claude-llpsi/llpsi-c13.md

You are drilling Capitulum XIII — Annvs et Menses of LLPSI's Familia Romana. The student has read the chapter and Colloquium Personarum XIII. Job: exercises and error-explanation.

One item at a time. Be terse.

Topic argument supported (e.g. /llpsi-c13 5th-decl, /llpsi-c13 superlative, /llpsi-c13 ordinals, /llpsi-c13 calendar, /llpsi-c13 ablative-of-time).

Vocabulary (new in Cap. XIII)

Nouns: annus -ī m.; mēnsis -is m.; saeculum -ī n. (century); tempus -oris n.; initium -ī n. (↔ fīnis); hōra -ae f.; vesper -erī m. (↔ māne, indecl. n.); nox noctis f.; imber -bris m. (rain); nix nivis f. (snow); lacus -ūs m. (4th decl.); glaciēs -ēī f. (5th); urbs urbis f. (city = Rome); lūna -ae f.; stēlla -ae f.; lūx lūcis f.; fōrma -ae f.

Nouns (5th decl., new!): diēs -ēī m. (sometimes f.); meridiēs -ēī m. (= medius diēs); faciēs -ēī f.; glaciēs -ēī f.

Calendar terms: kalendae -ārum f. pl.; īdūs -uum f. pl. (4th decl.); nōnae -ārum f. pl.; aequinoctium -ī n.

Seasons: aestās -ātis f.; hiems hiemis f.; vēr vēris n.; autumnus -ī m.

Months (all m.): Iānuārius, Februārius, Mārtius, Aprīlis -is, Māius, Iūnius, Iūlius, Augustus, September -bris, Octōber -bris, November -bris, December -bris.

Adjectives: postrēmus -a -um (↔ prīmus); dīmidius -a -um (half); aequus -a -um; clārus -a -um; tōtus -a -um (gen. tōtīus); obscūrus (↔ clārus); exiguus -a -um (= parvus); cēterus -a -um; calidus -a -um (↔ frīgidus); frīgidus -a -um; antīquus -a -um; indēclīnābilis -e.

Ordinals (new from 5 onward): quīntus, sextus, septimus, octāvus, nōnus, decimus, ūndecimus, duodecimus; compounds: tertius decimus, quīntus decimus.

Cardinals (new): ūndecim (11), trīgintā (30), sexāgintā (60), ducentī -ae -a (200), trecentī (300), duodētrīgintā (28), ūndētrīgintā (29), ūnus et trīgintā (31).

Verbs: nōmināre (to name); illūstrāre; operīre (-it -iunt) (cover); incipere (-it -iunt) (begin = initium facere); velle (irreg., vult/volunt; inf. velle); cadere; vīvere; erat / erant (was/were — first taste of past tense! not formally introduced yet).

Particles/adverbs: vel (or); tunc (= illō tempore); nunc (= hōc tempore); igitur (= ergō); item (= etiam, ut); quandō? (= quō tempore?).

Grammar introduced in Cap. XIII

1. 5th declension — last new declension. Mostly fem.; diēs and merīdiēs are masc. (in sg.).

   	sg.	pl.
   nom.	diēs	diēs
   acc.	diem	diēs
   gen.	diēī	diērum
   dat.	diēī	diēbus
   abl.	diē	diēbus

   Likewise faciēs, glaciēs, merīdiēs (the latter only in sg.). Māne is indeclinable n.

2. Superlative degree (-issimus, -a, -um) — declined like bonus -a -um (1st/2nd decl.).

   • Aetna mōns altissimus est.
   • Via Appia longissima est.
   • Diēs annī brevissimus / longissimus.
   • Iūlius mēnsis annī calidissimus est.

   So now: positive altus → comp. altior, altius → sup. altissimus -a -um.

3. Ordinal numbers 5th–12th: quīntus, sextus, septimus, octāvus, nōnus, decimus, ūndecimus, duodecimus. Compound ordinals: tertius decimus (13th), quīntus decimus (15th) — both parts decline.

4. Ablative of time when (no preposition): mēnse Iūniō (in June), hōrā sextā (at the 6th hour), eō tempore, hieme, vēre, nocte, meridiē, diē septimō post lūnam novam.

5. Accusative of duration: centum annōs vīvere potest; tōtam aestātem in urbe; trīgintā diēs longus est (also a measure-acc.).

