What we do in the following example?

I need to combine two words in a phrase: 'professional' and 'holiday'.

There is no adjective 'professional' in Latin or my searching is bad. So I can use the genitive of 'profession' - professionis.

I get: festum (nom.) professionis (gen.), and there is no problem yet (and all agree too that there is no problem in the following combination: - "canis pueri boni"). But if I need to use a verb which governs words by special cases - there seems to be a little trouble.

Professionis is not a true adjective, but this is different from an appositive getitive example (I think) - so what we need to do!?

"Congratulor" takes the accusative, so "festum" must be in this case. But what about professionis?

I can't make them agree.


You decline the main noun and keep the genetive of the other noun.

  • A relationship by marriage is: affinitas.
  • A relationship by marriage with a very good man is: affinitas viri optimi.
  • I congratulate you on your relationship by marriage with a very good man is: Gratulor tibi affinitatem viri […] optimi (Cicero, Epistulae ad familiares, 8,13); overly literal translation – what he's actually saying is: “Congratulations on an excellent son-in-law.” (The interjection medius fidius means something like “on my word,” it refers to a god called Dius Fidius.)
  • Thanks! I do in such way before I asked my question, but it was only on the basis of my own language perception, not on the basis of examples from Classics. – TrmIntrs2 Jul 5 '20 at 17:54

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