#Latin textbooks

[virromanus]

Recommended Latin Textbooks and Readers for Beginners and Intermediate Learners

As a Latin learner, I have compiled a list of Latin textbooks and readers, which I'd recommend, for beginners and intermediate students:

For Beginners:

Familia Romana (Lingua Latina Book 1) - Uses the natural method of language acquisition, presenting Latin vocabulary and grammar without any English translations​​.

Complete Latin Beginner to Intermediate Book and Audio Course by Gavin Betts - Offers a comprehensive approach to reading, writing, speaking, and understanding Latin​​.

A Little Latin Reader by Prof Mary C. English - Ideal for undergraduate courses, covering a wide range of grammatical constructions with unadapted passages from Classical authors​​.

Latinitium’s Pugio Bruti: A Crime Story in Easy Latin - Designed to help beginners memorize 350 words through natural repetition, presented in story format​​.

For Intermediate Learners:

Cambridge Intermediate Latin Readers - Focuses on genuine, unsimplified Latin prose and poetry with helpful introductions, detailed notes, and full vocabularies​​. Read Ovid & Virgil.

Wheelock's Latin Reader (7th Edition) - A sequel to Wheelock's Latin, ideal for intermediate-level Latin courses, featuring classical, medieval, and late Latin writers​​.

Via Perīculōsa - Intended for beginning/intermediate students, featuring 88 unique words and action occurring in real places across the Roman Empire​​.

Reading Latin: Text and Vocabulary by Peter V. Jones and Keith C. Sidwell - Designed for those transitioning from beginner to intermediate levels, this book focuses on authentic Latin texts, offering a good mix of prose and poetry along with comprehensive vocabulary lists.

These textbooks and readers provide a range of methodologies and content, from the natural method without English translations to comprehensive courses and stories designed to build vocabulary and understanding of Latin through natural repetition and contextual learning.

Do suggest more reading or listening materials if you have. Let's grow this list to help those who wants to get started in learning Latin.

[interretialia]

Hi! I'm a uni student and am about to take a latin class for the semester. I have never learnt latin before, nor do I know another language besides english (I'm hoping to learn more though!) but I'm both excited and scared to jump straight in. How can I best prepare myself please and what is the easiest way to start learning without being overwhelmed please?

Salve!

The thing that I suggest that you do right away is see if you can find out what Latin textbook you will be using in your class. Different textbooks use different approaches. Some are more grammar-focused (e.g., Shelmerdine’s Introduction to Latin) while others are more immersion-method-focused (e.g., Lingua Latina per se Illustrata) while still others are more reading/story-focused (e.g., Cambridge Latin Course). Knowing what textbook you will use can give you a sense of the sorts of material you are likely to be working with on a day-to-day basis. Either way, I encourage you to get a copy of the textbook that you will use as soon as you can and read through a few of the early chapters on your own. Once you do that, you will quickly learn that Latin grammar is very different from English grammar!

Another thing that you can do is search YouTube for videos of songs in Latin. These can give you a sense of the general sound of the language. Although many of the well-known ones are Medieval Latin and have Medieval instead of Classical pronunciation, their pronunciation really is not too different from what you will be hearing in class. Personally, I like these: Carmina Burana [ O Fortuna ～ Fortune plango vulnera ] (lyrics: 1/2), Carmina Burana: In Taberna Quando Sumus (lyrics).

At this stage of your journey in learning Latin, you do not need to get yourself a dictionary. If you want to get one anyway, I suggest Traupman’s The New College Latin & English Dictionary, Third Edition. It goes both English-Latin and Latin-English, it has some basic grammar-related explanations, and it includes some Neo-Latin stuff like interrete, “internet” (and so you can try to work out how I translated my memes and such).

Utinam hoc tibi prosit! I hope this is helpful!

Vale.

[mea-clara-lux]

Young Thomas Lawrence (around late 70s)

Was he traumatised by Latin during his teenage years bc i definitely was

[themoonsaid]

Hindi is not difficult. reading in Hindi is not difficult. writing in Hindi is not difficult. counting in Hindi is not difficult. Hindi numbers are not difficult (१२३४५६७८९०). alphabets क्ष,ष,फ are not difficult. you just consume, are surrounded by and have been taught english and the latin alphabets way more than your native language and script use some sense

(this goes for any language not just hindi btw)

[quibbs126]

I need to figure out how to draw Transformers at this point

I have this comic idea in my brain, where basically a post TF One Optimus sees Earthspark Optimus and Megatron, and he just goes internally “THE WEDDING IS BACK ON”, thinking that this means he and D will get back together (only to be disappointed when he meets the other Optimuses (Optimi I think is actually the correct term by Latin standards?) and realizes that this is the exception)

But alas, I do not yet know how to draw them, and I have a test and then work today, and also a thing I was supposed to do for a video game project I’m in that I haven’t, so I can’t draw my image yet

Which sucks because it’s infinitely less funny when I have to describe the scene verbally rather than just show it to you

If I do end up making it, I’ll delete this and post it instead

[sickfreaksirkay]

oh im sure he was

[ceezedby]

Where did all those farmyard animal "The cow says Moo!" type of book come from? They came from this:

The Orbis Sensualium Pictus (the Illustrated Works of the Senses) by John Comenius, 1658 --> the first educational picture book for children.

[ratio-fan-6671011]

My (frankly lacking) Ratio summoning circle is ready - borrowing the power and luck of Doctor's husband.

I think this should account for at least E3 + LC

Good Luck to all pulling for the Doctor💎

PS. I swear I had duck memorabilia somewhere around the house, but couldn't find it now. Reminds me of that one fanfic with Laurentius the duck🦆

[panthermouthh]

My brain has had some quiet space to think for about four days now and I want to do Everything All At Once. This is way better than wanting to bed rot all day

[curioushabitforarivergod]

bcs as if tens of thousands in HECs debt isnt enough i need to spend $200+ on uni books for semester 1. kill me now

[occultchrysalis]

Being a latin student in a "normal" high school is weird. Like the spanish and french kids will learn how to say words like "television" or "restaurant" and are reading passages about Maria helping her grandmother with the groceries while we're over here translating a passage about how little Quintus's parents died in the eruption of Pompeii as well as five different ways to say "murdered".

[nova-they-exist-yup]

today i learned theres a fandom for the latin textbooks i read in class and tbh im kinda living for it

[mychlapci]

no fucking way ??

[elis-corner]

i'm just saying, marcus is totally in love with quintus

[mybedroomceilingsbored]

wait being able to sing you're welcome in latin is so fucking cool actually i aspire to be that cool

you're so welcome 😎

[allieinarden]

A dirge for those whose lifetime greatest one-liner occurred under circumstances too specific to explain without a PowerPoint.