WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
WHAT IT'S USED FOR
Direct Objects
The accusative case is most often used to express a direct object in a sentence. A direct object is a noun that receives the main action of a sentence - it's the person, place, or thing that the action is being done to.
For example, look at this sentence: “The cowboy rode the horse.” In this sentence, the subject is the cowboy, and the direct object is the horse. The cowboy is the one doing the action, "riding" is the action being done, and the horse is the one being ridden.
Examples:
Syphax sees the crowd. The angry king killed the messengers. The merchant swallowed a bug.
Syphax turbam videt. rex iratus nuntios necavit. mercator culicem voravit.
Prepositions
Prepositions in Latin most often make their nouns take the ablative case. However, some prepositional phrases require their object to be in the accusative case instead. For example, "in the sky" is translated "in caelo," using the ablative case, but "to the city" is translated "ad urbem," using the accusative case.
How do you know which case to use? That is determined by the preposition. The most common prepositions that use the ablative case are listed on the ablative case page. The most common prepositions that use the accusative case are these:
ante -"before" ad - "to, toward" circum -"around" contra -"against" extra -"outside of"
in* - "into, onto" inter -"between, among" intra -"within, inside" per -"through" propter -"on account of"
post - "after, behind" super -"above, over" trans -"across" versus -"against"
Examples:
The dog ran across the bridge. Glabrio walked into the atrium. This is the calm before the storm.
canis trans pontem cucurrit. Glabrio in atrium ambulavit. hic est quies ante tempestatem.
Accusative of Duration
The accusative case is also used to show how long an action is performed. It's important to remember that this doesn't mean when the action is done, it means how long it was done for. For example, describing something that happened "for three days" uses the accusative, but something that happened "three days ago" uses the ablative instead.
Examples:
It rained for forty days. I did my homework for three hours. They had been married for five years.
quadraginta dies pluvit. pensum meum tres horas agitavi. coniuncti fuissent quinque annos.
The accusative case is most often used to express a direct object in a sentence. A direct object is a noun that receives the main action of a sentence - it's the person, place, or thing that the action is being done to.
For example, look at this sentence: “The cowboy rode the horse.” In this sentence, the subject is the cowboy, and the direct object is the horse. The cowboy is the one doing the action, "riding" is the action being done, and the horse is the one being ridden.
Examples:
Syphax sees the crowd. The angry king killed the messengers. The merchant swallowed a bug.
Syphax turbam videt. rex iratus nuntios necavit. mercator culicem voravit.
Prepositions
Prepositions in Latin most often make their nouns take the ablative case. However, some prepositional phrases require their object to be in the accusative case instead. For example, "in the sky" is translated "in caelo," using the ablative case, but "to the city" is translated "ad urbem," using the accusative case.
How do you know which case to use? That is determined by the preposition. The most common prepositions that use the ablative case are listed on the ablative case page. The most common prepositions that use the accusative case are these:
ante -"before" ad - "to, toward" circum -"around" contra -"against" extra -"outside of"
in* - "into, onto" inter -"between, among" intra -"within, inside" per -"through" propter -"on account of"
post - "after, behind" super -"above, over" trans -"across" versus -"against"
Examples:
The dog ran across the bridge. Glabrio walked into the atrium. This is the calm before the storm.
canis trans pontem cucurrit. Glabrio in atrium ambulavit. hic est quies ante tempestatem.
Accusative of Duration
The accusative case is also used to show how long an action is performed. It's important to remember that this doesn't mean when the action is done, it means how long it was done for. For example, describing something that happened "for three days" uses the accusative, but something that happened "three days ago" uses the ablative instead.
Examples:
It rained for forty days. I did my homework for three hours. They had been married for five years.
quadraginta dies pluvit. pensum meum tres horas agitavi. coniuncti fuissent quinque annos.
