How to Teach Yourself Latin

Cave canem

Latin is not dead. Sure, it may not be spoken any longer, but it’s alive and well in many phrases we still use today. It also serves as the root for many words, especially those in romance languages. You can also find Latin roots in many English words. You can teach yourself Latin with diligence, repetition and some study materials.

Things You'll Need

• Latin study guides
• Books of Latin phrases

Instructions

1. Gather study materials. You'll want a Latin textbook or two, language tapes and reading material geared to help you translate. Don’t fret; you don’t have to learn all this tomorrow. Rome wasn’t built in a day, either.

2. Memorize some common phrases. Popular ones include: caveat emptor, carpe diem, semper fidelis and cave canem. This will give you a base of how Latin is still relevant today so you don’t think your task is totally useless. It will also start building your vocabulary.

3. Look up Latin nouns. You need to know what the words mean in the phrases you’ve memorized, which will give you a host of nouns under your belt. Look up more to name all the items you come in contact with. These may include dog, cat, cow, table, school, house, head and hands.

4. Familiarize yourself with Latin verbs. The phrases you learned will also give you a fine verb selection. Look up more that match your daily activities, such as run, walk, sleep, eat and work.

5. Study noun and verb declension. Latin insists nouns and verbs have different endings to match the number, case, tense and parts of speech the word is being used for. Memorize the endings, which should be outlined in your text, so you can recite them with your eyes closed.

6. Begin to associate modern English words with their Latin roots. Here’s where the real fun begins. The Latin word for dog, canem, can be found as the root of canine. Latin’s fidelis, or faithful, shows up in infidelity. Caveat, or beware, loses the “v” when it turns into a “u” and comes up words like caution.

7. Translate. Find easy Latin reading material and begin to translate it into modern English. Hopefully, the study materials you’ve chosen include some translation exercises. If not, take a trek to the library or church where you can find some Latin text.

Tips & Warnings

• As you are using these helpful tips, read your textbooks and other materials and follow along as they guide you.

• Good ways to learn any language is with flashcards and labeling things around the house with the other language’s word.

• Don’t expect to find Latin words for modern items that did not exist when Latin was spoken, such as computer, car or iPod.

Resources

• Some Latin phrases to get you started