Noun. The 3rd declension

While studying this topic, you will:

• get information about the nouns of the 3^rd declension;
• get acquainted with the grammatical form of the nouns of the 3^rd declension;
• learn how to write prescriptions and write out the terms with the nouns of the 3^rd declension.

The lesson is divided into several sections:

• grammatical categories of the 3^rd declension nouns;
• rules of declining the nouns of the 3^rd declension;
• the rules of agreement adjectives with the 3^rd declension nouns.

The third declension is the most complex in the system of Latin declensions. It includes the nouns of all three genders. In the Nominative Singular the nouns have different endings. In the genitive they all have the ending-is it is a sign of the III declension.

In the third declension most nouns of the base of the word can be determined only in the genitive singular.

The Latin nouns of the 3rd declension can be divided into parisyllabic and imparisyllabic.

Imparasyllabic: The nouns that have one more syllable in Genitive Singular than in Nominative Singular are called imparisyllabic:

The dictionary form: cortex, icis m — bark; flos, floris m — flower; carbo, nis m.

Parisyllabic: This group includes a few feminine nouns that have equal amount of syllables in Nominative Singular and Genitive Singular, such as:

The dictionary form: Ribes, is n — currant — смородина; apis, is f — bee — пчела.

NB! The noun should be derived from the genitive case singular.

There are three types of nouns in the 3^rd declension: consonants, vowels, mixed.

Consonants (fundamental) type

It inclined nouns of all three genders. These nouns are: а) imparisyllaba; b) their base is ending on one consonant syllable.

Example: cortex, icis m — stem; semen, inis n — seed; radix, icis f — root.

Vowel type

It inclined the following nouns:

1. nouns of neuter gender with ending — -e, -al, -ar in Nom. Sing.

Example: animal, alis n — animal; Nuphar, aris n — yellow pond-lily — кубышка;

Secale, is n — rye — рожь.

2. Nouns of Greek origin is ending is -sis.

Examples: dosis, is f — dose — доза, narcosis, is f — narcosis — наркоз, and also the words of Latin origin. Example: Sinapis, is f — wild mustard — горчица; tussis, is f — cough — кашель.

All these nouns have in Acc. singularis the ending -im, not -em.

In the vowel type there are the following peculiarities comparatively with the consonant type:

1. In Abl. Sing. the ending is -i.
2. In Nom. Plur. in neuter gender is -ia. The same ending is in Acc. Plur.
3. In Gen. Plur. the ending is -ium.

Mixed type

1. The imparisyllabic nouns with the base ending w two or more consonants. Example: pars, partis f — part — часть;
2. parisyllabic nouns ending is -es, -is in Nom. Sing.

Example: Ribes, is n — currant, apis, is f — bee.

In mixed type in comparatively with consonant type, there is only one peculiarity — it is the ending -ium in Gen. Plur.

NB! The Gender of the noun is defined be the ends of Nom. Sing.

Comparative table of case endings of all types of III declension (in brackets there are the endings for vowel or mixed types)