How to Learn Latin on Your Own
Get your hands on a beginners' Latin textbook that has lots of exercises and an answer key., Read each lesson, do each exercise, check your answers, and memorize., A note about textbooks., You may choose the method that best suits you., Once you've...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Get your hands on a beginners' Latin textbook that has lots of exercises and an answer key.
The answer key is particularly important because you won't have a teacher to check your answers.
Wheelock's Latin is a well-known textbook with the answers in the back.
It is arguably the best choice for independent study, as there is a lot of study material available, as well as online study groups.
There are also a number of textbooks with an answer key available in the public domain:
B.L.
D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners + answer key J.G.
Adler, A Practical Grammar of the Latin Language + answer key (with audio and other resources) C.G.
Gepp, Henry's First Latin Book + answer key A.H.
Monteith, Ahn's Method First Course + answer key, Ahn's Method Second Course + answer key. -
Step 2: Read each lesson
It will take at least a few months to work your way through the book, perhaps years.
In schools, Wheelock's Latin is used in several consecutive introductory courses spanning a few semesters. , There are two schools of thought in teaching Latin which differ in their methods.
The first method focuses on a disciplined and organized exposition of grammar and vocabulary, and is heavily dependent on memorization.
Wheelock's Latin and most older textbooks like D'Ooge's Latin for Beginners belong to this category.
The second method focuses on reading, is heavily dependent on the teacher, and puts slightly less emphasis on memorization.
The Cambridge Latin Course is an example of a textbook that belongs to this category, like the Athenaze series in Greek and Lingua Latina per se Illustrata.
This is more similar to the mediaeval and renaissance teaching methodology. , The advantages of the first method are that you should be able to progress without a teacher, and there are textbooks available in the public domain which use this method.
The disadvantage is the amount of effort required and the potential for getting discouraged.
The second method is useful if you want to start reading soon, learning only the grammar and vocabulary that is necessary to read selected texts.
A teacher's intervention is highly recommended in order to guide the student when certain principles of grammar have not been covered.
It is unlikely that answer keys will be readily available, and textbooks using this method are not generally to be found in the public domain. , Here are some good choices:
Jacob's Latin Reader Part I and Part II.
Ritchie's Fabulae Faciles (easy stories) Lhomond's De Viris Illustribus (used by generations of school children to learn Latin) The Latin Vulgate Bible , This is the most important and most difficult step.
You must move beyond translating sentences in your head to instinctively understanding them.
In other words, you need to learn to think in Latin.
The way to achieve this is by immersion.
Since Latin is pretty much a dead language, the closest thing to immersion you'll find is reading and understanding large quantities of Latin text.
There is available an Assimil course for Latin that uses immersion and is good if you study alone.
But, this book is no longer available to purchase new, you can buy it used or search for the book and the audio in the internet (only available in French and Italian).
Schola Latina Universalis (distance learning with translations in English and Spanish using the Assimil course) , Speak a language is the best fluency exercise.
Schola (follow first link) (chat and forum) , Only add words and phrases that are new to you.
It can be useful to make separate entries for words with multiple meanings and idiomatic phrases that have their own peculiar meaning. , If you get through all these novels, you'll be well on your way to becoming reasonably fluent in Latin:
Insula Thesauraria (Treasure Island); also here, and here.
Rebilius Crusoe (Robinson Crusoe) Pericla Navarchi Magonis (Les Aventures du Capitaine Magon) Mysterium Arcae Boulé (The Mystery of the Boulé cabinet) Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) Harrius Potter et Camera Secretorum (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) , Some authors are easier to read than others.
You could start out with Caesar's De Bello Gallico and Cicero's Orations. -
Step 3: do each exercise
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Step 4: check your answers
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Step 5: and memorize.
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Step 6: A note about textbooks.
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Step 7: You may choose the method that best suits you.
-
Step 8: Once you've finished the textbook
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Step 9: you need to get your hands on some easy reading.
