In Latin, prepositions (like “in”, “into”, “with”, “to”, English) are indeclinable words followed by a noun in the ablative or accusative (called the object of the preposition). This unit consisting of preposition and the object of the preposition is called a prepositional phrase.
Prepositional phrases add more information about the main action of the sentence by answering questions like where, why, which, and how:
Puellam in urbe vīdit. (“She saw the girl in the city.”) (Where did she see the girl? In the city.)
Ob īgnem fugiēbat. (“He was fleeing because of the fire.”) (Why was he fleeing? Because of the fire.)
Hercules monstra sub ponte necāvit. (“Hercules killed the monsters under the bridge.) (Which monsters did Hercules kill? The ones under the bridge.)
Expressions of Place
Latin uses the accusative and ablative case, frequently with prepositions, to express ideas related to space and place.
Below are the different expressions of place used in Latin:
1) Place to which (ad, trāns, or in + accusative):
Currēbat ad pātrem. (“She was running towards her father.”)
Vēnit in urbem. (“He came into the city.”)
NB: In the case of cities, small towns, and the words domus (“home”) and rūs (“countryside”), Latin uses the accusative without a preposition. No need to worry about this now, but just something to keep in mind.
2) Place where (in or prō + ablative):
Hercules in rēgnō Theseī vīxit. (“Hercules lived in the kingdom of Theseus.”)
Mīlitēs prō castris pugnābant. (“The soldiers were fighting in front of the camps.”)
NB: In the case of cities, small towns, and the words domus (“home”) and rūs (“countryside”), Latin uses the locative case without a preposition. No need to worry about this now, but just something to keep in mind.
3) Place from which (ā/ab or ē/ex + ablative):
Puella ab urbe fugiēbat. (“The girl was fleeing from the city.”)
Nāvis ex portō nāvigāvit. (“The ship sailed away from the port.”)
4) Accusative of extent of space (no preposition):
Puer quīnque pedes altus est. (“The boy is five feet tall.”)
Practice Opportunity
Identify the bolded expression of place and translate the sentence.
Ex magnā urbe fēminās movēbant. place from which; “They were moving the women away from the great city.”
Monstra centum pedes alta sunt. accusative of extent of space; “The monsters are 100 feet tall.”
Rex et rēgīna ad castra cucurrērunt. place to which; “The king and queen ran towards the camps.”
Puerī et puellae in rēgnō vīxērunt. place where; “The boys and girls lived in the kingdom.”