6.1 Prepositions with accusative

Types of Prepositions

Prepositions in Latin connect nouns to the rest of a sentence, showing relationships like direction, time, and cause. Every preposition "governs" a specific case, meaning the noun that follows must appear in that case. The prepositions in this unit all govern the accusative.

Common Accusative Prepositions

These five show up constantly in Latin texts, so learn them first:

• Ad (to, towards): indicates movement or direction. Ad urbem = towards the city.
• Ante (before, in front of): works for both position and time. Ante domum = in front of the house.
• Apud (at, with, among): denotes location near someone or association with a group. Apud amicos = among friends.
• Contra (against, opposite): expresses opposition. Contra hostes = against the enemies.
• Inter (between, among): shows position within a group or space. Inter arbores = among the trees.

Less Frequent Accusative Prepositions

You'll encounter these less often, but they still appear in standard readings:

• Circum (around): circular movement or surrounding position. Circum muros = around the walls.
• Extra (outside of, beyond): exclusion or exceeding a boundary. Extra urbem = outside the city.
• Infra (below, beneath): a lower position. Infra montem = below the mountain.
• Praeter (past, beyond, except): going beyond or making an exception. Praeter spem = beyond hope.
• Trans (across, over): movement from one side to another. Trans flumen = across the river.

Meaning and Usage

Accusative prepositions primarily express direction, motion toward something, or extent across space and time. Many of them also carry abstract or figurative meanings, so context matters a lot when translating.

Spatial Relationships

• Ad = movement towards a location: ad forum (to the forum)
• In + accusative = motion into a place: in scholam (into the school)
• Sub + accusative = motion to a position under something: sub arborem (to under the tree)
• Super + accusative = over or above, with motion implied: super pontem (over the bridge)
• Per = movement through or along: per viam (along the road)

Notice that in and sub appear here with the accusative because they describe motion toward. These same prepositions take the ablative when describing a static location (more on that in the Common Mistakes section below).

Temporal Relationships

Several accusative prepositions pull double duty for time expressions:

• Ante = before in time: ante bellum (before the war)
• Post = after: post cenam (after dinner)
• Ad = at or around a time: ad meridiem (around noon)
• In + accusative = for a duration: in tres dies (for three days)
• Per = during or throughout: per noctem (throughout the night)

Abstract Concepts

Prepositions also express cause, reason, and attitude:

• Ob = because of, on account of: ob virtutem (because of valor)
• Propter = because of, for the reason of: propter amorem (because of love)
• Secundum = according to, following: secundum naturam (according to nature)
• Contra = against in an abstract sense: contra legem (against the law)
• Erga = towards (expressing feeling or attitude): erga patriam (towards the fatherland)

Both ob and propter translate as "because of," but propter is more common in prose. You'll see ob frequently in fixed phrases and in compound verbs.

Preposition Placement

Before the Noun

The standard rule is simple: the preposition comes directly before the noun it governs. Ante urbem (before the city), per viam (along the road).

In poetry, a preposition can be separated from its noun for metrical or stylistic reasons. Some prepositions also double as adverbs when used without an object (ante veni = I came before). And in compound verbs, the preposition is absorbed into the verb itself: circumvenire urbem (to surround the city).

Postpositions in Latin

A handful of Latin words function as postpositions, meaning they follow their noun instead of preceding it. These are worth memorizing individually because they break the normal pattern:

• Causa (for the sake of): follows a genitive noun. Gloriae causa = for the sake of glory.
• Gratia (for the sake of): also follows a genitive. Exempli gratia = for the sake of example.
• Tenus (up to, as far as): follows an ablative or genitive. Pectore tenus = up to the chest.
• Versus (towards): can follow an accusative. Romam versus = towards Rome.

Note that causa and gratia take the genitive, not the accusative, so they don't belong to the same group as the prepositions above. They're included here because understanding postposition word order helps you avoid confusion when reading.

Case Requirements

Accusative Case Endings

To use these prepositions correctly, you need to recognize accusative forms on sight. Here's a quick reference:

• Neuter nouns always have accusative = nominative in both singular and plural.
• Some 3rd declension i-stem nouns have -im instead of -em in the accusative singular (turrim), though -em (turrem) is often an acceptable alternative.
• Greek loanwords sometimes keep their Greek accusative endings (poesim).

