Latin for Moms: How to Determine the Gender of a 3rd Declension Noun (A Flow Chart)

I haven’t written much about Latin in a while. Well, in a year. Anyhoo, that is beside the point. The point is: the third declension is a frustrating mess because it is basically the wastebasket of all declensions. I mean, yes, all these nouns are declined similarly, which tells us that they are, in fact, a family. But the declension itself is full of masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns, and telling the difference is complicated.

When my son and I were debating over this again, I decided to make a flow chart to prove that I was right help my son in his studies. I actually printed it out on index paper to make a sort of bookmark to rub it in be even more helpful. I’m sharing it here, but please note that there are some exceptions. I noted that on the chart, but I wanted to point it out, just in case. However, comma, this chart will help you determine the gender of the vast majority of third declension nouns, so it’s still useful.

So here you have it:

To get this image in as printable bookmarks, just fill out the form below and it’ll be emailed to you:

May all your Latin journeys be blessed!

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Read More in This Series:

Lesson 1: Understanding the Five Basic Cases
Lesson 2: What Does Declining Mean?
Lesson 3: A Preposition Inside the Genitive Case
Lesson 4: A Preposition Inside the Dative Case
Lesson 5: How to Determine the Gender of a 3rd Declension Noun (A Flow Chart) ← you are here