Numbers

Cardinal numbers are the ones used for counting : one, two , three . . .
ūnus, -a, -um; duo, -ae, -o, and trēs, tria have Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter forms, and are declined
From quattuor (pronounced KWAT-uh-wor) to centum the Cardinals are "indeclinable" (they are not declined)
ducentī, -ae, -a, through nōngentī, -ae, -a, have Masculine, Feminine, and Neuter forms and are declined.
mīlle is also declined - see chapter 15 of Wheelock.
Note : duodēvīgintī "two from twenty" and ūndēvīgintī "one from twenty"

Ordinals are used when indicating the order in which something comes : first, second, third . . .
Ordinals are adjectives - they have to "agree" with the noun they are describing. The table below gives the Masculine Nominative, e.g. prīmus. Feminine is prīma, Neuter is prīmum
Ordinals were often used for the praenomen (first name) of a Roman citizen.
Quintus might have been the fifth child of Caecilius. An inscription in the house of Caecilius at Pompeii refers to two sons, Quintus and Sextus. For the sake of the story, the Cambridge textbook only has one son in the family. The names of the other characters and the dog in the story are made up.

Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved

Dr. Rollinson

ENMU Station 19
Portales, NM 88130

Last Updated: July 2, 2017

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