Chapter 10

Color-code Parts of Speech

Abbreviate Dictionary Info

Macrons (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū)

All

Essential (2nd conjugation verbs)

Additional Resources:

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 colored info on the back of the cards) starting in Chapter 3 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. Additional drawing activities can be found at the top of the page under "Print-Offs."

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 10

alius

alia, aliud

other, another

baculum

baculī n.

stick

cista

cistae f.

chest, box

crās

tomorrow

derivative: procrastinate

dīcō

dīcere

to say

derivatives: dictator, contradiction

dūcō

dūcere

to lead

derivatives: productive, conducive

equus

equī m.

horse

derivative: equestrian

faciō

facere

to do, make

derivatives: manufacture, effect, confection

ferō

ferre

to bring

derivative: reference

ferō, ferre is an irregular verb, so we need to memorize its forms. Maybe this song will help you:

gerō

gerere

to wear

habeō

habēre

to have, hold

iaciō

iacere

to throw

derivatives: eject, projector

incitō

incitāre

to drive (like an animal)

derivative: incitement

intereā

meanwhile

iubeō

iubēre

to order

līberī

līberōrum m.

children

parātus

parāta, parātum

ready

pōnō

pōnere

to put, place

derivatives: position, component

raeda

raedae f.

carriage

scelestus

scelesta, scelestum

wicked

soleō

solēre

to usually (do)

stō

stāre

to stand

derivative: station

via

viae f.

road

Sort:

Alphabetically

By Parts of Speech

alius

alia, aliud

other, another

baculum

baculī n.

stick

cista

cistae f.

chest, box

crās

tomorrow

derivative: procrastinate

dīcō

dīcere

to say

derivatives: dictator, contradiction

dūcō

dūcere

to lead

derivatives: productive, conducive

equus

equī m.

horse

derivative: equestrian

faciō

facere

to do, make

derivatives: manufacture, effect, confection

ferō

ferre

to bring

derivative: reference

gerō

gerere

to wear

habeō

habēre

to have, hold

iaciō

iacere

to throw

derivatives: eject, projector

incitō

incitāre

to drive (like an animal)

derivative: incitement

intereā

meanwhile

iubeō

iubēre

to order

līberī

līberōrum m.

children

parātus

parāta, parātum

ready

pōnō

pōnere

to put, place

derivatives: position, component

raeda

raedae f.

carriage

scelestus

scelesta, scelestum

wicked

soleō

solēre

to usually (do)

stō

stāre

to stand

derivative: station

via

viae f.

road

Verbs

dīcō

dīcere

to say

derivatives: dictator, contradiction

dūcō

dūcere

to lead

derivatives: productive, conducive

faciō

facere

to do, make

derivatives: manufacture, effect, confection

ferō

ferre

to bring

derivative: reference

gerō

gerere

to wear

habeō

habēre

to have, hold

iaciō

iacere

to throw

derivatives: eject, projector

incitō

incitāre

to drive (like an animal)

derivative: incitement

iubeō

iubēre

to order

pōnō

pōnere

to put, place

derivatives: position, component

soleō

solēre

to usually (do)

stō

stāre

to stand

derivative: station

Infinitives

dīcere

third conjugation

to say

dūcere

third conjugation

to lead

facere

third conjugation

to do, make

ferre

irregular conjugation

to bring

gerere

third conjugation

to wear

habēre

second conjugation

to have, hold

iacere

third conjugation

to throw

incitāre

third conjugation

to drive (like an animal)

iubēre

second conjugation

to order

pōnere

third conjugation

to put, place

solēre

second conjugation

to usually (do)

stāre

first conjugation

to stand

Nouns

baculum

baculī n.

stick

cista

cistae f.

chest, box

equus

equī m.

horse

derivative: equestrian

līberī

līberōrum m.

children

raeda

raedae f.

carriage

via

viae f.

road

Adjectives

alius

alia, aliud

other, another

parātus

parāta, parātum

ready

scelestus

scelesta, scelestum

wicked

Adverbs

crās

tomorrow

derivative: procrastinate

intereā

meanwhile

Settings

Additional Resources:

Fero Song

Verbs

Infinitives

Nouns

Adjectives

Adverbs