The preposition "cum"

by Steve
(San Francisco)

Dear Latin Teacher,

I have noticed that sometimes when the preposition "cum" is used, the object of the preposition is swapped; for example, "cum te" becomes "tecum." Is it necessary to swap positions when writing a Latin sentence? Is there a rule governing this? Do other Latin prepositions also have this same effect?

Thank you very much.


Dear Steve,

This happens with the ablative personal pronouns me, te, se, nobis, and vobis. It also happens with quo and quibus. The preposition cum is added to the end of these ablatives instead of standing as separate word in front.

So: mecum, tecum, secum, nobiscum, vobiscum, quocum, quibuscum.

Hope this helps, and thanks for asking a Latin teacher.

Sincerely,

John

See more Latin Roots

Return to Vocabulary Lesson Plans