#res anglice scripta

[neoteroi-suggestions]

5 tips for learning Latin!

V Cōnsilia ad Linguam Latīnam Discendam

#1. Make getting the rhythm right your priority

Make sure to always mark your long syllables in some way: macrons are the most common (āēīōū), but there's no reason not to settle for apices (áéíóú), circumflexes (âêîôû), or any other marking system! Also pay attention to vowel length when speaking, and try to check if you're not sure!

This will help you learn the rhythm of different words, and you'll future self will thank you when you try to write or read Latin poetry!

#2. Try to use Latin casually from time to time

Lingua latīna fortē mortua est, sed latīnitās valdē vīvit. It's a common mistake to assume that just because Latin is an ancient language, it can't be used for everyday stuff. That's not true though!

With a little help from sources like Neo Latin Lexicon, you have the means to refer to almost any object of daily use. Use this power for learning: journaling or writing down reminders/post-it notes in Latin can be a fun way to keep the language alive in your head!

#3. Use analysis as a tool

Now, I'm far from a proponent of relying on analysing grammar or translating text. That's a great way to spend your time learning nothing (except how to turn the pages of your dictionary more efficiently). But when you're struggling with a text, going through the grammar a bit at a time can give you insight to work off of.

Analysing the grammar in the first few pages of a book can take you m to a point where you can read it fluently - and the best part is, someone's probably done the analysis for you already! Youtube is full of videos ready to guide you through famous classical works.

#4. Revisit your old study materials

This one applies to everyone, but especially LLPSI users: take the time to open your old book once in a while.

You'll find words that you've forgotten, grammar you haven't seen in a while, maybe even expressions you've been trying to find!

Latin grammar and style is rich like very few European languages. And at over 40 000 words, Latin vocabulary is incredibly extensive for a “dead” language - wordier than some languages with millions of native speakers. This means you'll never remember all that you've learnt, often not even all that you need to remember, and returning even to the most basic stuff is worth it.

#5. Talk to Latin speakers in Latin!

I'll be the first to admit that the Latin-speaking community can be weird and daunting. Some people seem to be a bit too into the whole "ancient was better" stuff, which uhh, yikes.

But it's still a really welcoming community that's willing to help anyone capable of minding their manners. The Latin Discord server is the best place to be to practise: you can talk in beginner Latin channels, you can watch advanced speakers in the advanced Latin channels, you might even catch a group lesson, or a classics micro-celebrity appear in!

[neoteroi-suggestions]

Latin vocabulary: earth and nature

Vocābulārium Latīnum: terra nātūraque

[imāgō: photographēma silvæ]

[image: photo of a forest]

Landscape

Collis (III.M) - hill; mound; high ground

Mōns (III.M) - mountain

Silva (I.F) - forest, wood

Campus (II.M) - plain, field; flatlands

Pāscuum (II.N) - pasture, grazing field

Prātum (II.N) - meadow

Prātāria (I.F) - prairie or a similar ecosystem of vast dry grasslands (steppe, savanna, pampas)

Tesqua (II.N.PL) - desert, wasteland

Mare (III.N) - sea

Lītus (III.N) - (sea) shore, coast; river bank; beach

Harēna (I.F) - sand; sandy land/desert; sandy shore

Flūmen (III.N) - river; stream, current

Plants

Arbor (III.F) - tree

Flōs (III.M) - flower

Folium (II.N) - leaf; petal; best part or state of something (figuratively)

Caulis (III.M) - stalk, stem

Līlium (II.N) - lily

Rosa (I.F) - rose (also a term of endearment)

Wildlife

Bēstia (I.F) - wild animal, beast; creature

Bēlua (I.F) - beast, monster

Ferus (ADJ.I-II) - wild, savage; untamed; (Fera (I.F) = Bēstia)

Animal (III.N) - animal, living being

Aper (II.C) - wild boar

Lupus (II.M) - wolf

Ursus (II.M) - bear

Apis (III.F) - bee

Vespa (I.F) - wasp

Piscis (III.M) - fish

Weather

Tempestās (III.F) - storm; weather; season

Nimbus (II.M) - rain storm; rain cloud

Imber (III.M) - rain

Nīx (III.F; NB gen. irr. ninguis) - snow

Gelū (IV.N) - cold, frost (always singular)

Calidus (ADJ.I-II) - warm, hot

Frīgidus (ADJ.I-II) - cold, cool, chilly

Hiems (III.F) - winter

Æstās (III.F) - summer

Vēr (III.N) - spring

Autumnus (II.M) - autumn

Āēr (III.C) - air; lower atmosphere; weather

Sources:

Whitaker's Words

Wiktionary

[neoteroi-suggestions]

Latin Vocabulary: Work

*not comprehensive

[Imāgō: agrīcolae frūmenta metentēs; fōns]

[Image: farmers harvesting grain; source]

