in
+ Accusative
into, against (motion toward)
+ Ablative
in, on (at rest)
Accusative: in urbem— into the city (motion)
Ablative: in urbe— in the city (location)
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Latin Reference
Complete list of Latin prepositions grouped by the case they take. Every Latin preposition governs either the accusative or the ablative case (with three exceptions that take both). This is core classical grammar memory work and the foundation of Henle and First Form Latin.
Every Latin preposition is associated with a specific case. When you see a preposition, the noun after it must be in the case that preposition governs. This is why memorizing prepositions by case matters more than memorizing them alphabetically.
Rule of thumb: Accusative prepositions generally express motion toward, purpose, or measurement. Ablative prepositions generally express motion from, means, or location (at rest).
23 prepositions. The accusative case is the “direction toward” case — most accusative prepositions describe movement to, across, around, or near a place.
| Latin | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ad | to, toward, at, near | ad urbem— to the city |
| adversus | against, toward, opposite | adversus hostem— against the enemy |
| ante | before, in front of | ante portam— before the gate |
| apud | among, at the house of, with | apud Romanos— among the Romans |
| circa / circum | around, about | circum urbem— around the city |
| cis / citra | on this side of | cis Alpes— on this side of the Alps |
| contra | against, opposite to | contra nos— against us |
| erga | toward (metaphorical) | erga patrem— toward father (affectionately) |
| extra | outside of, beyond | extra muros— outside the walls |
| infra | below, beneath | infra terram— below the earth |
| inter | between, among | inter amicos— among friends |
| intra | within, inside of | intra moenia— within the walls |
| iuxta | next to, near | iuxta viam— next to the road |
| ob | on account of, because of, toward | ob hoc— on account of this |
| per | through, by means of | per silvam— through the forest |
| post | after, behind | post bellum— after the war |
| praeter | except, beyond, past | praeter me— except me |
| prope | near | prope templum— near the temple |
| propter | on account of, because of | propter amorem— on account of love |
| secundum | following, according to, along | secundum naturam— according to nature |
| supra | above, beyond | supra caelum— above the heavens |
| trans | across, over | trans flumen— across the river |
| ultra | beyond, on the far side of | ultra mare— beyond the sea |
11 prepositions. The ablative case is the “from/with/by” case — most ablative prepositions describe motion away, means, or location (at rest).
| Latin | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a / ab / abs | from, away from, by | ab urbe— from the city |
| coram | in the presence of, before | coram populo— in the presence of the people |
| cum | with | cum amicis— with friends |
| de | down from, concerning, about | de monte— down from the mountain |
| e / ex | out of, from | ex urbe— out of the city |
| prae | before, in front of, because of | prae laetitia— because of joy |
| pro | for, on behalf of, in front of | pro patria— for one's country |
| sine | without | sine spe— without hope |
| sub | under, beneath (at rest) | sub arbore— under the tree |
| super | over, above (at rest) | super mensa— above the table |
| tenus | up to, as far as | pectore tenus— up to the chest |
Usage Notes
Three prepositions can take either the accusative or the ablative — with different meanings. The rule of thumb: accusative = motion, ablative = rest.
+ Accusative
into, against (motion toward)
+ Ablative
in, on (at rest)
Accusative: in urbem— into the city (motion)
Ablative: in urbe— in the city (location)
+ Accusative
to under (motion)
+ Ablative
under (at rest)
Accusative: sub arborem— to under the tree
Ablative: sub arbore— under the tree (at rest)
+ Accusative
over, above (motion)
+ Ablative
above, concerning (at rest)
Accusative: super montem— over the mountain
Ablative: super monte— above the mountain (at rest)
Memorizing 40+ prepositions by case takes repetition. Classical Quest’s spaced repetition drills and case-matching games make it click faster than flashcards alone.
Every Latin preposition governs either the accusative case or the ablative case. Three prepositions — in, sub, and super — can take both, with different meanings depending on the case (motion toward vs. at rest).
'In' + accusative means motion INTO ('in urbem' = into the city). 'In' + ablative means location IN or ON ('in urbe' = in the city, at rest). The case tells you whether the noun is the destination or the place.
Use 'a' before consonants (except h) and 'ab' before vowels and h. So 'a Roma' (from Rome) but 'ab urbe' (from the city). The form 'abs' is rare. The meaning is the same — only the spelling changes for pronunciation.
'Cum' is an ablative preposition meaning 'with' ('cum amicis' = with friends). When attached to personal pronouns it becomes a suffix: mecum (with me), tecum (with you), nobiscum (with us), vobiscum (with you all).
Common accusative prepositions include ad (to/toward), ante (before), contra (against), inter (between), per (through), post (after), prope (near), propter (because of), trans (across), and ultra (beyond). They generally mark motion toward, cause, or purpose.
'Tenus' means 'up to' or 'as far as' and takes the ablative — but unlike every other Latin preposition, it FOLLOWS its noun instead of preceding it. So 'pectore tenus' (up to the chest), not 'tenus pectore'.
Want to see these prepositions in real Latin? Walk into the Hall of Echoes →