Doctors, lawyers, linguists and scientists from various fields in the process of education and work are faced with the need to master the Latin language. Despite the fact that it is called dead, it is the necessary base without which successful advancement in a number of professions is impossible. How to learn Latin from scratch? It is necessary to adhere to three main recommendations in the following sequence: mastering theory, practice, consolidating knowledge. Let's look at how it is possible to learn the language of science in five basic steps.
Choosing an approach to learning Latin
There are two generally accepted options for mastering these schools, the methods of which have a number of differences. Depending on the priority goals in language acquisition, it is worth taking a closer look at one or another approach. The first school is more focused on grammar and vocabulary. The second emphasizes vocabulary and reading. The first option is more suitable for those who aim to master the language on their own. How to learn Latin this way? It requires a high level of motivation and iron discipline. At the same time, most modern textbooks and programs are built on it, which will allow you to choose working materials without restrictions. The second method gives faster results in understanding and using the language. Its disadvantage is that it requires the almost constant presence of a teacher during the work process.
Workshop manual
A whole range of textbooks will help you learn the alphabet, grammar, and vocabulary of the language. How to learn Latin to the point where you can read? This will take from several months to six months. First you need to learn the alphabet, basic rules for reading words, basic grammar and sentence construction. In parallel with this, there is a constant expansion of vocabulary by memorizing not only individual words, but also entire expressions, quotes and texts. They will further become the basis for accelerating the development process. As educational material, you can use both a self-instruction manual and teaching aids recommended for university students or for a specific specialty.
The second necessary link is a dictionary. It is recommended to take a general edition, as well as a highly specialized version, for example, for linguists, lawyers, doctors or biologists.
Reading and translation
Since the language is “dead” and is used exclusively for solving scientific problems, reading and translation skills will become a priority in mastering. It’s worth starting with small, easy texts adapted specifically for beginners (from textbooks). Then you can move on to more complex works. How to learn Latin from scratch on your own based on texts and knowledge of grammar? Constant translation practice will help with this. It is necessary to work through each sentence, analyzing its components and selecting matches in the words and terminology of the native language. It is better to use communities of like-minded people to analyze progress and feedback. Workbooks with ready-made translations will also help, which you should consult after completing your own in order to analyze errors.
An effective way to expand your vocabulary
As in any other language, vocabulary is the key to successful mastery. Teachers say cardboard or electronic cards are the most effective way to work with vocabulary. On one side is a word or phrase in the original, on the other side is the translation. Constant work with cards will help you quickly learn verbs and their conjugations, proverbs, nouns and adjectives. It is recommended to periodically (weekly) return to the already worked material in order to consolidate it in long-term memory. How to learn Latin for auditory learners? The method of cards with pronouncing words and expressions out loud will allow you to solve the problem.
Communication and teaching others
How to learn Latin without constant feedback? Is it possible? In the case of Latin, the question is relevant because of its formality and the impossibility of universal communication. Teachers are encouraged to join communities of language learners who help each other with difficult cases in grammar, translation, and understanding vocabulary. The method of further transfer of knowledge is very effective when, after mastering the basics, the student undertakes to explain the basics of Latin to someone else, thus consolidating what he has learned and understanding what he has learned in detail. According to research results, this approach speeds up progress by at least two times.
Knowledge of the Latin language will allow you not only to study successfully, but also to read the works of ancient philosophers in the original. The process is fun and educational. It is possible to learn Latin on your own, and communities of like-minded people will become a reliable motivating factor on the way to your goal.
Why do we say “Latin”, “Latin”? When it comes to ancient languages, the first languages that come to mind are Greek and Latin. It is quite obvious that Greek, in its various dialects, was spoken by the Greeks, and Latin was the language of the Romans. And then the question arises: why? Romans spoke in Latin language?
