Summer School

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.

Summer School

ambulō

ambulāre

to walk

derivatives: amble, ambulatory

amō

amāre

to love/like

audiō

audīre

to hear

derivatives: audition, audience

bōs

bovis m./f.

canis

canis m./f.

dog

derivative: canine

cēlō

cēlāre

to hide

derivative: conceal

cīvis

cīvis m./f.

citizen

derivative: civic

clāmō

clāmāre

to shout

derivative: exclamatory

cūr...?

why...?

Cūr legis?

cūrō

cūrāre

to take care of

derivative: curator

doceō

docēre

to teach

derivatives: docile, doctrine

dum

while

Dum Cornelia legit, Flavia scribit.

eam

(f.)

her (accusative)

eās

(f.)

them (accusative)

ego

derivatives: egocentric, egotistical

eōs

(m.)

them (accusative)

and

Cornelia legit et Flavia scribit.

etiam

also, even

eum

(m.)

him (accusative)

frater

fratris m.

brother

gaudeō

gaudēre

to be glad

habeō

habēre

to have, hold

homō

hominis m.

person

iam

now, already

iubeō

iubēre

to order

māter

mātris f.

mother

derivatives: matriarch, maternity

mē

miles

militis m.

soldier

derivatives: military

nōn

not

nōn iam

no longer

parō

parāre

to prepare

derivative: preparatory

pater

patris m.

father

derivatives: paternalistic, patrimony

portō

portāre

to carry

derivatives: teleportation, comportment

possum

posse

to be able

derivative: possible

quae

(f.)

who (statement)

qui

(m.)

who (statement)

quod

because

quoque

also

rīdeō

rīdēre

to smile, laugh

derivatives: derision, ridiculous

saepe

often

salūtō

salūtāre

to greet

derivatives: salutation, salutatorian

sē

himself, herself, itself

sed

but

sedeō

sedēre

to sit

derivatives: sedentary, session, sessile

semper

always

sī

soror

sororis f.

sister

spectō

spectāre

to watch

derivatives: specter, inspector

stō

stāre

to stand

derivative: station

tē

you (direct object)

temptō

temptāre

to try

derivative: temptation

teneō

tenēre

to hold

derivative: container

terreō

terrēre

to scare, frighten

derivative: terrify

timeō

timēre

to fear, be afraid of

tū

you (subject)

ubi

where

ubi

when

uxor

uxoris f.

wife

veniō

venīre

to come

derivatives: intervention, convenient

videō

vidēre

to see

derivatives: vision, evidence

vītō

vītāre

to avoid

derivative: inevitable

vocō

vocāre

to call

derivatives: vocation, invoke

volō

velle

to want

vox

vocis f.

voice

derivative: vocalize

Sort:

Alphabetically

By Parts of Speech

ambulō

ambulāre

to walk

derivatives: amble, ambulatory

amō

amāre

to love/like

audiō

audīre

to hear

derivatives: audition, audience

bōs

bovis m./f.

canis

canis m./f.

dog

derivative: canine

cēlō

cēlāre

to hide

derivative: conceal

cīvis

cīvis m./f.

citizen

derivative: civic

clāmō

clāmāre

to shout

derivative: exclamatory

cūr...?

why...?

cūrō

cūrāre

to take care of

derivative: curator

doceō

docēre

to teach

derivatives: docile, doctrine

dum

while

eam

(f.)

her (accusative)

eās

(f.)

them (accusative)

ego

derivatives: egocentric, egotistical

eōs

(m.)

them (accusative)

and

etiam

also, even

eum

(m.)

him (accusative)

frater

fratris m.

brother

gaudeō

gaudēre

to be glad

habeō

habēre

to have, hold

homō

hominis m.

person

iam

now, already

iubeō

iubēre

to order

māter

mātris f.

mother

derivatives: matriarch, maternity

mē

miles

militis m.

soldier

derivatives: military

nōn

not

nōn iam

no longer

parō

parāre

to prepare

derivative: preparatory

pater

patris m.

