Everything You Need To Learn Latin
Latin is an ancient language of Europe and the Middle East that was once widely spoken by the people of Rome, but is now used almost exclusively in religious ceremonies.
The first evidence of written Latin appeared during the first century BCE, but its use became widespread only by the 4th century CE. The language continued to be used until around 700 CE, when it began to give way to other languages.
Latin is still taught today as an academic subject in many educational institutions around the world, both high school and college level.
Latin is the ancestor of modern Romance languages like Italian, French, Spanish, Romanian and Portuguese. Even English is indirectly related to Latin; many of its words are borrowings from the language. As such, a knowledge of Latin is an asset for any serious student of the Romance languages.
(Read how you can use Latin to speak to people in multiple languages.)
For a dead language, the number of learning materials is surprisingly plentiful. We’ve listed those we believe will be most useful to you as you commence your Latin journey.
Latin Language Learning Books
Using a Latin course/study book is the preferred (and often only) method to learn Latin. With a Latin textbook, you learn everything you need to know, such as useful vocabulary, etymology, grammar etc. There are plenty of very good books written on the subject, so you definitely have your pick.
Latin Children’s Books
Lots of kids’ books have been translated into Latin. If you’re a fan of the originals, reading a copy of the story in Latin will improve your Latin skills immensely.
Latin kids’ books are great for adding new vocabulary in a fun way that won’t be too overwhelming. The language used in these types of books is often pretty basic, so they’re a nice starting point for beginners.
Latin Fiction
Take your Latin reading and comprehension skills further with some more complex Latin reading material. Latin-language books written for older readers tend to be full of advanced vocabulary and concepts, which will challenge your Latin skills.
Latin Digital Courses
With a Latin e-course, you can not only hear how the language is supposed to be pronounced, but you’ll find it easier to put together your own sentences, and better understand spoken Latin.
Udemy offers a Classical Latin course for beginners, details of which we’ve included below. The course comes with 5 hours of video instruction, and dozens of downloadable worksheets to aid in your learning. Plus, you get lifetime access to the course, and can access it on almost any device.
LATIN UDEMY COURSES
Latin Products
Sometimes it takes more to learn a language than just relying on books and courses. Latin flash cards, for instance, are great for vocabulary drilling, and have proven to be effective in making vocabulary stick. And a Latin-language card game is a fun way to learn and remember new Latin words.