Latin language(lingua Latina) is the language of the ancient inhabitants of Latium, a small region in central Italy bordering the lands of the Sabines, Etruria and Campania. The inhabitants of Latium were called Latins (Latini), their language was Latin (lingua Latina). It fell to Latium - according to traditional Roman legend - to receive Aeneas, who fled from Troy captured by the Greeks, and his distant descendant Romulus was destined to become the founder and first king of Rome (in 753 BC). And it was Rome, at first just the capital of Latium, that, thanks to its expansionist policy, first took possession of all of Italy, and then the Mediterranean basin and became the capital of the entire Roman Empire. And although the power and political influence of the Romans spread far beyond Latium and their language became the language of the entire Roman Empire, it was still called Latin.
For a very long time, Lingust could not find high-quality materials for self-study of the Latin language, to everyone’s joy, the legacy of the Soviet Union, in the form of a self-teacher of the Latin language by the Polish author Lydia Vinnichuk (), solved this problem. The site presents for free Not only course of 60 online lessons, but also texts by Roman authors such as Caesar, Cicero, Horace, Ovid, etc. To view answers to exercises and translations of Latin texts, hover your mouse over the key: We sincerely advise the student to renounce dependent sentiments, maintain character and turn to the “Key” at the last the moment when everything that depends on one’s own knowledge and intelligence has already been done in grammatical exercises and translations.
Go to -› list of lessons ‹- (Click)
Is Latin a dead language?
Let us answer this with the words of Julian Tuwim: “What kind of dead language is this if, without fading, it has survived thousands of years?...” But how, in what form has it “survived”? First of all, in texts, in works that have survived to our time and thanks to which we can observe the development and change of the Latin language over the centuries; in historical monuments and documents of the Middle Ages, in the works of the Renaissance. And, in addition, it was preserved in the Romance languages, in the languages of those peoples conquered by Rome who experienced its political and cultural influence. These are Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and other foreign languages.
Finally - this also needs to be remembered - other languages were also influenced by Latin, although this influence is manifested mainly in the fact that their vocabulary is largely saturated with Latin words. Scientists have calculated that of the 20,000 most common words in the English language, about 10,400 are of Latin origin, about 2,200 are of Greek origin, and only 5,400 are of Anglo-Saxon origin.
A lot of Latin words have entered the Russian language. And this is not only scientific terminology, which in most cases is international, but also colloquial words. They have penetrated so deeply into our language that, having used them since childhood, we no longer perceive them as words of foreign origin. Let us give several examples related to the field of education: “school”, “institute”, “student”, “table”, “director”, “lecture”, “audience”, etc. Therefore, we recommend that you accompany the learning of Latin vocabulary by searching for borrowed words in Russian language. You will discover how fascinating the life of words is.
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Learning Latin
The Latin language is usually called dead, but knowledge of it is still mandatory for those who have associated themselves with the profession of biologist, physician or lawyer, and is interesting for those who want to know the origin of many famous words and expressions. Knowledge of Latin is a serious assistant in learning any modern European language. Quite often you can find a word in Russian that is interpreted in one way or another using a Latin dictionary.
To help those interested in All courses Com has made a selection of the most useful and free YouTube channels for learning the Latin language.
Latin for everyone
The channel contains more than twenty meaningful Latin lessons. The teacher will introduce students to the alphabet, sounds and letters, Russian words with Latin roots, word order in a Japanese sentence, Roman numerals, Latin cases, and a Latin verb. Everyone will be able to learn nouns, adjectives and declensions, verb forms, tenses, learn how to construct phrases correctly, learn more about Roman life and much more.On the channel you can also find useful educational videos on Spanish, English grammar, and there is a section on psychology, physics and legal law.
Latin language with Ilyas Gimadeev
The author of the channel and project manager is a Latin teacher from Moscow.The constantly updated channel can currently provide more than ten informative lectures for the free study of Latin, which touches on the topic of nouns and adjectives, declensions, and verbs. Students will be able to get acquainted with the alphabet and master the rules of reading in Latin. Suitable for beginners and will replenish the knowledge in the minds of those continuing to study.
Latin with Peter Makhlin
The author of the project, who is also a teacher of the channel, is a philologist by training, a novelist, the author of books on linguistics, as well as scientific and about a hundred popular science articles on linguistics, foreign language teacher Petr Makhlin conducts language lessons in Kyiv, as well as remotely. His channel contains about 70 Latin lessons, and the material, presented carefully and in detail, is suitable for beginners and those continuing to learn the language.Also, using the channel's materials, you can master or improve your knowledge of English, Italian, Latin, Ancient Greek, French, German or Spanish.
