Chapter 1

Card Design

Color-code Parts of Speech

Card Front

Dictionary Information

Abbreviate

Macrons (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū)

All

Essential (2nd conjugation infinitives)

Additional Resources:

Quizlet

I. Read the words outloud.
It's true that you will never need to speak to an ancient Roman (unless you learn how to time-travel, in which case please bring me along). However, don't underestimate the importance of pronunciation— it's crucial for understanding components of Latin, especially when you learn new endings to form plural nouns and verb tenses.

There's a reason we spend so much time chanting the words in class. Don't just glaze over the words and make a "blah blah" sound in your head. Remember, the letters in Latin follow consistent rules (unlike in English). Review pronunciation rules here.

II. Write the words down.
You don't necessarily need to make your own hand-written flashcards (it still would be a good idea!) but consider having someone else say the words or press the audio buttons while you write down both the Latin word and its English meaning.

III. Pay attention to parts of speech.
Terms are color-coded by parts of speech:

Verbs
Nouns & Pronouns
Prepositions
Adjectives
Adverbs
Conjunctions
Interjections

You will need to provide dictionary information (the elements other than the head word) starting in Chapter 4 and beyond. Knowing a word's part of speech will help you recognize patterns and translate at a faster rate. Trust me.

IV. Draw nouns.
Who said studying has to be boring? Draw pictures of the nouns, and label them in Latin, of course. I am always happy to see students' creativity at work."

V. Act out verbs.
If you need a break from writing, give kinesthetic learning a shot. Say a verb in Latin while acting it out.

VI. Pay extra attention to adverbs and conjunctions !
Students frequently miss these parts of speech on assessments because they are harder to visualize in comparison to nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Honestly, you might just need to chant and write them over and over until they stick.

VII. Beware of hindsight bias.
Often, students make the mistake of thinking that they know the English meanings of words when they really don't.

What happens is that students will flip over a card and recognize the correct answer, but they don't truly know the correct answer. Remember, vocabulary quizzes are NOT multiple choice. They require students to produce the correct answer in writing, not identify the correct answer from a set. So before you hastily flip over a card, make sure that you say or write your answer first. If your answer doesn't match the back of the card, you don't know it well enough.

VIII. Avoid meaningless memorization shortcuts.
Remembering that the Latin word for "to live" (habitō, habitāre) starts with the letter "h" might help you on a quiz in the short term, but what about when you learn habeō, habēre? Making sure you thoroughly know a word will pay off in the long run. This is one reason saying the word outloud is helpful. Account for every syllable and for every letter.

IX. Learn derivatives.
Derivatives are English words that come from Latin words. As it turns out, Latin isn't so dead after all!

Example: An uninhabitable place is where nothing can live. (habitō, habitāre = to live)

The SPA Latin teachers have provided some English derivatives in small gray print on the back side of the cards. You can earn extra points on quizzes by providing these (with correct spelling).

n.b. Sometimes, words change meanings over time, so derivatives might not always be helpful. For example, the English word "trade" comes from the Latin "tradō, tradere" which originally meant "to give," rather than "to exchange." All derivatives provided on this site are "safe."

X. Study English to Latin.
You typically will only have to translate from Latin to English. However, if you study English to Latin, this will help ensure that you know the words really well. This is a more difficult skill that takes longer to achieve, even for Latin teachers.

Chapter 1

aestāte

in the summer

Cornelia in vīllā rūstica aestāte habitat.

Adverbs can be placed at the beginning or end of the sentence.

alter,
alter‍a,
alter‍um

other, another

Flavia puella altera est.

A common pattern of Latin adjectives is -us/-r, -a, -um (2-1-2) in which the forms are presented in the masculine, feminine, and neuter.

Example: alter, altera, alterum
(Abbreviated: alter, -a, -um)
alter → masculine
altera → feminine
alterum → neuter

In the example sentence above, altera is chosen to modify puella because -a is the feminine ending. Consider the alternative examples below:

Example 1: Masculine
alter puer ambulat.

Example 2: Neuter
alterum templum est.

Adjectives often come after the noun they modify. Watch out for adjectives that are predicate nominatives.

alius, alia, aliud

arbor,
arboris f.

tree

derivatives: arboretum, arborist

Arbor magna est.

An arboretum is a garden full of trees.
An arborist is someone who specializes in taking care of trees.

All nouns in Latin have gender, even if they are inanimate objects or intangible ideas.
Often, nouns that end in -a are feminine, but this is a case in which we just have to memorize the gender with the English meaning.

cūr...?

why...?

Cūr legis?

dum

while

Dum Cornelia legit, Flavia scribit.

ecce

look!

Ecce! puellae ambulant.

est

(from sum, esse)

he/she/it is

and

Cornelia legit et Flavia scribit.

etiam

also

Cornelia puella etiam est.

habitō,
habit‍āre

to live

derivative: uninhabitable

Cornelia in vīllā rūstica aestāte habitat.

An uninhabitable place is where nothing can live.

iam

now

Flavia iam sedet sub arbore.

