Lesson 6: The Accusative and Genitive Cases — Deeper Dive
Explore all major uses of the accusative and genitive cases, including prepositions, partitive genitive, and genitive of description.
The Accusative Case
The accusative is the busiest case in Latin. Its core function is the direct object, but it has several other important uses.
1. Direct Object
The accusative marks the receiver of the verb's action.
Puella librum legit. — The girl reads the book.
Agricolae agrum colunt. — The farmers cultivate the field.
2. Accusative with Prepositions (Motion and Extension)
Prepositions that take the accusative generally express motion toward, extent, or spatial relationship without rest:
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ad | to, toward | ad oppidum — toward the town |
| in | into (motion) | in silvam — into the forest |
| per | through, throughout | per viam — through the road |
| propter | because of, on account of | propter bellum — because of war |
| ante | before, in front of | ante portam — before the gate |
| post | after, behind | post bellum — after the war |
| trans | across | trans flūmen — across the river |
| contrā | against | contrā hostēs — against the enemies |
| inter | among, between | inter amīcōs — among friends |
| circum | around | circum insulam — around the island |
Key rule: in + accusative = motion into; in + ablative = place in/on (rest).
The Genitive Case
The genitive expresses relationships between nouns, most commonly translated with "of" or the English possessive ('s).
1. Genitive of Possession
The most common use: who owns or belongs to something.
liber puerī — the boy's book / the book of the boy
rēgīna Rōmānōrum — the queen of the Romans
2. Subjective and Objective Genitive
When the noun modified is a verbal noun (like amor, timor, odium):
- Subjective genitive: the genitive performs the action — amor patriae = love of country (country is doing the loving in a figurative sense; country loves)
- Objective genitive: the genitive receives the action — timor hostium = fear of the enemies (enemies are feared)
Context usually clarifies, and at beginner level both translate naturally as "of."
3. Partitive Genitive
The genitive marks the whole from which a part is taken. Often seen with words meaning "some," "much," "part," "nothing":
| Latin | Translation |
|---|---|
| nihil aquae | nothing of water → no water at all |
| plus vīnī | more of wine → more wine |
| multum aquae | much of water → much water |
| aliquid cibī | some of food → some food |
| pars mīlitum | part of the soldiers |
| nēmō servōrum | no one of the slaves |
4. Genitive of Description (Quality)
Used with an adjective to describe a characteristic, especially abstract qualities:
puer magnae virtūtis — a boy of great courage (a very courageous boy)
vir summae sapientiae — a man of the highest wisdom
oppidum mīlle passuum — a town of a thousand paces (one mile away)
This use is common with size, weight, age, and character descriptions.
Key Vocabulary — Lesson 6
| Latin | Gen. | Gender | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| flūmen | flūminis | n. | river |
| hostis | hostis | m. | enemy |
| amor | amōris | m. | love |
| timor | timōris | m. | fear |
| virtūs | virtūtis | f. | courage, virtue |
| pars | partis | f. | part |
| nihil | (indecl.) | n. | nothing |
| plus | plūris | n. | more |
| cibus | cibī | m. | food |
| iter | itineris | n. | journey, road |
| patria | patriae | f. | homeland, fatherland |
| pāx | pācis | f. | peace |
| rēx | rēgis | m. | king |
Ten Example Sentences with Analysis
1. Mīlitēs ad oppidum ambulant.
- ad oppidum — acc. with ad, motion toward
- Translation: The soldiers walk toward the town.
2. Agricola per agrum currit.
- per agrum — acc. with per, through
- Translation: The farmer runs through the field.
3. Puella in silvam currit.
- in silvam — acc. with in (motion into)
- Translation: The girl runs into the forest.
4. Propter bellum mīlitēs in agris dormiunt.
- Propter bellum — acc. with propter, cause
- Translation: Because of the war, soldiers sleep in the fields.
5. Rēx oppidum ante bellum vidit.
- ante bellum — acc. with ante, time before
- Translation: The king saw the town before the war.
6. Servī dominī magna opera faciunt.
- dominī — gen. sg., possession
- Translation: The slaves of the master do great works.
7. Nihil aquae in oppidō est.
- aquae — gen. sg., partitive (with nihil)
- Translation: There is no water in the town.
8. Plus vīnī nautae bibunt.
- vīnī — gen. sg., partitive (with plus)
- Translation: The sailors drink more wine.
9. Rōma oppidum magnae glōriae est.
- magnae glōriae — gen. of description
- Translation: Rome is a city of great glory.
10. Amor patriae mīlitēs movet.
- patriae — gen. of possession / subjective gen.
- Translation: Love of the fatherland moves the soldiers.
Practice
A. Identify the use of the accusative:
- Nauta ad insulam nāvigat. (ad insulam)
- Mīlitēs propter timorem fugiunt. (propter timorem)
- Per silvam iter facimus. (per silvam)
- Puella silvam amat. (silvam)
B. Identify the use of the genitive:
- Liber magistrī in scholā est.
- Multum cibī habēmus.
- Vir magnae virtūtis pugnat.
- Pars mīlitum fugit.
C. Translate into Latin:
- The soldiers march through the fields. (mīlitēs, agrum, per, ambulāre)
- There is much wine in the town. (multus, vīnum, in + ablative)
- The fear of the enemies is great.
Answer key B:
- magistrī = genitive of possession
- cibī = partitive genitive
- magnae virtūtis = genitive of description
- mīlitum = partitive genitive
Answer key C:
- Mīlitēs per agrōs ambulant.
- Multum vīnī in oppidō est.
- Timor hostium magnus est.
Summary
- The accusative marks direct objects and accompanies prepositions of motion and extent: ad, in (into), per, propter, ante, post, trans.
- The genitive expresses possession ("of"), partition (nihil aquae), and description (magnae virtūtis).
- The single preposition in governs two different cases: accusative (motion into) vs. ablative (rest in/on).
- Partitive genitive follows words for quantities and amounts.
- Genitive of description always requires a qualifying adjective alongside the genitive noun.