Latin with Svetlana Golovchenko
The disadvantages of some videos include not very good sound quality, which slightly interferes with the perception of the text. The material is presented in detail and with attention to the topic.The channel contains a number of useful videos designed to help Latin learners. Students will be able to become familiar with nouns, prepositions, inconsistent definitions, features of writing recipes, adjectives, declensions, and much more. Simple and clear about Latin for doctors.
Latin in lectures
A series of open lectures on the Latin language from teacher Dmitry Novokshonov. Despite the fact that the video was filmed from a lecture audience, the level of video and sound allows you to obtain the required knowledge in a high-quality manner. Dmitry will help you understand nouns, adjectives, declensions, verbs and other elements.Latin for Medical Students
The video is a detailed two-hour lecture for those who want to master the basics of the Latin language with medical terminology, the field is optics. The teacher explains very thoroughly and meaningfully, the lecture consists of presentations.During the webinar, the history of the language, clinical terminology in ophthalmology, and the creation of term elements are outlined. Prefixes, roots, doublets, suffixes in Latin, final term elements, and the topic of naming muscles according to their functions are discussed in detail. In addition to dry information, there are also topics such as interesting origins of terms and famous expressions.
Latin language (or just Latin) for beginners and “from scratch” at the “European Education” school - training is conducted via Skype.
Two languages have their roots in the history of European civilization - ancient Greek and Latin. They are also often called classic.
The ancient Greek language was the most important factor in the development of European civilization in its various spheres. It was the Greeks who laid the foundation of philosophy, the basis for the natural and human sciences, gave direction to literature, and were also the first to demonstrate complex socio-political connections and relationships. It was the Greek language that became the first European language to have its own written language. Ancient civilization begins in Greece, but then the Roman Empire picks up the baton. Rome brings further development to Western Europe, but it is no longer Greek that is the language of civilization, but Latin.
Latin belongs to the Indo-European family (along with Greek, English, German and other Germanic languages), and later on its basis the Romance languages arose: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian and others.
Latin has been the language of living communication since the 6th century BC. to VI AD e. One of the Italic peoples, Latini, was the first to use the Latin language. The Latins inhabited the central part of Italy - Latium. Since VIII BC. e. Rome becomes their cultural and political center.
Over the course of its thousand-year existence, the Latin language, like any other living language, has changed and been replenished with new words and rules.
In the modern world, Latin is considered dead (that is, it is no longer used for live communication).
Today, Latin is needed by students of philological faculties, medical workers, lawyers, politicians, philosophers and representatives of some other professions. In addition, Latin terminology is adopted as a basis by other languages, remaining in its original form or subject to certain changes. It should be noted that in mathematics, physics and other sciences they still use symbols, which often serve as abbreviations for Latin words. In biology, medicine, pharmacology, a single international Latin nomenclature is still used today. Along with Italian, Latin is the official language of the Vatican.
Since Roman science was built on the foundation of Greek, modern scientific terminology contains a significant Greco-Latin component.
Latin for beginners is a fairly broad concept, because its study serves various purposes. Teachers at our school will help you clearly define the structure of your work and build a course that will be as focused as possible on your goals and wishes. Even if many have the same goal, the path to achieving it may be different. Since we are all different, we have different perceptions and understanding of the structure of language, different memorization patterns, etc. The teacher tries to take into account the individual characteristics of each student when preparing for classes, which greatly facilitates the process of mastering a particular topic and language as a whole. For example, if you are a medical student, then such topics as the Latin language and the basics of medical terminology, Latin for doctors, Latin for studying pharmaceutical terminology, a brief anatomical dictionary, Latin terminology in the course of human anatomy, etc. will probably be relevant to you. d.
Each profession has its own programs and topics for study, which can be changed and supplemented in accordance with the wishes of the student.
It is better to study Latin for beginners for an hour and a half, and on days when you do not have classes, consolidate the material in shorter approaches. On the weekends, you can devote a little more time to learning Latin. It should be remembered that working with a teacher is only part of the journey. To achieve results you need to put in a lot of effort and independent work.
