First/second declension adjectives take all their endings from … you guessed it, first and second declensions. They go to first declension for their feminine forms, and second declension for their masculine and neuter forms. A full declensional chart for a first/second declension adjective looks like this:

Table 6-2 The First/Second Declension Adjective bonus, -a, -um (good)

When first/second declension adjectives are paired with first or second declension nouns, they're usually a perfect fit in that they rhyme (e.g., vī ta longa, servīs bonī s). When first/second declension adjectives are mated with third, fourth, or fifth declension nouns, however, they usually don't rhyme.

Here are some examples in the nominative singular:

When nouns appear in other cases than the nominative, their adjectives continue to agree in gender, case, and number. They also stay whatever declension they happen to be — that never changes. Here are the same noun/adjective combinations in the accusative plural:

In all these examples, the adjective and its noun agree in gender, case, and number. The adjective bonus, -a, -um happens to be a first/second declension adjective; rē s happens to be a fifth declension noun. That doesn't matter. They still can and do agree in gender, case, and number, so rēs bonā s may not look like a perfect match, but they're both feminine accusative plural, and that's all the matters.

Practice with First and Second Declension Adjectives

Translate the following adjective/noun pairs, then give their case and number. Example: canēs malō s bad dogs (acc. pl.)

• vī ta longa

• deās bonā s

• rem aliam

• domūs magnā s

• hominēs malō s

• manūs meā s

• pater suus

• servōs altō s

• tempus bonum

• tempora bona