ūnus, duo, trēs: numerals, "of" the whole, and "for how long"
Counting to twenty, the partitive genitive, and the accusative of extent.
LatinIntermediate Latin · NumeralsAbout 5 min: 2 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Count from one to twenty and know centum, ducentī, mīlle
- Decline duo, trēs and mīlia
- Use the partitive genitive (or ex + ablative with numbers)
- Use the accusative for how long and how far
Latin Level 2: verbs and the other declensions: lesson 34 of 35
- Intermediate Latin · Verbs: the present system
- sum: I am, I was, I shall be 3 min
- The present of amō and moneō 4 min
- The imperfect: was doing 4 min
- The future: will do 3 min
- The dative with adjectives 3 min
- The present of regō and audiō 4 min
- The imperfect of regō and audiō, and verbs that take the dative 3 min
- The future of regō and audiō 3 min
- capiō, and giving orders 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · The passive voice
- The passive: being done to 3 min
- The passive of regō, audiō and capiō; passive infinitives 3 min
- Synopses, and the ablative of "from" 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · The perfect tenses
- fuī, fueram, fuerō: the perfect tenses of sum 3 min
- The perfect active: did, have done 5 min
- Had done, will have done: pluperfect and future perfect active 3 min
- amātus sum: the perfect passive 4 min
- Principal parts, prepositions, and yes-or-no questions 5 min
- possum, "I can", and the infinitive 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · Pronouns
- quī, quae, quod: who, which, that 4 min
- Intermediate Latin · The third declension
- rēx, rēgis: the third declension 4 min
- hostis, urbs, mare: i-stems 4 min
- vīs and iter; gender in the third declension 4 min
- omnis, ācer, pār: third-declension adjectives 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · The fourth and fifth declensions
- manus, cornū: the fourth declension 3 min
- Rōmae, domī, Athēnīs: place and the locative 4 min
- diēs, rēs: the fifth declension and the ablative of time 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · Pronouns
- ego, tū, sē: personal and reflexive pronouns 4 min
- ipse, "himself", and īdem, "the same" 3 min
- hic, iste, ille: this and that 4 min
- aliquis, quīdam, quisque: someone, a certain, each 3 min
- Intermediate Latin · Comparison
- clārior, clārissimus: comparing adjectives 4 min
- melior, optimus: irregular comparison, plūs, and "by how much" 3 min
- clārē, fortiter: adverbs and their comparison 4 min
- Intermediate Latin · Numerals
- ūnus, duo, trēs: numerals, "of" the whole, and "for how long" 5 min
- Intermediate Latin · Deponent verbs
- hortor, sequor: deponent verbs 3 min
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Pairs with D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners (Ginn, 1909), Lessons LVIII–LIX, §§ 327–336
What it is
Cardinal numbers (how many?):
| 1–10 | 11–20 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 / 11 | ūnus | ūndecim |
| 2 / 12 | duo | duodecim |
| 3 / 13 | trēs | tredecim |
| 4 / 14 | quattuor | quattuordecim |
| 5 / 15 | quīnque | quīndecim |
| 6 / 16 | sex | sēdecim |
| 7 / 17 | septem | septendecim |
| 8 / 18 | octō | duodēvīgintī |
| 9 / 19 | novem | ūndēvīgintī |
| 10 / 20 | decem | vīgintī |
Also centum (100), ducentī (200), mīlle (1,000). Note 18 and 19: "two from twenty", "one from twenty".
Only ūnus, duo, trēs, the hundreds from 200 up, and plural mīlia change their endings:
| Case | duo (m., f., n.) | trēs (m./f., n.) |
|---|---|---|
| Nom. | duo, duae, duo | trēs, tria |
| Gen. | duōrum, duārum, duōrum | trium |
| Dat./Abl. | duōbus, duābus, duōbus | tribus |
| Acc. | duōs, duās, duo | trīs or trēs, tria |
Ordinals (first, second …) are adjectives like bonus: prīmus, secundus, tertius …
The partitive genitive names the whole that a part is taken from: fortissimī hōrum, the bravest of these. Cardinal numbers usually take ex or dē + ablative instead: ūnus ex captīvīs, one of the prisoners. But mīlia (thousands) is a noun and takes the genitive: decem mīlia mīlitum, ten thousand soldiers. Singular mīlle is just an adjective: mīlle mīlitēs.