(with ablative)

Cornelia in vīllā rūstica aestāte habitat.

laetus,
laet‍a,
laet‍um

happy

Laeta est Flavia.

A common pattern of Latin adjectives is -us/-r, -a, -um (2-1-2) in which the forms are presented in the masculine, feminine, and neuter.

Example: laetus, laeta, laetum
(Abbreviated: laetus, -a, -um)
laetus → masculine
laeta → feminine
laetum → neuter

In the example sentence above, laeta is chosen to modify Flavia because -a is the feminine ending. Consider the alternative example below:

Example
Laetus est Marcus.

Adjectives often come after the noun they modify. Watch out for adjectives that are predicate nominatives.

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legō,
leg‍ere

to read

derivatives: illegible, lecture

Cornelia legit et Flavia scribit.

nōmine

named

Puella, nomine Flavia, sedet sub arbore.

pictūra,
pictūr‍ae f.

picture

puella,
puell‍ae f.

girl

quae (f.)

who

rūsticus,
rūstic‍a,
rūstic‍um

country

Cornelia in vīllā rūstica aestāte habitat.

scrībō,
scrīb‍ere

to write

derivatives: scribe, scribble, script

Cornelia legit et Flavia scribit.

sedeō,
sed‍ēre

to sit

derivatives: sedentary, session, sessile

sub

(takes ablative)

under

sum,
esse

to be

Cornelia puella est.

In Latin, just like in English, we have verbs that aren't formed — orconjugated — normally. These are called irregular verbs. In English, we say

I am
you are
it is, etc.

NOT

I is
you am
it be

sum, esse is conjugated as follows:

	Singular	Plural
1st person	sum = I am	sumus = we are
2nd person	es = you are	estis = y'all are
3rd person	est = she is	sunt = they are

Infinitive: esse = to be

Practice the "Esse Chant" to drill how sum is conjugated in the present.

ubi

(adverb)

where

ubi...?

where...?

vīcīnus,
vīcīn‍a,
vīcīn‍um

neighboring, nearby

derivative: vicinity

vīlla,
vīll‍ae f.

house

Sort:

Alphabetically

By Parts of Speech

aestāte

in the summer

alter,
alter‍a,
alter‍um

other, another

arbor,
arboris f.

tree

derivatives: arboretum, arborist

cūr...?

why...?

dum

while

ecce

look!

est

(from sum, esse)

he/she/it is

and

etiam

also

habitō,
habit‍āre

to live

derivative: uninhabitable

iam

now

(with ablative)

laetus,
laet‍a,
laet‍um

happy

legō,
leg‍ere

to read

derivatives: illegible, lecture

nōmine

named

pictūra,
pictūr‍ae f.

picture

puella,
puell‍ae f.

girl

quae (f.)

who

rūsticus,
rūstic‍a,
rūstic‍um

country

scrībō,
scrīb‍ere

to write

derivatives: scribe, scribble, script

sedeō,
sed‍ēre

to sit

derivatives: sedentary, session, sessile

sub

(takes ablative)

under

sum,
esse

to be

ubi

(adverb)

where

ubi...?

where...?

vīcīnus,
vīcīn‍a,
vīcīn‍um

neighboring, nearby

derivative: vicinity

vīlla,
vīll‍ae f.

house

Verbs

habitō,
habit‍āre

to live

derivative: uninhabitable

legō,
leg‍ere

to read

derivatives: illegible, lecture

scrībō,
scrīb‍ere

to write

derivatives: scribe, scribble, script

sedeō,
sed‍ēre

to sit

derivatives: sedentary, session, sessile

sum,
esse

to be

Verbs (Conjugated)

est

(from sum, esse)

he/she/it is

Nouns

arbor,
arboris f.

tree

derivatives: arboretum, arborist

pictūra,
pictūr‍ae f.

picture

puella,
puell‍ae f.

girl

vīlla,
vīll‍ae f.

house

Pronouns

quae (f.)

who

Adjectives

alter,
alter‍a,
alter‍um

other, another

laetus,
laet‍a,
laet‍um

happy

rūsticus,
rūstic‍a,
rūstic‍um

country

vīcīnus,
vīcīn‍a,
vīcīn‍um

neighboring, nearby

derivative: vicinity

Adverbs

aestāte

in the summer

cūr...?

why...?

etiam

also

iam

now

nōmine

named

ubi

(adverb)

where

ubi...?

where...?

Prepositions

(with ablative)

sub

(takes ablative)

under

Prepositional Phrases

in pictūr‍ā

(ablative singular)

in the picture

sub arbore‍

(ablative singular)

under the tree

Conjunctions

dum

while

and

Interjections

ecce

look!

Settings

Additional Resources:

Example Sentence

Translation Tip

Example Sentence

Latin Adjectives

Translation Tip

Synonym

Example Sentence

Derivatives

Why feminine?

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Derivatives

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Latin Adjectives

Translation Tip

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Irregular Verb Tea

Verbs

Verbs (Conjugated)

Nouns

Pronouns

Adjectives

Adverbs

Prepositions

Prepositional Phrases

Conjunctions

Interjections