Ch 4 · Lesson 10Latin · Chapter 4 · Lesson 10 · Grammar primer
His own or someone else's: suus and eius
, the king sees his own son; , another man's son. English says his for both; Latin does not.
The short version
.
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points back to the subject and agrees with the thing owned: , . is the genitive of is, used when the owner is somebody else, and it never changes: , . English says his for both and leaves you to guess.
eius against suus
This is the distinction that separates writing Latin from decoding it, so read it twice.
| Whose son? | Latin | English |
|---|---|---|
| his own | . | The king sees his own son. |
| another man's | . | The king sees another man's son. |
English writes his for both. Latin does not leave it open: points back to the subject, to someone else.
Pater filium suum videt: the father sees his own son. Frater filium eius videt: his brother sees his (the father's) son. Same boy, two owners, two words.
The grammar differs as well as the meaning. is an adjective, so it agrees with the thing owned; is a genitive, so it never changes:
| Thing owned | His own | Someone else's |
|---|---|---|
| a son | | |
| a daughter | | |
| words | | |
With several owners, becomes or , their: , the boys see their (other people's) father.
Going further: ego, tu, nos, vos: the personal pronouns and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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