🏛️Elementary Latin Unit 9 – Common Vocabulary and Phrases

Key Latin Vocabulary

• Nouns essential for basic communication include persona (person), res (thing), locus (place), and tempus (time)
• Verbs crucial for forming simple sentences consist of esse (to be), habere (to have), facere (to do/make), and ire (to go)
  • Esse is irregular and essential for linking subjects to predicate nouns or adjectives
  • Habere is used to express possession or obligation (habeo librum - I have a book)
• Adjectives modify nouns and must agree in gender, number, and case such as bonus (good), malus (bad), magnus (big), and parvus (small)
• Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs including bene (well), male (badly), semper (always), and numquam (never)
• Prepositions indicate relationships between words in a sentence like in (in/on), ad (to/toward), ab (from/by), and cum (with)
• Conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses together such as et (and), sed (but), aut (or), and quia (because)
• Pronouns replace nouns and include ego (I), tu (you), is/ea/id (he/she/it), and nos (we)

Common Phrases and Expressions

• Salutations and farewells include salve (hello), vale (goodbye), and ave (hail/farewell)
• Expressions of gratitude and politeness consist of gratias tibi ago (thank you), quaeso (please), and ignosce mihi (forgive me)
• Phrases for agreement and disagreement like ita vero (yes indeed), minime (no/not at all), and non dubito (I do not doubt)
• Expressions of uncertainty or possibility such as fortasse (perhaps), fieri potest (it can happen), and quis scit? (who knows?)
• Phrases related to time include nunc (now), hodie (today), heri (yesterday), and cras (tomorrow)
  • Carpe diem (seize the day) encourages making the most of the present moment
• Expressions of necessity or obligation like necesse est (it is necessary), oportet (it is proper/one ought), and debeo (I must/owe)
• Phrases expressing wishes or desires such as utinam (would that/if only), velim (I would like), and spero (I hope)

Pronunciation Guide

• Latin has five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) each with a long and short pronunciation affecting meaning (e.g., pōpulus - people vs. pŏpulus - poplar tree)
• Diphthongs are two vowels combined to create a single sound including ae (eye), au (ow), ei (ay), eu (eh-oo), and ui (oo-ee)
• Consonants are generally pronounced as in English with a few exceptions
  • C is always hard like "k" and G is always hard like "g" in "go"
  • V is pronounced like "w" and I may be a consonant or vowel depending on context
• Stress usually falls on the penultimate (second to last) syllable unless the vowel is short, then it falls on the antepenultimate (third to last)
• Elision occurs when a word ending in a vowel or -m precedes a word beginning with a vowel or h-, causing the final syllable to be dropped in pronunciation
• Macrons (horizontal lines) over vowels indicate a long pronunciation while a breve (˘) denotes a short pronunciation
• Latin is read aloud with attention to vowel length, consonant combinations, stress placement, and elision for proper pronunciation and understanding

Grammar Basics

• Nouns have three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter), two numbers (singular, plural), and at least five cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative)
  • Gender affects adjective agreement and pronoun usage
  • Number indicates one (singular) or more than one (plural)
  • Cases show a noun's function in a sentence (subject, direct object, indirect object, etc.)
• Verbs have four conjugations (groups) and are inflected for person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), number (singular, plural), tense (present, past, future), voice (active, passive), and mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative)
  • Conjugations are identified by the infinitive ending (-are, -ere, -ere, -ire)
  • Person and number correspond to the subject (I, you, he/she/it, we, y'all, they)
• Adjectives have three declensions (groups) and agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case
  • Declensions are identified by the genitive singular ending (-ae/-i, -i, -is)
• Adverbs are uninflected words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs
• Prepositions are uninflected words that introduce phrases showing direction, location, time, etc.
• Conjunctions are uninflected words that join words, phrases, or clauses
• Latin has no articles (a, an, the), so context determines definiteness
• Word order is flexible with emphasis placed on words at the beginning or end of a sentence/clause

