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Thursday, April 08, 2010

She Will Be Latin: A Song for Teaching Noun Declensions

She Will Be Latin

Words by Lydia Netzer
Grammar by Classical Academic Press
Music by Maroon 5

Link to the video on YouTube.


First declension nouns are mostly girls
-a -ae -ae -am -a -ae -arum -is -as -is
The word for fatherland is patria
Tell me how that’s feminine please?

Mensa mensae mensae mensam mensa
Mensae mensarum mensis mensas mensis yeah!
Via viae viae viam via
Viae viarum viis vias viis

Fewer words, more endings
That’s how Latin is lending
Our derivative blendings
So our English is bending

Second declension nouns are men now
-us –i -o -um -o –i –orum -is -os -is
There’s a lupus in my ludus
Do not sit him next to me

Ludus ludi ludo ludum ludo
Ludi ludorum ludis ludos ludis
Hortus horti horto hortum horto
Horti hortorum hortis hortos hortis

Fewer words, more endings
That’s how Latin is lending
Our derivative blendings
So our English is bending

Second declension neuter nouns
-um –i -o -um -o -a –orum -is -a -is
Thanks for the donum in the forum but
Did it have to be your helmet grease?

Donum doni dono donum dono
Dona donorum donis dona donis
Astrum astri astro astrum astro
Astra astrorum astris astra astris


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1 comment:

  1. Unknown9:28 PM

    I enjoyed the declension song on youtube. Thank you. The following songs work well in my high school classroom.

    Geoffrey Steadman
    Knoxville, TN
    geoffreysteadman@gmail.com

    1st Declension (to the song Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

    A, A-E, A-E, A-M
    A, A-E, A-R-U-M
    I-S, A-S, I-S too
    Now the first declension’s through

    Second Declension (to the song Jingle Bells)

    U-S I. . . O U-M
    O I O-R-U. . . -M
    I-S O-S I-S is the 2nd declension…masculine!

    N.B. The song ends with "2nd declension" and "masculine" is added for effect.

    3rd Declension (to the Jeopardy theme song)

    I-S, long-I, E-M-E
    long-E-S, U-M
    I-B-U-S
    long-E-S, I-B-U-S
    That’s 3rd declension feminine (and masculine!)

    N.B. The song ends with "feminine" and the "and masculine" is added for effect and

    5th Declension (to the song O My Darling, Clementine)

    E-S, E-I,
    E-I, E-M
    E-E-S, E-R-U-M
    EBUS, E-S
    E-B-U-S
    That’s final declension

    N.B. The first EBUS is not spelled out but instead pronounced as two syllabus: "eee-bus."

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