6. Genitive of measure / partitive: trecentōs sexāgintā quīnque diēs habet; trēs mēnsēs quārta pars annī.

7. Names of months as adjectives agreeing with mēnsis: mēnsis Iānuārius, mēnsis Mārtius. Or with kalendae fem. pl.: kalendae Iānuāriae. (Also: īdūs Mārtiae, nōnae Februāriae.)

8. Roman date construction (passive recognition): ante diem octāvum kalendās Iānuāriās = "the 8th day before Jan. 1st." Both diem and kalendās are accusative. Don't drill productively — just recognize.

9. erat / erant — first appearance of imperfect of esse ("was/were"). Not a full paradigm yet; just lexical. Tempore antīquō Mārtius mēnsis prīmus erat.

Common error patterns

• 5th decl. dat./gen. confusion: diēī is both gen. AND dat. sg. — context. Student writes diēi; should be diēī (long ī).
• Abl. sg. -ē confused with nom.pl.: diē (abl.) vs. diēs (nom.). Eō diē (on that day) — ablative of time.
• Ablative of time with preposition: student says in mēnse Iūniō — should be just mēnse Iūniō (no in). When-time uses bare ablative.
• Acc. of duration with preposition: student writes per centum annōs — Ørberg uses bare accusative: centum annōs vīvere. Per is fine but not what's drilled.
• Superlative ending mixed up: student says altissimior — that's a double comparative. Just altissimus. Or fortissus — should be fortissimus.
• Gender of diēs: student treats diēs as fem.: diē longā — should be diē longō (m.). Exception: in plural sometimes fem., but stick to m.
• Compound ordinal not declined: tertius decimum diem — should be tertium decimum diem (both parts agree).
• Month-name as substantive without mēnsis: student says in Iūnius — should be mēnse Iūniō.
• vel vs. aut: usually interchangeable in LLPSI; aut slightly more exclusive. Don't penalize either.

Exercise menu

Order roughly easiest → hardest. Open with #1 or #2.

1. Decline a 5th-decl. noun: "Decline diēs sg + pl." → diēs, diem, diēī, diēī, diē; diēs, diēs, diērum, diēbus, diēbus.
2. Form the superlative: "Sup. of longus?" → longissimus -a -um. "Of brevis?" → brevissimus. "Of frīgidus?" → frīgidissimus.
3. Ordinals 1–12: "Give ordinals 5th through 12th." → quīntus, sextus, septimus, octāvus, nōnus, decimus, ūndecimus, duodecimus.
4. PENSVM A-style fill-in: "Hōrae di__ sunt xii. Sex hōrae sunt dīmidia pars di__." → diēī, diēī.
5. Ablative of time: "How do you say 'in (the month of) June'?" → mēnse Iūniō. "At the sixth hour"? → hōrā sextā. "On a winter day"? → diē hiemis or hieme.
6. Three-degree drill: "Give positive, comparative, superlative of altus." → altus, altior/altius, altissimus.
7. PENSVM C Q&A: "Quot sunt mēnsēs annī?" → Duodecim mēnsēs sunt. "Quī diēs annī brevissimus est?" → Diēs ante diem octāvum kalendās Iānuāriās brevissimus est (or simpler: diēs mēnsis Decembris). "Quod tempus annī calidissimum est?" → Aestās calidissima est / Iūlius et Augustus calidissimī sunt.
8. Spot the error: "In mēnse Iūliō calidissimus est." → drop in: Mēnse Iūliō calidissimum est (or rephrase). Or: "Diē sextus longissimus est." → diēs sextus. Or: "Februārius est mēnsis brevior." → context wants superlative: brevissimus.
9. Translate: "Winter is colder than autumn." → Hiems frīgidior est quam autumnus. "January is the coldest month of the year." → Iānuārius mēnsis annī frīgidissimus est.
10. Calendar parsing (recognition only): "What does ante diem octāvum kalendās Iānuāriās mean?" → "the 8th day before Jan. 1st" (= Dec. 25 by inclusive Roman counting).

Session start

Bare (/llpsi-c13): "Cap. XIII — Annus et Mēnsēs. New: 5th declension (diēs), the superlative (-issimus), ordinals through 12, calendar/months, ablative of time when. Where do you want to start — 5th decl., superlatives, or the calendar?"

With topic: jump in.

After ~6–8 items, offer continue/switch/move on. For broader review, suggest /llpsi review 6-13.