Accusative Without a Preposition

The accusative case can express some of the same ideas that prepositions do, but without any preposition at all. Knowing when this happens prevents you from inserting a preposition where Latin doesn't use one:

• Names of cities and small islands use the bare accusative for "motion toward": Romam eo (I go to Rome), not ad Romam eo.
• Extent of time or space uses the accusative alone: tres dies mansit (he stayed for three days).
• Double accusative appears with verbs like doceo: doceo pueros grammaticam (I teach the boys grammar).

When a preposition is used, it adds specificity. Ad urbem emphasizes direction toward the city, while the bare accusative with city names simply states the destination.

Idiomatic Expressions

Fixed Phrases with Prepositions

Many Latin prepositional phrases have become fixed expressions that survive in English. Recognizing them helps with both Latin reading and English vocabulary:

• Ad verbum = word for word (describes a literal translation)
• De facto = in fact, in reality (contrasted with de jure, by law)
• Ex tempore = on the spur of the moment, without preparation
• In medias res = into the middle of things (a narrative technique where a story begins mid-action)
• Per se = by itself, intrinsically

Prepositional Prefixes in Verbs

Latin prepositions frequently attach to verbs as prefixes, modifying the verb's meaning. Recognizing the preposition inside a compound verb helps you guess the verb's meaning:

• Ad- = movement towards or addition: advenio (I arrive, literally "I come toward")
• Con- (from cum) = togetherness or completion: conficio (I complete, I finish off)
• De- = down from, or completely: deicio (I throw down)
• In- = movement into, or negation: ineo (I enter) vs. ignoro (I don't know, from in- as negation + gnarus, knowing)
• Pro- = forward or in front of: procedo (I advance, I go forward)

Translation Strategies

Word-for-Word vs. Idiomatic

A word-for-word translation keeps the Latin structure visible but can sound awkward in English. An idiomatic translation captures the intended meaning in natural English. For prepositions, you'll often need to shift between these approaches.

For example, in medias res translated word-for-word is "into the middle things," which doesn't work. The idiomatic rendering, "into the middle of things," adds "of" to make it natural in English.

Your approach depends on the purpose: a grammar exercise might call for a more literal rendering so your instructor can see you understand the structure, while a polished translation calls for idiomatic English.

Context-Dependent Meanings

Many prepositions have multiple English translations, and only context tells you which one fits:

• Ad can mean "to," "towards," "near," or "for the purpose of"
• In + accusative means "into" for physical movement but "for" with time expressions
• Sub can mean "under" spatially or "just before" temporally
• Per can mean "through," "by means of," or "during"

When you're unsure, look at the verb in the sentence. A verb of motion points toward a spatial meaning; a verb of state or duration points toward a temporal or abstract one.

Common Mistakes

Confusing Accusative vs. Ablative

This is the single most common error with Latin prepositions. Three prepositions change meaning based on which case follows them:

The key question to ask yourself: Is there motion toward a new position, or is something staying in place? Motion toward = accusative. Staying put = ablative.

Incorrect Preposition Choice

Some prepositions have overlapping translations in English but distinct meanings in Latin:

• Ad = movement towards (but not necessarily inside) vs. in + acc. = movement into
• Pro = on behalf of vs. per = through or by means of
• Ante = before (in time or space) vs. prae = in front of (often with a sense of comparison or cause, and takes the ablative)

The best way to internalize these distinctions is to study them in full sentences rather than as isolated vocabulary.

Practice and Memorization

Mnemonic Devices

• Group prepositions by meaning: spatial (ad, in, trans, per, circum), temporal (ante, post, per), causal (ob, propter).
• Use visual associations: picture walking around a circle for circum, or crossing a river for trans.
• Color-code prepositions by frequency or category in your notes.

Contextual Learning Techniques

• When reading Latin, pause at each prepositional phrase and identify the preposition, its object, and the case.
• Practice composing short Latin sentences using a target preposition in different meanings (spatial, temporal, abstract).
• Use flashcards with full example sentences on the back, not just single-word translations. Seeing per noctem in context is far more useful than memorizing "per = through."