Rōmae, domī, Athēnīs: place and the locative
To, from and in a place, and why towns, home and the country drop the preposition.
LatinIntermediate Latin · The fourth and fifth declensionsAbout 4 min: 1 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Express place to which, from which and in which
- Drop the preposition with towns, domus and rūs
- Use the locative Rōmae, Corinthī, domī, rūrī
Latin Level 2: verbs and the other declensions: lesson 25 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
Try first
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Pairs with D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners (Ginn, 1909), Lesson XLVII ("Expressions of Place · The Declension of Domus"), §§ 262–269
What it is
The normal rules you know:
| Question | Latin | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Where to? | ad / in + accusative | ad oppidum, to the town |
| Where from? | ā/ab, dē, ē/ex + ablative | ex oppidō, out of the town |
| Where? | in + ablative | in oppidō, in the town |
Exception: names of towns and small islands, domus (home) and rūs (the country) take no preposition:
| Athens · home · the country | |
|---|---|
| To | Athēnās · domum · rūs |
| From | Athēnīs · domō · rūre |
| At, in | Athēnīs · domī · rūrī |
The locative. For "at" a town whose name is singular and first or second declension, Latin uses an old case, the locative, which looks like the genitive: Rōmae, at Rome; Corinthī, at Corinth. Domī (at home) and rūrī (in the country) are locatives too. Plural names like Athēnae use the plain ablative: Athēnīs, at Athens.
Names of countries keep the preposition: in Italiā, ex Galliā.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
"at Rome"
- Town names take no preposition
Show answer
Rōmae. Rōma is singular, first declension: locative Rōmae.
Why it matters
Romans travel constantly in what you'll read: to Rome, home from Athens, out to the country house. These short forms (Rōmam, domum, rūrī) are everywhere, and without the rule they look like mistakes.
Worked example
- Mārcus Rōmam venit. → Marcus comes to Rome.
- Lēgātus domī est. → The lieutenant is at home.
- Puerī ex Italiā Athēnās vēnērunt. → The boys came from Italy to Athens. (Italia: a country, so ex)
Common mistake
Adding a preposition to a town or home: wrong: ad Rōmam, wrong: in domō. Just Rōmam, domī. But keep it for countries: in Galliā.
Key terms
- locative
- the "at" case for towns, domus and rūs: Rōmae, domī, rūrī
- domus, -ūs, f.
- house, home; domum (home, homeward), domō (from home), domī (at home)
- rūs, rūris, n.
- the country (not the town)
- Athēnae, -ārum, f. pl.
- Athens
- Corinthus, -ī, f.
- Corinth
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 5 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| locative | the "at" case for towns, domus and rūs: Rōmae, domī, rūrī |
| domus, -ūs, f. | house, home; domum (home, homeward), domō (from home), domī (at home) |
| rūs, rūris, n. | the country (not the town) |
| Athēnae, -ārum, f. pl. | Athens |
| Corinthus, -ī, f. | Corinth |
Practice
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
"to Athens"
- Town names take no preposition
Show answer
Athēnās. Accusative of the town name alone.
"at home"
- domus takes no preposition
Show answer
domī. domī: the locative.
"in Gaul"
- Gallia is a country, not a town: keep in
Show answer
in Galliā. Countries keep the preposition.
"at Athens"
- Athēnae is plural, so no locative
Show answer
Athēnīs. Plural town names use the ablative: Athēnīs.
Sort it
Preposition or none?
to Rome
Rōmam.Show answer
No preposition. Rōmam.
to Italy
in Italiam.Show answer
Preposition. in Italiam.
from home
domō.Show answer
No preposition. domō.
out of the field
ex agrō.Show answer
Preposition. ex agrō.
in the country (not town)
rūrī.Show answer
No preposition. rūrī.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
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: Rōma, Athēnae, Corinthus, Italia, Gallia, domus, rūs, oppidum, puerī, lēgātus, agricola, in, ex, venit, vēnit, vēnērunt, est, sunt. Say an English sentence like 'Marcus comes to Rome', 'the boys are at home', 'the lieutenant came from Athens' or 'the farmer is in Gaul', and I will say it in Latin with the right form and preposition, or none. Do 8 sentences. 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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Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. This course teaches the classical pronunciation (see lesson 1); AI voices may mix it with the Church (Italian-style) one, so ask for classical and check against lesson 1. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
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In short
- To: ad/in + acc.; from: ā/ab, dē, ē/ex + abl.; in: in + abl.
- Towns, small islands, domus and rūs: no preposition.
- At a singular 1st/2nd-declension town: locative (Rōmae, Corinthī); also domī, rūrī.
- Countries keep the preposition.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
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Give "from Rome".
Show answer
Rōmā.
Give "to Corinth".
Show answer
Corinthum.
Translate Mārcus rūrī habitat (habitō = live).
Show answer
Marcus lives in the country.
Further reading
- D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners, Lesson XLVII, §§ 262–269. Public domain; Project Gutenberg.
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