father

derivatives: paternalistic, patrimony

portō

portāre

to carry

derivatives: teleportation, comportment

possum

posse

to be able

derivative: possible

quae

(f.)

who (statement)

qui

(m.)

who (statement)

quod

because

quoque

also

rīdeō

rīdēre

to smile, laugh

derivatives: derision, ridiculous

saepe

often

salūtō

salūtāre

to greet

derivatives: salutation, salutatorian

sē

himself, herself, itself

sed

but

sedeō

sedēre

to sit

derivatives: sedentary, session, sessile

semper

always

sī

soror

sororis f.

sister

spectō

spectāre

to watch

derivatives: specter, inspector

stō

stāre

to stand

derivative: station

tē

you (direct object)

temptō

temptāre

to try

derivative: temptation

teneō

tenēre

to hold

derivative: container

terreō

terrēre

to scare, frighten

note: (something else)

derivative: terrify

timeō

timēre

to fear, be afraid of

tū

you (subject)

ubi

where

ubi

when

uxor

uxoris f.

wife

veniō

venīre

to come

derivatives: intervention, convenient

videō

vidēre

to see

derivatives: vision, evidence

vītō

vītāre

to avoid

derivative: inevitable

vocō

vocāre

to call

derivatives: vocation, invoke

volō

velle

to want

vox

vocis f.

voice

derivative: vocalize

Verbs

ambulō

ambulāre

to walk

derivatives: amble, ambulatory

amō

amāre

to love/like

audiō

audīre

to hear

derivatives: audition, audience

cēlō

cēlāre

to hide

derivative: conceal

clāmō

clāmāre

to shout

derivative: exclamatory

cūrō

cūrāre

to take care of

derivative: curator

doceō

docēre

to teach

derivatives: docile, doctrine

gaudeō

gaudēre

to be glad

habeō

habēre

to have, hold

iubeō

iubēre

to order

parō

parāre

to prepare

derivative: preparatory

portō

portāre

to carry

derivatives: teleportation, comportment

possum

posse

to be able

derivative: possible

rīdeō

rīdēre

to smile, laugh

derivatives: derision, ridiculous

salūtō

salūtāre

to greet

derivatives: salutation, salutatorian

sedeō

sedēre

to sit

derivatives: sedentary, session, sessile

spectō

spectāre

to watch

derivatives: specter, inspector

stō

stāre

to stand

derivative: station

temptō

temptāre

to try

derivative: temptation

teneō

tenēre

to hold

derivative: container

terreō

terrēre

to scare, frighten

note: (something else)

derivative: terrify

timeō

timēre

to fear, be afraid of

veniō

venīre

to come

derivatives: intervention, convenient

videō

vidēre

to see

derivatives: vision, evidence

vītō

vītāre

to avoid

derivative: inevitable

vocō

vocāre

to call

derivatives: vocation, invoke

volō

velle

to want

Nouns

bōs

bovis m./f.

canis

canis m./f.

dog

derivative: canine

cīvis

cīvis m./f.

citizen

derivative: civic

frater

fratris m.

brother

homō

hominis m.

person

māter

mātris f.

mother

derivatives: matriarch, maternity

miles

militis m.

soldier

derivatives: military

pater

patris m.

father

derivatives: paternalistic, patrimony

soror

sororis f.

sister

uxor

uxoris f.

wife

vox

vocis f.

voice

derivative: vocalize

Pronouns

eam

(f.)

her (accusative)

eās

(f.)

them (accusative)

ego

derivatives: egocentric, egotistical

eōs

(m.)

them (accusative)

eum

(m.)

him (accusative)

mē

quae

(f.)

who (statement)

qui

(m.)

who (statement)

sē

himself, herself, itself

tē

you (direct object)

tū

you (subject)

Adverbs

cūr...?

why...?

dum

while

etiam

also, even

iam

now, already

nōn

not

nōn iam

no longer

quoque

also

saepe

often

semper

always

ubi

where

Prepositions

and

quod

because

sed

but

sī

ubi

when

Settings

Additional Resources:

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Example Sentence

Verbs

Nouns

Pronouns

Adverbs

Prepositions