus and vester are wrongly referred to as pronouns. It’s a category error.
I was just confused for a bit. I realize tuus and vester are entirely different words. Same thing with meus (my)/noster(our) , and I see yeah, you just modify the noun or pronoun the adjectives modify, and then use tuus if it is one person or vester if more than one person (same idea with meus (my), noster (our), etc).