Time How Long (THLAcc)

📚 Year 9 Latin ⏱️ 30 min 📊 Intermediate

Can you translate this sentence? Click on each word to reveal its meaning.

Starter Sentence:
puellae quīnque hōrās dormiunt

Breaking it down:

puellae → the girls (nominative plural)
quīnque → five (number)
hōrās → hours (accusative plural - time how long!)
dormiunt → they sleep
Click to reveal the full translation
The girls sleep for five hours

What is Time How Long?

To say how long an action goes on for, a time expression in the accusative case is used.

The Rule
When you want to express duration of time (how long something lasts), put the time expression in the accusative case. We call this THLAcc - Time How Long Accusative.
English
for five hours
Duration of time
How long does it last?
Latin
quīnque hōrās
Accusative case
Time expression in accusative
🤔 Why the accusative case?

Think of the accusative as showing extent or direction. When you say "I walked for five hours", you're showing the extent of time the action covers. The accusative naturally expresses this idea of extent or measure.

New Vocabulary

To express time how long, we need words for periods of time and numbers.

📅 Time Periods
annus, -ī (m)
year
hōra, -ae (f)
hour
💡 Click to see English derivatives

From annus: annual, annually, anniversary
From hōra: hour, horology (the study of timekeeping)

Also French: an (year), heure (hour)
Spanish: año (year), hora (hour)

🔢 Numbers
quīnque
five
decem
ten
Important: These numbers are indeclinable - they never change their endings!

The Pattern

A word for a period of time (hours, years) is naturally accompanied by a number. The time word goes in the accusative case.

The Formula
Number + Time Word (accusative)
Example 1:
puellae quīnque hōrās dormiunt
Click to reveal translation
The girls sleep for five hours
Example 2:
dominus decem annōs nāvigat
Click to reveal translation
The master sails for ten years
Remember!
hōrās is the accusative plural of hōra
annōs is the accusative plural of annus
The numbers quīnque and decem never change!

Using 'per' for Emphasis

The preposition per (through) can be used about time, as well as space. It has the sense of "for the whole time" and is used for extra emphasis.

Without 'per'
quīnque hōrās
for five hours
Standard expression
With 'per'
per quīnque hōrās
for five whole hours
Extra emphasis!
Example without 'per':
puellae quīnque hōrās dormiunt
Click to reveal translation
The girls sleep for five hours
Example with 'per' (more emphasis!):
puellae per quīnque hōrās dormiunt
Click to reveal translation
The girls sleep for five whole hours
Literally: "through five hours"
When to Use 'per'
Use per when you want to emphasise the entire duration - the whole time period. It suggests continuity throughout the entire time. Think of it as "throughout" or "for the entire duration of".
💡 'per' with space vs time

Remember that per can mean "through" in terms of space:

per viam = through the street (space)
per decem hōrās = through ten hours (time)
Exercise 2.35: Translate into English

Click each sentence to reveal the translation.

1. contrā Rōmam decem annōs pugnāmus.
We fight against Rome for ten years.
2. puer quīnque hōrās in agrō dormit.
The boy sleeps in the field for five hours.
3. fēmina quīnque epistulās Rōmam mittit.
The woman sends five letters to Rome.
4. amīcī vīnum in tabernā per decem hōrās bibunt.
The friends drink wine in the tavern for ten whole hours.
5. dominus Rōmae quīnque annōs labōrat.
The master works in Rome for five years.