Cases 2
Quenya Grammar 1
Course 1 · Chapter 5 · Cases 2
Quenya Grammar 1, Chapter 4 covered the cases that show who does what: subject, object, owner, receiver. This chapter covers the cases that answer "where?" and "with what?". English uses small words such as to, in, from and with; Quenya adds an ending to the noun instead. As before, the forms come from the "Plotz declension" (a 1967 letter of Tolkien), which gives full paradigms for cirya "ship" and lassë "leaf".
The Singular Endings
| Case | Meaning | cirya "ship" | lassë "leaf" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allative | motion towards | ciryanna | lassenna |
| Locative | location, position | ciryassë | lassessë |
| Short locative | shortened locative | ciryas | lasses |
| Ablative | motion away from | ciryallo | lassello |
| Instrumental | means or instrument | ciryanen | lassenen |
Look at the patterns: allative -nna, locative -ssë, ablative -llo, instrumental -nen. Wikipedia notes that the dative from Chapter 4 (ciryan) is a shortened form of the allative (ciryanna). For lassë the final -ë becomes -e- before the ending (lassenna), which the table shows.
Examples in Use
The last line shows two ways to say the same thing: a small word (an) with the plural partitive noun falmali, or the same noun with the allative ending (falmalinna(r)). The page gives no example of the instrumental, so this chapter does not invent one.
With Number
Each case has its own endings in the plural and dual. In the table, "Pl. 1" is the general plural (-r or -i) and "Pl. 2" is the partitive plural (-li) from Chapter 3. Forms are those the page prints for the formal register.
| Case | cirya Pl. 1 | lassë Pl. 1 | cirya Pl. 2 | cirya Dual | lassë Dual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allative | ciryannar | lassennar | ciryalinna(r) | ciryanta | lassenta |
| Locative | ciryassen | lassessen | ciryalisse(n) | ciryatsë | lassetsë |
| Short locative | ciryais | lassis | ciryalis | (not given) | (not given) |
| Ablative | ciryallon | lassellon | ciryalillo(n) | ciryalto | lasselto |
| Instrumental | ciryainen | lassínen | ciryalínen | ciryanten | lassenten |
The pattern to learn: the plural ending is the singular one with a final -n or -r added (-llo to -llon; -ssë to -ssen; -nna to -nnar), and the partitive plural puts -li- before the case ending (ciryalinna(r)). The brackets show that the page gives the final consonant as optional.
Choosing the Right Case
- Is something moving? Towards it: allative. Away from it: ablative.
- Is it staying in a place? Locative (or the short locative).
- Is the noun a tool or means? Instrumental.
- Does the noun belong to origin or ownership? Back to the genitive of Chapter 4.
Hands-On Exercises
Give the allative, locative, ablative and instrumental singular of cirya and lassë from the table, then translate "from the ship", "to the leaf", "in the ship" and "with the leaf" (leave out the article for now).
📄 View solutionExplain the two ways of saying "upon the many waves", name the case ending involved, and say which of the two is the short, noun-only form.
📄 View solutionTake ciryallon and ciryalillo(n). Break each into noun, number ending and case ending, say how they differ in meaning, and label them attested or built by rule.
📄 View solutionChapter 5 Quick Reference
- Allative -nna (towards), locative -ssë (in, at; short -s), ablative -llo (from), instrumental -nen (by means of)
- Plural: add -n or -r (-llon, -ssen, -nnar); partitive adds -li- first (ciryalinna(r))
- Dual: -nta, -tsë, -lto, -nten (ciryanta, ciryatsë, ciryalto, ciryanten)
- Attested glosses: elenna "toward a star"; Lóriendesse "in Lórien"; earello "from the sea"; an i falmali = i falmalinna(r) "upon the many waves"