Hundradel latin
When someone counts items, that person uses cardinal values. In grammatical terms, a cardinal numeral is a word used to represent such a countable quantity. The English words onetwothreefouretc.
Latin Numbers: Counting in Latin like an Ancient Roman
In Latin, most hundradel latin numerals behave as indeclinable adjectives. They are usually associated with a noun that is counted, but do not change their endings to agree grammatically with that noun. These exceptions are further explained in later sections. The irregularities occur in the singular genitive, which ends in -īus instead of the usual -ī or -aeand in the singular dative, which ends in -ī instead of the usual -ō or -ae.
The choice of ending will agree with the gender of the associated noun: ūnus equus "one horse"ūna clāvis "one key"ūnum saxum "one stone". The ending will also agree with the grammatical case of the associated noun: ūnīus equī genitiveūnam clāvem accusativeūnī saxō dative. Plural: Although it may seem strange at first sight, ūnus does have a set of plural forms. These forms are used when the associated noun has a plural form, but an inherently singular meaning.
Compounds: When ūnus is used to form compound numeralssuch as ūnus et vīgintī "twenty-one"the case and gender agree with the associated noun, although the singular is used: vīgintī et ūnam fēminās vīdī. While some of the hundradel latin resemble those of a first and second declension adjective, others resemble those of a third declension adjective. The choice of ending will agree with the gender of the associated hundradel latin, which will necessarily be plural: duo equī "two horses"duae clāvēs "two keys"duo saxa "two stones".
The ending will also agree with the grammatical case of the associated noun: duōs equōs accusativeduārum clāvium genitiveduōbus saxīs dative.
Numbers in Latin
Compounds: When duo is used to form compound numeralssuch as duo et vīgintī or vīgintī duo "twenty-two"the case and gender agree with the associated noun. Notice that the masculine and feminine endings are identical. The choice of ending hundradel latin agree with the gender of the associated noun, which will necessarily be plural: trēs equī "three horses"trēs clāvēs "three keys"tria saxa "three stones".
The ending will also agree with the grammatical case of the associated noun: trēs equōs accusativetrium clāvium genitivetribus saxīs dative.
Latin Numbers 1-100
Compounds: When trēs is used to form compound numeralssuch as trēs et vīgintī or vīgintī trēs "twenty-three"the case and gender agree hundradel latin the associated noun. Each of these numerals has a single immutable form in all situations. Many of these numerals are mirrored in English words such as quadranglequintupletsextuple. The numerals for 7 through 10 appear in the English names of months SeptemberOctoberNovemberand December.
The ending -decim a form of decem is attached to the numerals ūnus through novem. The resultant compound carries the same value as the mathematical sum of the components.
Latin Numbers: Counting in Latin like an Ancient Roman
Exceptions: There are two exceptions to the general pattern for forming the teens. In Classical Latin, the numerals for 18 and 19 are more frequently written as subtractive compounds. So, although 18 may be written as octōdecimit is more often written as duodēvīgintī literally "two from twenty". For more information about the subtractive pattern of construction, see the section on " counting backwards ".
Numbers inbetween multiples of 10 can be formed by two different ways. Let us take 22 as example:. When used as a nounit declines like a third declension neuter i -stem with the genitive plural ending -iumand even possesses a rare distinct singular ablative form mīllī. The head itself declines for case and gender, but is always plural: mīlle equī nominative masculine, "thousand horses"mīlle clāvibus ablative feminine, "with a thousand keys"hōrum mīlle saxōrum genitive neuter, "of these thousand stones".
This use agrees with the predicate in the plural: mīlle mīlitēs vēnērunt "a thousand soldiers came". Plural: The plural form, mīlianormally behaves as a declinable neuter noun of the third declension, inflects according to its grammatical function in the sentence subject, direct object, etc. The associated noun being counted will necessarily be governed by mīlia in the hundradel latin plural instead of agreeing with it as an adjective would: tot mīlia mīlitum capta "that many thousand of soldiers were captured".
Compound numerals in Latin are assembled by one of two basic methods: additive or subtractive. Most compound numerals are additivemeaning that the value of the compound numeral is calculated by adding the values of the component words. However, a few Latin compound numerals are subtractivemeaning that the hundradel latin of the compound hundradel latin is calculated by subtracting the values of the component words.
A large-valued compound numeral may incorporate both additive and subtractive components. All of these special cases represent values that are one or two less than a multiple of ten, and have names that subtract from a starting value rather than adding to that value. These sixteen exceptions are displayed in the table at right. Note that in Classical Latin, the compound cardinal numerals for 98 and 99 are not among the special cases with one counterexample in Pliny the Elderbut instead are formed in the usual additive way.
Subtractive compounds normally are written as single words with no spaces and are indeclinable.