Latin phonetics is quite simple, as it is based on letters that we are all familiar with (the Latin alphabet is the basis for almost all European languages). For beginners, it is more difficult to master the rules of reading in Latin. If you want to learn to understand the language, and not just learn a couple of Latin proverbs and phrases, you need to master grammar. Understanding the meaning of Latin texts is simply impossible without knowledge of grammar. The fact is that conjugation and other transformations of parts of speech occur according to certain rules, therefore, at the initial stages, textbooks often contain explanations and footnotes to texts to facilitate understanding and perception of the meaning of what is read.
It should also be remembered that the Latin course for beginners is not aimed at mastering spoken Latin (since Latin has not been used in spoken language for a very long time). A beginner's Latin course will help you master the grammar and vocabulary needed in your field.
How did it occur to me to take up Latin?
Several years ago I decided to re-read Dead Souls. Do you remember footman Petrushka, Chichikov’s servant from the famous Gogol poem? How he loved to read everything indiscriminately. The man was amazed at the great mystery: how do words suddenly turn out from letters? Great is the power of Gogol’s word! I recently thought about this funny description, and for some reason I had a very serious desire to study languages. I decided that I should first learn Latin, the basis of several modern European languages.
And where, exactly, should I start? And how to learn a language: using existing established methods or according to your own understanding?
It would be good to learn a language, as they say, “with mother’s milk.” For example, how did it happen with the 16th-century philosopher Montaigne, who as a child communicated only with a Latin teacher and heard nothing around him except Latin speech, which became his native language. However, all this was unattainable for me, so there was only one option left - to “bite into the granite” of Latin on my own.
Where did I start learning Latin?
I decided to come up with my own, albeit rough and clumsy, but my own methodology, which was developed directly as I moved forward in learning the language.
And I couldn’t think of anything smarter than to go to bookstores and buy the thickest dictionary for translation from Latin into Russian.
I leafed through the dictionary for a long time and realized that it should not be approached mechanically. I began to consider words as entertaining pictures, puzzles or crosswords. I tried to notice the similarities and differences, counted the number of letters, almost tried the word by heart. After a week, I began to understand how words are composed and what parts of speech they are made of, and how a verb differs from a noun, a noun from an adjective, an adjective from an adverb, etc.
In the preface to any good thick dictionary there is an introductory chapter telling about the rules of reading and pronunciation.
How I chose a textbook and additional literature
After playing with the dictionary for a week and getting the first idea about Latin, I downloaded my favorite textbook (self-instruction manual) from the World Wide Web. I also download several adapted books for reading (for example, 
"Notes on the Gallic War" by Caesar). I make sure to select a textbook with keys and correct answers to language tasks.
Slowly, I familiarize myself with each lesson in the textbook and diligently complete all the exercises. I write down the latter in the largest notebook I could find in the store. I divide the notebook sheets in half with a vertical line. On the left side I complete tasks, on the right side - corrections for my mistakes and incorrect answers. I am writing down, so to speak, the history of my “stupidities.” For every mistake made on the left side of the notebook, I come up with a punishment for myself and draw a corresponding picture on the right side of the sheet - hitting me with a stick, rods, fist, cutting my head, shaving my mustache, etc. I punish myself not only in the picture, but also mentally. Then I graciously forgive myself. At the same time, it is very easy to remember the mistakes made, which are not repeated in the future.
I keep my notebook so that there is a lot of free space between the lines and on the right side of the sheet. I use the empty spaces to write correct sentences and words next to errors. I write out error-free phrases and words up to 10 times until I remember them.
I am learning Latin with pleasure
After diligently completing the Latin textbook course, I do the following. I read ancient Roman prose, for example, Julius Caesar’s Notes on the Gallic War or the speeches of Marcus Tullius Cicero.
When reading the same “Notes” of Caesar for the first time, I don’t look into the dictionary, but try to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words in accordance with the context. I write down the words I understand in a notebook. I approach each word as if it has several meanings, as one of a whole “bundle”, “family” of related words. I write this “link” down in a notebook, using my imagination and looking at the dictionary. Moreover, for better memorization of words, I write them down with ballpoint pens of different colors.
