Pronouns
Four pronouns go beyond CE coverage and appear regularly in J282 texts: hic (this), ille (that / he), quī (who/which — the relative pronoun), and ipse (himself/herself/itself, the very). Each has an irregular paradigm that must be learned.
The Four Pronouns
hic, haec, hoc — this (near the speaker)
Also used as the 3rd-person pronoun "he/she/it/they" when referring to someone recently mentioned.
| Case | M. | F. | N. | M. pl. | F. pl. | N. pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | hic | haec | hoc | hī | hae | haec |
| Acc. | hunc | hanc | hoc | hōs | hās | haec |
| Gen. | huius | huius | huius | hōrum | hārum | hōrum |
| Dat. | huic | huic | huic | hīs | hīs | hīs |
| Abl. | hōc | hāc | hōc | hīs | hīs | hīs |
Key forms to know: nom. sg. hic/haec/hoc; gen. sg. huius; dat. sg. huic; abl. sg. m./n. hōc, f. hāc.
ille, illa, illud — that (remote); he/she/it
Often used as the main 3rd-person pronoun. Refers to someone/something further away or already established in context.
| Case | M. | F. | N. | M. pl. | F. pl. | N. pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | ille | illa | illud | illī | illae | illa |
| Acc. | illum | illam | illud | illōs | illās | illa |
| Gen. | illīus | illīus | illīus | illōrum | illārum | illōrum |
| Dat. | illī | illī | illī | illīs | illīs | illīs |
| Abl. | illō | illā | illō | illīs | illīs | illīs |
Key forms to know: nom. sg. ille/illa/illud; gen. sg. illīus; dat. sg. illī.
quī, quae, quod — who, which (relative pronoun)
Introduces a relative clause. The pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender and number, but takes its case from its role in the relative clause.
| Case | M. | F. | N. | M. pl. | F. pl. | N. pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | quī | quae | quod | quī | quae | quae |
| Acc. | quem | quam | quod | quōs | quās | quae |
| Gen. | cuius | cuius | cuius | quōrum | quārum | quōrum |
| Dat. | cuī | cuī | cuī | quibus | quibus | quibus |
| Abl. | quō | quā | quō | quibus | quibus | quibus |
Worked example: Puella quam vidēbam pulchra erat. — The girl whom I was seeing was beautiful. (quam is feminine acc. sg., agreeing with puella, accusative because it is the object of vidēbam.)
ipse, ipsa, ipsum — himself/herself/itself; the very
An intensive pronoun adding emphasis. Not reflexive — it agrees with the noun it modifies (or stands alone for the subject).
| Case | M. | F. | N. | M. pl. | F. pl. | N. pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | ipse | ipsa | ipsum | ipsī | ipsae | ipsa |
| Acc. | ipsum | ipsam | ipsum | ipsōs | ipsās | ipsa |
| Gen. | ipsīus | ipsīus | ipsīus | ipsōrum | ipsārum | ipsōrum |
| Dat. | ipsī | ipsī | ipsī | ipsīs | ipsīs | ipsīs |
| Abl. | ipsō | ipsā | ipsō | ipsīs | ipsīs | ipsīs |
Worked example: Rēx ipse vēnit. — The king himself came. / The very king came.