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Step 10: Now that you've built a basic vocabulary and mastered the rudiments of Latin grammar
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Step 11: the next step is to achieve a certain level of fluency.
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Step 12: Speaking Latin is not so common nowadays
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Step 13: but you can improve greatly your fluency doing that.
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Step 14: As you read
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Step 15: make your own personal Latin dictionary.
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Step 16: To entice you into reading lots of Latin without getting bored
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Step 17: you can try reading some famous novels in translation.
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Step 18: You can move on to classical Latin texts when you feel comfortable doing so.
Detailed Guide
The answer key is particularly important because you won't have a teacher to check your answers.
Wheelock's Latin is a well-known textbook with the answers in the back.
It is arguably the best choice for independent study, as there is a lot of study material available, as well as online study groups.
There are also a number of textbooks with an answer key available in the public domain:
B.L.
D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners + answer key J.G.
Adler, A Practical Grammar of the Latin Language + answer key (with audio and other resources) C.G.
Gepp, Henry's First Latin Book + answer key A.H.
Monteith, Ahn's Method First Course + answer key, Ahn's Method Second Course + answer key.
It will take at least a few months to work your way through the book, perhaps years.
In schools, Wheelock's Latin is used in several consecutive introductory courses spanning a few semesters. , There are two schools of thought in teaching Latin which differ in their methods.
The first method focuses on a disciplined and organized exposition of grammar and vocabulary, and is heavily dependent on memorization.
Wheelock's Latin and most older textbooks like D'Ooge's Latin for Beginners belong to this category.
The second method focuses on reading, is heavily dependent on the teacher, and puts slightly less emphasis on memorization.
The Cambridge Latin Course is an example of a textbook that belongs to this category, like the Athenaze series in Greek and Lingua Latina per se Illustrata.
This is more similar to the mediaeval and renaissance teaching methodology. , The advantages of the first method are that you should be able to progress without a teacher, and there are textbooks available in the public domain which use this method.
The disadvantage is the amount of effort required and the potential for getting discouraged.
The second method is useful if you want to start reading soon, learning only the grammar and vocabulary that is necessary to read selected texts.
A teacher's intervention is highly recommended in order to guide the student when certain principles of grammar have not been covered.
It is unlikely that answer keys will be readily available, and textbooks using this method are not generally to be found in the public domain. , Here are some good choices:
Jacob's Latin Reader Part I and Part II.
Ritchie's Fabulae Faciles (easy stories) Lhomond's De Viris Illustribus (used by generations of school children to learn Latin) The Latin Vulgate Bible , This is the most important and most difficult step.
You must move beyond translating sentences in your head to instinctively understanding them.
In other words, you need to learn to think in Latin.
The way to achieve this is by immersion.
Since Latin is pretty much a dead language, the closest thing to immersion you'll find is reading and understanding large quantities of Latin text.
There is available an Assimil course for Latin that uses immersion and is good if you study alone.
But, this book is no longer available to purchase new, you can buy it used or search for the book and the audio in the internet (only available in French and Italian).
Schola Latina Universalis (distance learning with translations in English and Spanish using the Assimil course) , Speak a language is the best fluency exercise.
Schola (follow first link) (chat and forum) , Only add words and phrases that are new to you.
It can be useful to make separate entries for words with multiple meanings and idiomatic phrases that have their own peculiar meaning. , If you get through all these novels, you'll be well on your way to becoming reasonably fluent in Latin:
Insula Thesauraria (Treasure Island); also here, and here.
Rebilius Crusoe (Robinson Crusoe) Pericla Navarchi Magonis (Les Aventures du Capitaine Magon) Mysterium Arcae Boulé (The Mystery of the Boulé cabinet) Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) Harrius Potter et Camera Secretorum (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) , Some authors are easier to read than others.
You could start out with Caesar's De Bello Gallico and Cicero's Orations.
About the Author
Douglas Henderson
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