How do I learn words
I keep a separate notebook for the dictionary, which I develop carefully and diligently. For what? To make it easier to memorize words. I divide the notebook page into three vertical parts. The left column is used to record the Latin word. The middle one is needed to write out all related words, that is, “connections”. And I give the right column for drawings on the topic of the written word. Here I, using my imagination, imagine some unusual situations or scenes associated with a certain word. Having imagined such a situation, I put it in the form of a comic drawing. In the right column, in addition to the picture, I also write down the verbal association. For example, I accompany the word Latina (Latin) in the right column with the similar-sounding word “platinum”, comparing the Latin language with the most precious metal; and to incunabulis (cradle) I attribute the Russian word “incubator” - a kind of cradle for chickens. Of course, this takes a lot of time, but the right word will be remembered for a lifetime.
I mentioned above that I write down words with different colored pens. Let me give you a simple example: I write the adjective “black” in black. Red, blue, etc. - in the appropriate color.
What color should you use to write, for example, the word brutus (heavy)? For some reason it evoked an association with the color brown. What about the word acutus (sharp)? In my imagination it turned bright red. Color associations are individual for each person. It was much more difficult when choosing verbs. For example, the verb edo (to eat) was written down with a green pen, imagining a vegetarian eating dill or parsley. I experienced the greatest difficulty in choosing colors with abstract words, for example, with the verbs decidere (to decide) and aestimare (to count). In this situation, without choosing a color, I limited myself to the right column, applying a playful design in it.
After six months of compiling the dictionary, I already had a notebook with two thousand words and “connections”, formatted using the method described above. The notebook helped me master the necessary vocabulary.
How I came to audio courses
For three months I studied oral speech using a textbook. But then I got into trouble, by accident 
having met a man who had mastered Latin well. He was a general practitioner to whom I came as a patient. When the therapist wrote out the prescription, I, wanting to show off my knowledge of Latin, began to read the recipe. In response, I received a remark about poor pronunciation and advice to listen to audio materials. It turned out that the doctor is a big fan of Latin.
I realized the mistake, downloaded some educational audio materials and started listening to them every day. I felt that things were not going very well. Then I cut the audio recordings using computer software into individual sentences, then grouped five repetitions of each sentence, and eventually glued them back into a complete audio recording. The result was an audio course with a lot of repetitions, which is what I needed.
About two years have passed since I started learning Latin on my own. It seems to me that I have achieved some success: I understand about half of spoken language; I can understand seventy percent of the unadapted Latin texts; I translate the rest with the help of a dictionary. My pronunciation has improved, but not as much as I would like. That's why I'm still working on it. I believe that mastering a language is a long process, taking years to come.
I would like to give some advice to those wishing to study Latin:
- I’m not talking about diligence, perseverance and a great desire to master Latin, as well as the requirement for daily language lessons. Every person understands that these conditions are the most important;
- Many experts advise engaging in various forms of learning Latin every day - studying from a textbook, reading fiction or other books, listening to an audio course on your player or smartphone, and so on. I believe that this is not entirely correct. I prefer classes in a certain sequence according to a planned schedule - for example, study for two months only with a textbook, then devote the same amount of time to reading books, then listen to materials for three months with the goal of understanding oral speech and developing pronunciation;
- You shouldn't cram, it won't give you anything anyway. Albeit slowly, but it is necessary to delve deeply into the educational material in order to understand, compare and visualize individual words and expressions;
- Complete not only the tasks in the textbook, but also come up with your own exercises. To do this, use all your imagination. For example, if you are moving around a city or rural area, I advise you to translate into Latin the objects you come across along the way - store signs, signs on doors, banners by the roads, names of plants and animals, and the like;
- Still, some important auxiliary phrases that are not easy to master are not a sin to memorize. For example, Ab initio (from the beginning), Absque omni exceptione (without any doubt), and other similar phrases;
- Don't be upset when things don't go the way you wanted. Remember that success awaits you! Viam supervadet vadens (“The one who walks will master the road”).
Happy learning!!!
