Explanation
The genitive case can almost always be translated simply by using “of” in English. It has three specific uses at GCSE level:
Possession
This is the most common use of the genitive case. The possessor is put in the genitive case, translated to English by putting of in front of the word or attaching ‘s to the ending (s’ for plural words).
| e.g. | regis equus mortuus est. |
| The horse of the king is dead. | |
| or | The king’s horse is dead. |
| dominus servorum iratus est. | |
| The master of the slaves is angry. | |
| or | The slaves’ master is angry. |
Partitive Genitive
This is used to signify part of a whole. It is found most often after pars “part,” multi “many,” a numeral, or a superlative adjective.
| e.g. | pars horti deleta est. |
| Part of the garden has been destroyed. | |
| ferocissimus Romanorum erat. | |
| He was the fiercest of the Romans. |
Genitive of Quantity
This is used to express an amount of something, and is usually found after multum “much,” plus “more,” or minus “less.”
| e.g. | multum pecuniae in via invenerunt. |
| They found a lot of money in the street. | |
| hodie plus aquae quam heri bibam. | |
| I will drink more water today than yesterday. |
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