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Latin grammar

CEFR A2

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Test yourself (15 questions)

Latin Ordinal Numbers: primus, secundus, tertius

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

Latin ordinals, the words for first, second and third, are ordinary adjectives on the pattern of , , . Unlike most Latin numbers, every one of them declines, agreeing with its noun: , the first day; , the first part.

masculinefeminineneuterablativeWhat do the colours mean?
ValueOrdinalValueOrdinal
1st6thsextus
2nd7thseptimus
3rd8thoctavus
4th9thnonus
5thquintus10thdecimus

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the form of primus that agrees with the noun. Pars and hora are feminine, dies is masculine, verbum is neuter.

  1. dies

  2. pars

  3. verbum

Above ten: undecimus (11th), duodecimus (12th), vicesimus (20th), centesimus (100th) and millesimus (1,000th).

They agree like bonus

The ending follows the noun's gender and case, exactly as an adjective's would:

NounGenderLatinEnglish
masculine the first day
feminine the first part
neuter the first word
feminine the third hour

As an object the ordinal moves into the accusative with its noun: . - I see the first part.

Ordinals for time

Latin names a point in time with an ordinal, and puts it in the ablative: on the third day, at the sixth hour. A cardinal number would mean a length of time instead:

LatinEnglish
on the third day
three days (a span)
sexta at the sixth hour

The Roman day was counted in hours from sunrise, so the sixth hour was midday. Years work the same way: , in the year of the Lord, is followed by an ordinal, so the year 1000 is millesimo, in the thousandth year.

Distributives: one each, two each

One more family deserves a line. The distributives, (one each) and bini (two each), also count nouns that exist only in the plural, from two upwards. , a camp, is plural in form, so two camps are bina , not . One camp stays .

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
the ordinal agrees: is feminine
(on day 3) a point in time is an ordinal, ablative
bina plural-only nouns take the distributive

What to do next

  1. Say the first ten ordinals aloud, then again with : , .
  2. Run the drill below.
  3. Back to Latin numbers for the cardinals, and .

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/4

Pick the form of primus that agrees with the noun. Pars and hora are feminine, dies is masculine, verbum is neuter.

  1. dies

  2. pars

  3. verbum

  4. hora

Matching

0/5

Match each ordinal to its value.

Build the word

0/3

Build the ordinal with the ending its noun needs.

  1. the first part (pars is feminine)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. the second day (dies is masculine)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. on the third day (ablative)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Translation drill

0/3

Translate into English.

  1. prima pars

  2. tertio die

  3. secundus dies

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say first, second and third in Latin?
, , . Each agrees with its noun like any adjective in -us, -a, -um: (the first day), (the first part), (the third part).
What are the Latin ordinal numbers 1 to 10?
, , , , quintus, sextus, septimus, octavus, nonus, decimus. Above ten come undecimus and duodecimus, then vicesimus (20th), centesimus (100th) and millesimus (1,000th).
Do Latin ordinal numbers decline?
Yes, all of them, unlike most cardinal numbers. They take the endings of , , in every case: as a subject, as an object, in the ablative for on the third day.
Why does Latin say rather than ?
Because Latin counts a point in time with an ordinal, and puts that time in the ablative: , on the third day; sexta , at the sixth hour. means three days, a length of time, not a particular day.
What does mean?
In the year of the Lord: is the ablative of , year, and the genitive of . The number of the year that follows it is an ordinal, so a year is counted as the thousandth year, millesimo, rather than year one thousand.