Words for work

Officium (II.N) - work, occupation

Negōtium (II.N) - business, occupation, work; trouble, labour; matter

Labor (III.M) - labour, toil

Opus (III.N) - work, accomplishment, artwork

Classical jobs

Agrīcola (I.M) - farmer

Colōnus (II.M) - tenant farmer, sharecropper

Incolō (Vb.III) - cultivate; inhabit

Metō (Vb.III) - reap, harvest; crop, snip off; kill/slaughter in battle

Frūmentum (II.N) - grain

Pastor (III.M) - shepherd

Grex (III.C) - flock, herd

Medicus (II.M) - doctor, medic

Sacerdōs (III.C) - priest/-ess

Servus (II.M) - slave, servant

Ancilla (I.F) - maid, female slave

Mīles (III.M) - soldier

Exercitus (IV.M) - military, army

Mercātor (III.M) - merchant, trader

Merx (III.F) - merchandise, goods, wares

Nauta (I.M) - sailor

Nāvigō (Vb.I) - sail; navigate

Modern jobs

Tabellārius (II.M) - post worker; (class.) messenger, letter deliverer

Epīstula (I.F) - letter

Argentārius (II.M) - banker

Ratiōnārius (II.M) - accountant

Ratiō (III.F) - reasoning; (bank) account

Gubernātor (III.M) - pilot; (class.) ship captain, navigator

Tabernārius (II.M) - shopkeeper

Ædificātor (III.M) - construction worker

Māchinātor (III.M) - engineer

Māchina (I.F) - machine; scheme, plan

Magister (II.M) - teacher, tutor

Doceō (Vb.II) - teach

Minister (II.M) - waiter

Workplaces

Ager (II.M) - field; farm; land, soil

Officīna (I.F) - workshop; modern office

Fabrica (I.F) - smith's workshop; modern factory

Taberna (I.F) - stall, shop

Apothēca (I.F) - warehouse

Argentāria (I.F) - bank

Collēgium (II.N) - guild, company, corporation; college; school

Ūniversitās (III.F), acadēmīa (I.F) - university, college, academy (all as in higher-education institutions)

Sources:

Whitaker's Words

Latinitium Dictionaries

Wiktionary

[neoteroi-suggestions]

I'm honestly surprised that there isn't really any LLPSI Familia Romana fanfic. The book is so good, so open-ended, and goes in so much depth about its characters' personalities (even exploring side characters' philosophy and beliefs and prejudices),,,like how is there nothing written speculating about how their journeys ended?

[neoteroi-suggestions]

Latin Vocabulary: Money

Vocābulārium Latīnum: Pecūnia

[Imāgō: nummī Rōmānī Pergameīque; fōns]

[Image: ancient coins from Rome and Pergamum; source]

Forms of money

Nummus (II.M) - coin; cash; a dominant local currency (sestertius, euro, etc.)

Pecūnia (I.F) - money or property

Monēta (I.F) - mint, coinage, currency

Argentum (II.N) - silver; cash; silver-place

Lāmina (I.F) - thin piece or sheet of a material; plate, leaf; money, coin

Currencies

Sestertius (II.M) - sesterce, a silver Roman coin used mainly as a unit in accounting

As (III.M) - the lowest-value Roman coin, originally bronze, later copper; penny, copper (any low-value coin)

Dēnārius (II.M) - a small silver type of Roman coin; dinar (currency of several modern countries)

Aureus (II.M) - a golden type of Roman coin with high value; Polish zloty

Solidus (II.M) - a golden coin from late Rome or its debased Byzantine successor; shilling

Drachma (I.F) - ancient Greek coin equivalent to the dēnārius; dirham, dram

Eurus (II.M) - euro, also called nummus

Thalerus (II.M) - thaler; dollar

Computus (II.M) - bank account

Prices and finances

Pretium (II.N) - price

Cōnstō (VB.I) - cost (used with ablative)

Mercēs (III.F) - salary, wage; rent

Salārium (II.N) - salary; stipend, allowance

Ratiō (III.F) - bill (to pay); accounts, books (finance)

Debitum (II.N) - debt

Collocātiō pecūniæ (III.F) - investment

Vectīgal (III.N) - tax

Sources:

Whitaker's Words

Wiktionary

Neo Latin Lexicon

Latinitium Dictionaries

[neoteroi-suggestions]

Latin Word of the Day

Day XIII (īdūs aprīlēs)

Journey

Translations:

Iter (III.N): journey, trip; march; course, path, road

Cursus (IV.N): running; course, direction; journey, voyage; orbit, tendency; development, succession, career

Phrases:

On a trip, on a journey: in itinere

To come back from a journey: ex itinere redīre

To run until you're out of breath: cursū exanimārī

Stay on course: cursum tenēre

Related vocabulary:

Via (I.F): road, street, path; highway; route

Cursus (ADJ.I/II): ran, traversed (of a journey)

Viō (VB.I): to travel

Iter faciō, itineror (VB.I.DEP): to travel

Rōmānus raedā viāns - A Roman travelling in a carriage

Sources:

Wiktionary

Whitaker's Words