2.5 Second Declension -r Nouns

Review: Normal 2nd Declension

Let's start by reviewing the normal 2nd declension pattern that we already know. Most masculine nouns in the 2nd declension follow this pattern:

Number	Case	dominus (master)	Ending Pattern
Singular	Nominative	domin-us	-us
	Accusative	domin-um	-um
	Genitive	domin-i	-i
	Dative	domin-o	-o
	Ablative	domin-o	-o
Plural	Nominative	domin-i	-i
	Accusative	domin-os	-os
	Genitive	domin-orum	-orum
	Dative	domin-is	-is
	Ablative	domin-is	-is

Remember: This is the standard pattern for 2nd declension masculine nouns. The key feature is the -us nominative singular ending.

The Special Cases: -r Endings

However, a few 2nd declension masculine nouns have a nominative singular ending in -r instead of -us. The most important ones are:

vir

man

puer

boy

liber

book

ager

field

Key Point: These nouns decline as if they had a nominative singular ending -us which has disappeared. All their other endings are exactly the same as dominus!

Complete Declensions

Here are the complete declensions for all three types. Notice the patterns carefully - click to reveal each form:

Number	Case	vir (man)	puer (boy)	liber (book)
Singular	Nominative	vir	puer	liber
	Accusative	vir-um	puer-um	libr-um
	Genitive	vir-i	puer-i	libr-i
	Dative	vir-o	puer-o	libr-o
	Ablative	vir-o	puer-o	libr-o
Plural	Nominative	vir-i	puer-i	libr-i
	Accusative	vir-os	puer-os	libr-os
	Genitive	vir-orum	puer-orum	libr-orum
	Dative	vir-is	puer-is	libr-is
	Ablative	vir-is	puer-is	libr-is

Observe: The only difference is in the nominative singular! From the accusative onwards, they all follow exactly the same pattern as dominus. Notice how liber drops its -e- but puer keeps it throughout.

Recognising the Patterns

There are three distinct patterns to learn. Understanding which pattern a noun follows is crucial for getting the other cases right:

Type 1: Like vir

Simple -r ending

Type 2: Like puer

Keeps the -e-

Type 3: Like liber

Drops the -e-

Practice Examples

Let's see these nouns in action! Click each sentence to reveal the translation and notice which pattern each noun follows:

-r Nouns in Context

vir puerum vocat.

pueri libros legunt.

domini in agris laborant.

librum viri legimus.

Pattern Spotting: Notice puerum (keeps the -e-), libros (drops the -e-), agris (also drops the -e-), and viri (simple -r pattern). Each follows its type consistently!

Memory Tips

Pronunciation Guide

How to remember the patterns

Dictionary Clue

How to tell which pattern

Second Declension -r Nouns