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Latin grammar

CEFR A2

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Test yourself (16 questions)

Latin Adjectives as Nouns: boni, omnia, multa

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

When a Latin adjective has no noun to agree with, it is the noun. Its gender tells you what to supply: masculine plural for people, neuter for things. is good men; is all things.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the Latin for the English.

  1. all things

  2. many people

  3. good men

masculineneuterfeminineWhat do the colours mean?

The rule on one screen

GenderSupplyExampleEnglish
masculine plmen, peoplegood men
masculine plmen, peoplemany people
neuter sgthinga good thing
neuter plthingsall things
neuter plthingsmany things
femininean obvious nounthe right hand

English does this only in set phrases (the rich, the poor). Latin does it everywhere, so a sentence with an adjective and no matching noun is not missing a word.

Masculine plural: people

  • . - Many people are coming.
  • . - Everyone sees.
  • - good men and bad
  • . - Our men are coming.

, our men, is what Caesar calls his own side in battle.

Neuter: things

The neuter singular is one thing; the neuter plural is things, or a whole category:

  • . - I see everything.
  • . - He says many things.
  • . - You are telling the truth. (literally: true things)
  • . - It is a good thing.

is the word for everything. The singular means every or the whole and usually has its noun: , every body.

Feminine: an understood noun

The feminine stands alone only when everyone knows the missing noun. is the right hand, with , hand, understood:

  • . - He gave his right hand.

Phrases that survived into English

LatinEnglishThe adjective
the highest good, a good thing
love conquers all things, all things
much in littleboth of them
for the public good, the good

Telling people from things

Look at the ending first. Where masculine and neuter share a form, the verb or the context decides:

FormGenderMeaning
masculine plgood men
neuter plgood things, goods
masculine or neuterof everyone, of everything
  • . - He gave away his goods.
  • . - He is king of everyone.

Mistakes English speakers make

Wrong readingRight readingWhy
= allall thingsneuter plural: supply things
= manymany peoplemasculine plural: supply people
= everythingeverything is usually plural
hunting for a nounthe adjective is itno noun in sight means no noun

What to do next

  1. Read every lone adjective by its gender: people or things.
  2. Run the drill below.
  3. Back to adjectives and agreement for the endings.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/7

The adjective stands alone. Does it mean people or things?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/4

Pick the Latin for the English.

  1. all things

  2. many people

  3. good men

  4. a good thing

Translation drill

0/5

The adjective has no noun. Supply one from its gender.

  1. boni

  2. multi

  3. multa

  4. summum bonum

  5. Omnia vincit Amor.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a substantive adjective in Latin?
An adjective used as a noun, with no noun beside it. on its own means good men, and on its own means all things. Latin does this far more freely than English, which mostly limits it to phrases like the rich and the poor.
How do you know whether to translate people or things?
From the gender. Masculine plural means people: , many people. Neuter singular or plural means things: , many things; , a good thing. Feminine is rarer and usually means a noun everyone can supply, such as , the right hand.
Why is plural?
Because Latin thinks of everything as all the things, a neuter plural. is literally love conquers all things. The singular exists, but it usually means every or the whole, as in , every body; is the everyday word for everything.
What does mean?
The highest good. is the neuter of , highest, and is the neuter of used as a noun, a good thing. Philosophers from Cicero onwards used it for the thing a good life aims at.
What does in mean?
Much in little. Both words are neuter adjectives standing alone: , much, from , and , a small thing, the ablative of after in. It is a motto for anything that packs a lot into a small space.