GCSE Latin: Time and Place

1. Time

The accusative case (with or without per) indicated HOW LONG an action goes on.

duas horas latebam - I lay hidden for two hours
quinque dies navigabant - They were sailing for five days

The ablative case indicates WHEN something happens.

sexta hora profecti sunt - They set off at the sixth hour
quarto anno belli rex mortus est - In the fourth year of the war, the king died.

2. Place

in or ad with the accusative case indicates the place TO which there is movement.

ad urbem - To the city
ad Italiam - To Italy
in Graeciam - Into Greece
ad forum - to te forum

(n.b. ad Italiam iit - He went as far as, (but not into) Italy. in Graeciam iit - He went (in) to Greece.)

a, ab, or e, ex with the ablative case indicates a place FROM which there is movement.

ex oppido - From/Out of the town
e Britannia - From/Out of Britain
ab Africa - From Africa
a litore - From the shore

in with the ablative case indicates the place where something happens.

in Graecia - In Greece
in Gallia - In Gaul
in templo - In the temple
in viis - In the streets

3. Place names that do not take a preposition

If the place name is the name of a town or a small island, or is one of the nouns DOMUS, HUMUS or RUS:

The accusative case (without ad or in) indicates the place to which there is movement.

Pompeios - To Pompeii
domum - Home, Homewards

The ablative case (without e, ex or a, ab) indicates the place FROM which there is movement.

Roma - From Rome
domo - From home
rure - From the country

The locative case indicates the place WHERE something happens.

domi - At home
humi - On the ground
Romae - At Rome.