The letters “c” and “g” are always hard, as in the “c” in the English word “cow” or the “g” in the English word “go. " The letter “v” sounds like the English letter “w,” as in the English word “wee. " The letter “x” sounds like the English letters “ks,” as in the English word “exit” (which is also a Latin word). The “r” is trilled, similar to the Spanish “r. "
The long vowel “ā” sounds like the “a” in the English word “father. " The long vowel “ē” sounds like the “e” in the English word “they. " The long vowel “ī” sounds like the “i” in the English word “machine. " The long vowel “ō” sounds like the “o” in the English word “clover. " The long vowel “ū” sounds like the “u” in the English word “rude. "
The short vowel “a” sounds like the “a” in the English word “about. " The short vowel “e” sounds like the “e” in the English word “pet. " The short vowel “i” sounds like the “i” in the English word “pin. " The short vowel “o” sounds like the “o” in the English word “off. " The short vowel “u” sounds like the “u” in the English word “put. "
In many modern Latin texts, the letter “j” is used instead of an “i” if “i” is a consonant. However, the “j” retains the “y” pronunciation, similar to how the letter is pronounced in Spanish. For example, the name “Julius” would actually have been spelled “Iulius” in Latin, and is pronounced “YOO-lee-uhs. "
An “h” remains hard when next to another consonant. For example, “ch” in a Latin word sounds like the “ck” and “h” in the English phrase “block head. " Similarly, “ph” sounds like the “p” and “h” in the English phrase “up hill. " The combination “gn” sounds like the “g” and “n” in the English phrase “wing nut. " When a consonant is doubled, both consonants are pronounced as separate consonants. For example, the “tt” in the Latin word “admittent” sounds like the English phrase “admit ten. "
An “ae” is pronounced like the “ai” in the English word “aisle. " An “oe” is pronounced like the “oi” in the English word “coil. " An “ei” is pronounced like the “ey” in the English word “hey. " A “ui” is pronounced like the “ooey” in the English word “gooey. " An “au” is pronounced like the “ou” in the English word “about. " An “eu” is pronounced like the “eu” in the English word “feud. "
If the word has 3 or more syllables, figure out whether the next to last syllable is heavy. A heavy syllable in Latin has a long vowel, a diphthong, or a short vowel followed by 2 or more consonants (the letter “x” is considered a double consonant because it is pronounced “ks”). If the next to last syllable is heavy, it takes the stress. Otherwise, the stress falls on the syllable before it.
Generally, present-tense verbs ending in “-ō” have a first-person subject (I in English). Verbs ending in “-is” have a second-person subject (you in English), while verbs ending in “-it” have a third-person subject (he/she/it in English). As in English and other Latin-based languages, there are also irregular verbs. You’ll typically have to memorize the endings for these, which can take a lot of drilling.
English has significantly fewer case forms, and adjectives are never modified. Keeping these separate may prove difficult if you are a native English speaker. However, the case forms are fairly regular, so once you’ve memorized the endings you should be able to identify them fairly easily. Drill yourself on endings of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives, just as you did drills conjugating verbs.
“Learn Latin” (for Android) and “Latin Word of the Day” (for iOS) are both free and introduce new vocabulary every day, as well as providing sample sentences. “Learn Basic Latin” is available for Android phones and provides drills for Latin grammar and verb conjugations. If you’re interested in understanding the meaning of famous Latin quotes and phrases, “Latin Wisdom” (for iOS) helps teach you Latin by providing translations of well-known Latin sayings.
Fortunately, many classic Latin textbooks have been digitized and are available for free. Two of the most popular Latin textbooks are Wheelock’s Latin, a conventional textbook, and Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata, which contains no English at all, but rather is designed for beginners to be able to read in Latin immediately, and learn without rote memorization. . When you go through the exercises, mark your mistakes and figure out what you’re having problems with. Then you can devote additional time to practicing the things that give you the most trouble.
Set a timer and free-write for 5 to 10 minutes. If you don’t know a word, write the English word and then go back to it. When the timer goes off, read over what you’ve written and look up the words you didn’t know. It can also help to check your textbooks and make sure you’ve conjugated words correctly and used the right case for nouns, pronouns, and adjectives. If you translate what you wrote in Latin back into English, you may also have an easier time catching errors. When you first start, it will probably take you longer and your writing might be simplistic and stilted. However, with practice, you’ll find you’re able to craft more eloquent Latin prose.
All of these readers are available to download for free onto your computer or mobile device. You can set aside a specific time each day to read Latin or pull up the text when you have a moment, such as when you’re waiting in line. Copying the text in your own writing can help you learn how Latin is written and how words are formed. Writing the text yourself also starts building muscle memory for the grammar and spelling of Latin words and sentences.
“Logeion,” available at https://logeion. uchicago. edu/lexidium, is a good free online dictionary offered by the University of Chicago.
The website https://www. textkit. com/ has a number of active Latin forums where you can chat in Latin with other people. You might also consider going to a Classics event or weekend where Latin is spoken. While these events can sometimes be pricey, they’re a great way to immerse yourself in the language and potentially make some new friends.
It will help your fluency if you read without trying to translate the Latin into English or another language. However, creating your own translation can also benefit your understanding of the language. If you make your own translation, it’s a good exercise to compare it to a professional translation. Most of these classic works can be downloaded for free. Highlight places where your translation differs significantly from the published translation and try to figure out what choices were made that led to the distinction.
Recordings of Gregorian chants often become popular in the new age genre and are typically in Latin. Latin masses and other Catholic hymns in Latin are available on YouTube and other video streaming services.
Look for videos on YouTube and other video-streaming services. These videos are often geared towards people learning the language and feature basic vocabulary and sentence structure. Check out links to more advanced videos and podcasts at http://johnpiazza. net/latin/listening/.
