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Grammar: Prepositions
Prepositions are "indeclinables," which means that the form
of a preposition never changes. The same is true of adverbs and, in fact,
when you think about it, prepositions and adverbs have a lot in common.
There are a number of prepositions which can also function independently
as adverbs: Prepositions are pretty easy to use to in Latin: whenever
you learn a preposition, you just need to learn which case(s) go with
that preposition.
- Adverb. Erravi, post cognovi. (I was mistaken; afterwards,
I understood.)
- Preposition. Post domum se occultat. (She is hiding
behind the house.)
So, you are lucky: when you learn a preposition you only have to learn
the dictionary form of the word. The word itself never changes form; it
does not take endings.
But... prepositions do govern different cases. Most prepositions require
either the ablative or the accusative case, although some prepositions
can govern both. When a preposition governs both the ablative and accusative,
there is a difference in meaning. For example, in + ablative
means "in", while in + accusative means "into".
The use of the accusative case often indicates direction to or towards
something.
- in horto - in the garden
- in hortum - into the garden
When you learn a preposition it is essential
that you learn the case that the preposition governs.
A note about cum. Cum is a very weird word in Latin.
Most of the time it is a conjunction, meaning "when". But it
can also function as a preposition, taking the ablative: "with, together
with." The preposition cum is a source of great
trouble for Latin composition: it means "with" only in the sense
of "together with, accompanying" (Ambulabo cum amica
mea, I was walking with my friend) - if the basic meaning is
just "with" in the sense of "by means of", Latin simply
uses the ablative, without a preposition (Gladio imperatorem interfecerunt,
they killed the commander with a sword).
Here is a list of some of the common Latin prepositions and the cases
that they take:
ablative: ab, coram, cum, de, ex, in, intus, palam,
prae, pro, procul, simul, sine, sub, subter, super, tenus
accusative: ad, adversum, ante, apud, circa, circiter,
circum, cis, citra, clam, contra, erga, extra, in, infra, inter, intra,
juxta, ob, penes, per, pone, post, praeter, prope, propter, secundum,
sub, subter, super, supra, trans, versus, ultra, usque
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