The accusative of extent says how long or how far, with no preposition:
- tōtum diem → for a whole day
- decem pedēs → ten feet (far, high)
- mīlle passuum → a thousand (of) paces, a Roman mile
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
"for three days"
- How long: accusative; the ablative is time when or within which
Show answer
trēs diēs. Duration: accusative of extent.
Why it matters
Armies march so many miles, sieges last so many days, and battles kill so many thousands. Caesar's Gallic War is full of these numbers, and the cases tell you whether it means for three days or within three days.
Worked example
- Ūnus ex lēgātīs vēnit. → One of the lieutenants came.
- Decem mīlia hostium vēnērunt. → Ten thousand of the enemy came.
- Mīlitēs tōtum diem labōrāvērunt. → The soldiers worked for the whole day.
- Tribus diēbus vēnērunt. → They came within three days. (ablative: within which)
Common mistake
Mixing up for how long and within / when. Accusative for duration (trēs diēs, for three days); ablative for the time within which or when (tribus diēbus, within three days; tertiō diē, on the third day).
Key terms
- cardinal
- how many: ūnus, duo, trēs
- ordinal
- which in order: prīmus, secundus, tertius
- partitive genitive
- genitive of the whole: fortissimī hōrum
- accusative of extent
- how long or how far: trēs diēs, decem pedēs
- mīlle; mīlia, mīlium
- a thousand; thousands
- passus, -ūs, m.
- pace (five Roman feet); mīlle passuum, a Roman mile
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 6 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| cardinal | how many: ūnus, duo, trēs |
| ordinal | which in order: prīmus, secundus, tertius |
| partitive genitive | genitive of the whole: fortissimī hōrum |
| accusative of extent | how long or how far: trēs diēs, decem pedēs |
| mīlle; mīlia, mīlium | a thousand; thousands |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (five Roman feet); mīlle passuum, a Roman mile |
Practice
Recognition drill
Pick the right answer, as fast as you can.
All pairs
Tap a card to turn it over. 6 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| quattuor | 4 |
| septem | 7 |
| duodecim | 12 |
| quīndecim | 15 |
| duodēvīgintī | 18 |
| vīgintī | 20 |
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
"one of the soldiers"
- The whole needs ex + ablative (or a genitive)
Show answer
ūnus ex mīlitibus. With cardinal numbers: ex + ablative.
"within two days"
- The accusative means for two days
Show answer
duōbus diēbus. Time within which: ablative.
"two thousand soldiers"
- In the plural, mīlia is a noun with a genitive
Show answer
duo mīlia mīlitum. mīlia + genitive.
Practise speaking
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You are a patient Latin tutor. Use the classical pronunciation only, never the Church one: c is always k, g is always hard, v sounds like w, ae like the ai in aisle, and long vowels are held longer. Speak slowly. Use only these Latin words: the numbers ūnus to vīgintī, centum, mīlle, mīlia, prīmus, secundus, tertius, ex, diēs, mīles, lēgātus, vēnit, vēnērunt, labōrāvērunt. First say a number between 1 and 20 in English and I will say it in Latin. Then say phrases like 'for three days', 'within two days', 'one of the soldiers' or 'two thousand soldiers', and I will say them in Latin. Do 12 rounds. After each answer, tell me what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again, then tell me one thing to improve. Keep every reply under 2 sentences. If I need a name or a town, I will make one up. Speak English except for the Latin itself.
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In short
- 1–20: ūnus … vīgintī; 18 duodēvīgintī, 19 ūndēvīgintī; 100 centum, 1,000 mīlle.
- Declined: ūnus, duo, trēs, hundreds from 200, mīlia.
- Part of a whole: genitive; with numbers, ex/dē + ablative; mīlia + genitive.
- How long / how far: accusative. When / within: ablative.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
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Give the Latin for 19.
Show answer
ūndēvīgintī.
Translate Duās hōrās labōrāvit.
Show answer
He worked for two hours.
Why is it decem mīlia mīlitum but mīlle mīlitēs?
Show answer
Plural mīlia is a noun and takes the genitive; singular mīlle is an adjective.
Further reading
- D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners, Lessons LVIII–LIX, §§ 327–336. Public domain; Project Gutenberg.
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