OTHER PRONOUNS
Latin has a lot of pronouns, and we’ve just seen one of the most important, the relative pronoun. We will look at seven more. The first three are more important and should be prioritised. The last four are less vital should be considered optional extras.
(i) Latin has a word for this, and it’s hic, haec, hoc. It will change its form depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun it’s going with or deputising for. Think ofhic, haec, hoc as physical action, the verbal equivalent of pointing your index finger at something nearby and saying this …. One important thing is that it can stand alone as the subject of a sentence. You will see Romam hic vir amat, “this man loves Rome.” You will also see Romam hic amat: “this unspecified masculine entity loves Rome.” Often you can simply translate the latter as he.
(ii) Latin’s word for that is ille, illa, illud. This is the origin of many modern European words for the: ille becomes le, for example, or illa becomes la. Like hic, it’s a pointer word, and can stand alone: illa amat, “that woman loves.” Perhaps the best thing for starters is to learn off both hic and ille, doing your best to remember which is which.
(iii) Latin also has a word for he, she, it and that’s is, ea, id. Like hic and ille it’s important enough to earn some proper study. Try to memorise its forms if you can.
Its first job is as a straightforward pronoun: so amo eum means “I love him”, scribo ei means “I’m writing to her”, and liber eius means “her book.” We see in the texts that Latin often dispenses with these pronouns, but it may call on them for emphasis. Romam is amat: “he (in particular) loves Rome.” This is part of this pronoun’s second job, which is as a kind of weaker version of ille, a word for that. You will often see it working together with the relative pronoun, as in the sentence video ea quae vides: “I see the things that you see.”
The best way to learn the ins and outs of is, ea, id, is to meet it in context and to learn as you go.