If you're trying to learn Latin Articles you will find that there is no articles used in Latin. The definite and indefinite articles don't exist in the way we know it in English. But you should still look at the examples below, because they show how Latin deals with the absences of articles. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Latin. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!
In English articles are words that combine with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Generally articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun. Examples are "the, a, and an". However that doesn't exist in Latin. Here are some examples:
Definite
Article:
Unlike
English, which has only one definite article “the",
Latin has 0 articles. Saying “the” or “a/an” is understood.
Indefinite
Article:
Latin
uses demonstrative pronouns for specifying which noun, e.g. “this” or “that.”
hic
(masculine singular), hic liber (this book)
illa
(feminine singular) illa domina (that mistress)
hoc
(neuter singular) hoc verbum (this word)
hī
(masculine plural) hī librī (these books)
illae(feminine
plural) illae dominae (those ladies)
haec (neuter
singular) haec verba (this word)
Example:
Dominae illō librō haec verba scribiēbam. (I wrote these words
from that Mistress’ book)
Here are some examples:
| English Articles | Latin Articles |
|---|---|
| articles | articuli |
| the | |
| a | (no equivalent) |
| one | unus |
| some | aliquis |
| few | pauci |
| the book | liber |
| the books | libri |
| a book | liber |
| one book | unus liber |
| some books | aliqui libri |
| few books | pauci libri |
As you can see from the example above, the structure of no articles in Latin takes a logical pattern.
Below is a list of vocabulary which should help you with your knowledge of Latin. Try to practice but also memorizing this table will help you add very useful and important words to your Latin vocabulary.
| English Vocabulary | Latin Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| Food | cibus |
| almonds | amygdalae |
| bread | panis |
| breakfast | ientaculum |
| butter | butyrum |
| candy | crustulum |
| cheese | caseus |
| chicken | pullus |
| cumin | * |
| dessert | bellaria |
| dinner | prandium |
| fish | piscis piscis |
| fruit | fructus |
| ice cream | gelida sorbitio |
| lamb | caro agnina |
| lemon | citreum |
| lunch | prandium |
| meal | prandium |
| meat | caro |
| oven | fornax |
| pepper | piper |
| plants | arbores |
| pork | sus |
| salad | lactuca |
| salt | sal salis |
| sandwich | panis fartus |
| sausage | botulus |
| soup | ius |
| sugar | saccharum |
| supper | cena |
| turkey | gallus Indicus |
| apple | pomum |
| banana | banana |
| oranges | aurea mala |
| peaches | persica |
| peanut | americana nux |
| pears | pira |
| pineapple | * |
| grapes | uvae |
| strawberries | fraga |
| vegetables | olus |
| carrot | carota |
| corn | zea |
| cucumber | cucumis |
| garlic | alium |
| lettuce | lactuca |
| olives | olivae |
| onions | caepae |
| peppers | pipera |
| potatoes | solani tubera |
| pumpkin | cucurbita |
| beans | phaseli |
| tomatoes | solana lycopersica |
Definite and Indefinite Articles are not used in Latin, but you still need to know how to create sentences without them. Once you're done with this lesson, you might want to check the rest of our Latin lessons here: Learn Latin. Don't forget to bookmark this page.
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