Vocabulary Categories

• Family members and relationships include mater (mother), pater (father), filius (son), filia (daughter), frater (brother), soror (sister), and amicus/a (friend)
• Animals common in ancient Rome consist of canis (dog), feles (cat), equus (horse), bos (cow), ovis (sheep), and sus (pig)
• Food and drink essential to Roman cuisine like panis (bread), vinum (wine), aqua (water), caseus (cheese), and oleum (oil)
• Clothing items worn in ancient Rome such as toga (toga), tunica (tunic), stola (stola), palla (palla), and calcei (shoes)
• Colors used for description include albus (white), ater (black), ruber (red), caeruleus (blue), and viridis (green)
• Body parts and physical features like caput (head), oculus (eye), nasus (nose), manus (hand), pes (foot), and capillus (hair)
• Numbers and counting from unus (one) to decem (ten), centum (hundred), and mille (thousand)
  • Roman numerals are also used (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X)
• Geographical features and landmarks in the ancient world such as mons (mountain), flumen (river), mare (sea), insula (island), and urbs (city)

Cultural Context

• Roman naming conventions typically include a praenomen (first name), nomen (family name), and cognomen (nickname or branch of family)
  • For example, Gaius Julius Caesar or Marcus Tullius Cicero
• The Roman pantheon includes major deities like Jupiter (king of gods), Juno (queen of gods), Mars (god of war), Venus (goddess of love), and Minerva (goddess of wisdom)
• Roman society was hierarchical with distinct social classes: patricians (nobles), plebeians (common people), and slaves
• The Roman Forum served as the center of public life with temples, government buildings, and markets
• Roman architecture featured arches, domes, and concrete as seen in famous structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts
• Latin was the language of law, government, and education in the Roman Empire
  • Many Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes are found in English and other Romance languages
• Roman literature encompasses various genres including epic poetry (Virgil's Aeneid), lyric poetry (Catullus), oratory (Cicero's speeches), and history (Livy's Ab Urbe Condita)

Practice Exercises

• Translate simple sentences from Latin to English and vice versa focusing on basic grammar and vocabulary
  • Example: Puella rosam portat. (The girl carries a rose.)
• Decline nouns and adjectives in all cases and numbers to reinforce endings and agreement
  • Example: rosa, rosae, rosae, rosam, rosa (1st declension feminine singular)
• Conjugate verbs in various tenses, voices, and moods to practice identifying forms and meanings
  • Example: amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant (1st conjugation present active indicative)
• Parse words in context by identifying parts of speech, grammatical functions, and dictionary forms
  • Example: puellae (nominative plural feminine of puella - girl, subject of sentence)
• Complete fill-in-the-blank exercises with appropriate vocabulary, endings, or grammatical constructions
  • Example: Magister discipulos _____ docet. (bene, well - adverb modifying "teaches")
• Compose original sentences using newly acquired vocabulary and grammar concepts
  • Example: Femina in foro ambulat et fructus emit. (The woman walks in the market and buys fruit.)
• Read and comprehend adapted passages from Roman authors to build reading skills and cultural knowledge
  • Example: Aesop's fables or simplified excerpts from Cicero's letters

Study Tips and Mnemonics

• Create flashcards with Latin words on one side and English definitions on the other to review vocabulary regularly
• Use mnemonic devices to remember noun declensions, verb conjugations, and other patterns
  • Example: "After eating, I am very sleepy" for 1st conjugation endings (-o, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt)
• Break down complex grammatical concepts into smaller, more manageable parts and study them individually before combining them
• Practice reading Latin aloud to improve pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension
• Engage with the language daily through vocabulary review, grammar drills, and reading practice
• Create study groups or find a language partner to practice speaking, listening, and writing skills collaboratively
• Utilize online resources such as quizlet, memrise, or duolingo for additional practice and reinforcement
• Relate Latin vocabulary to English derivatives to expand your understanding of both languages
  • Example: "aqua" (water) is related to "aquarium," "aquatic," and "aqueduct"
• Explore Roman history, mythology, and culture to provide context and deepen appreciation for the language