Template for running a Latin Classroom

This collection of phrases grew from a set originally written by Bob Patrick, written to facilitate the management of a classroom in Latin.

The extensive additions to Bob's original list are all culled from Adler’s “A Practical Grammar of the Latin Language for Speaking and Writing Latin” –Evan Millner.

Taking the Register

Salvete discipuli!

A: Salve tu quoque magister!

Quid agitis hodie? Agitisne bene?

Roll call: Discipuli, nomina vestra voco (vocabo).

Quis homo es? Who are you? A: Ego sum ……

Respondete “adsum” vel “ecce me!”

Anne est intus Marcus? Is Mark here today?

Non dubito, quIn domi sit. I don’t doubt but that he is home.

Abiit Marco. Marco has left.

Ubi est ………….? Abestne? Another student answers: abest.

Ubi sunt x et y? Cur in foro sunt? Cur non veniunt? In foro sunt quod…..

Si veniet, cum eo colloquar. (When he comes, I’ll speak to him)

Eccum adest! Here he is.

En hic est ille! Here he is.

Eccos adsunt Here they are.

En hic sunt illi Here they are

Equis aegrotus est? (A: Nemo est aegrotus)

Adestne Michael scholae? A: adest vel interest

Quem te appellem? What shall I call you?

Lateness:

Unde venis? A: Venio ex hortulo/lavatorio

Fuistine in hortulo? Fuistine in lavatorio?

Suntne pueri tardi? (are boys late?)

Venient! (They’ll come)

Ubi heri eras? (where were you yesterday?) Erasne domi? (A: ego domi eram)

In scholam venire neglexisti! You were playing truant.

Starting the lesson

Open, close door: _________, claude (aperi) januam, quaeso.

Books, paper, pencils, pens, notebooks, turning to pages, etc.

1. Discipuli, extrahite libros (chartas, graphides, pennas, libellos).

2. Aperite libros ad paginam primam/alteram/ ducentessimam tricessimam secundam—being page1/2/ 232).

3. Vertite paginam et legite versum primum per decimum (turn the page and read

lines 1-10. Again, line numbers are ordinal.)

4. Post legendum, scribite breviarium de fabula in libello (after reading, write a

summary in your notebook).

5. Claudite libros.

6. Vertite libros in mensa. (Turn your books over on the desk—for when you

want them to refer back to the page momentarily.)

7. Deponite libros (pennas, graphides, libellos, chartas) in mensa (sarcina).

Giving Dictation:

Discipuli, scribite.

Scribe sententias perfectas.

Translation

Discipuli, Redde sententias Latinas Anglice

Classroom communications:

Num intelligis, quid dicam? A: minus comprehendo (I don’t)

Pro deorum atque hominum fidem! What the …is going on here!!!!

Quid discipuli clamant!

Discipuli, nolite loqui.

Laborandum est nobis / Nos oportet laborare /necesse est laboremus.

Discipulus, tacite! Discipulus, nolite susurrare!

Discipuli, lege fabulam et responde.

Discipuli, lege fabulam, et scribe responsa.

Discipuli, Scribe sententias perfectas (complete sentences).

Discipulus, nescio quid dicas! ( I can’t hear you)

Responde, discipule!

Bene respondes, discipule!

Discipulus, claude januam!

Discipulus, noli fenestram claudere!

Aperi fenestram!

Tabulam spectate! (Look at this picture)

Spectasne magistrum?

Quid agitis?

Quid ais? (What are you saying?)

Quo ambulas?

Ad stirpiculum ambulo……

Spectaa!

Nonne magistrum tuum times?

Nonne discipuli libros habent?

Cupitisne audite?

Attendite! (pay attention)

Moneminine?

Quicunque peritus est, laudatur!

Qui sollertes atque studiosi sunt, praemiis ornantur!

Tu ornaris praemio! (when giving a reward)

Audisne, quod praeceptor tibi dicat? A: Audio!

Cujus liber est hoc? Cujus est hic liber? A: Meus est

Num loqueris prius quam audis?

Auscultasne quum ego loquor?

Concludisne? (are you finishing up your work?)

Nemo punitus est (I’m not punishing anyone)

An vidistis librum etc meum?

Nunc est tibi laborandum!

Hic est liber tuus!

Non intelligo quid dicas.

Poenitet me (te/eum) ! (I’m sorry)

Pudet nos (vos/eos) ! (We’re ashamed)

Fallit me (I don’t know/remember)

Quomodo scribitus hocce vocabulum? (how is this word written?)

A: Scribitur hoc pacto.

Quomodo scribitus nomen ejus?

Scribitur litteraa Z… (It is written with a Z)

Opus est, ut sedeas quietus / Necesse est tibi sedere quiete

Scholam habere de aliquaa re.

Absolvistine tua pensa imperaata? (have you written your exercises?) A: Nondum absolve.

Quem quaeritis? (who are you looking for?)

Respondeasne, cum interrogaris? (Do you answer when you are asked?)

Quem librum habes? (which book have you got)

Habesne chartam, quae tibi opus est?

Quo curris? Where are you running to?

Cur eum offendis? (why are you pushing him?)

Obliviscerisne aliquid? A: Obliviscor vero meam pennam/chartam/librum

Num quid vis? / Num quid imperas? (Do you want something?)

Valde mihi probatur! Perplacet! (I like it)

Maxime oportet. (by all means)

Ordo te vocat! Ordo eum vocat! It is your turn/his turn

Vir vere doctus!

Verumne est? Estne verum?

Non verum est. Falsum est.

AmIsitne aliquid de minibus? A: DimIsit vero pennam de minibus.

Jussi eum facere hoc.

Hoc est mihi jucundum! Optime est! Gaudeo hoc!

Verba tua non intelligo, propterea, quod nImis celeriter loqueris!

Sis tam benignus, ut aliquanto lentius loquaris?

Visne esse tam beignus, ut mihi librum des?

Potesne respondere lente? A: possum

Procede lente! Festina lente! Walk slowly!

Reminiscerisne hoc? Do you remember that?

Quid recordaris? What do you remember?

Quomodo te geris? How do you behave?

Bene geris!

Te pro cive geris! You behave like a citizen!

Praebuis te virum! You’ve shown yourself to be a man.

Praestitis te doctum! You have shown yourself to be a scholar!

Non possum. I can’t

Non nolo. I don’t want to.

Ibisne intro? Will you go in?

Visne me assidere? Will you sit next to me?

Placetne tibi assidere in sellaa? Will you please sit down!

Visne pergere, ut coepisti? Will you carry on as you started?

Clara voce loqui pergas oportet! You must keep on speaking out loud.

Mihi opus est, ut lavem ( I need the bathroom)

Si abis, bene est. If you go, that’s OK.

Quam primum potes redeas quaeso. Come back as soon as possible

Quomodo te habes? How are you?

A: Ego me admodum bene habeo.

Parasne te ad dicendum? Are you preparing to speak?

Sero est. Its late

Utcunque sese res habet, tua est culpa. However that may be, you are at fault.

Non dissentio I agree

Faterisne illud esse vitium? Do you admit that to be a fault? A: Fateor.

Facere non possum I cant do it

Animadvertistine quod ille fecerit? Did you notice what he did? A: Animadverti

Quam rem agis? What are you driving at?

Itane? Is it so?

Quid nunc? What now?

Quid coeptas, Marco? What are you after, mark?

Tune negas? Do you deny it? Nego hercle vero!

Non opus est? Isn’t it necessary? A: Non hercle, vero.

Satin salve, dic mihi? A: Recte

Quid est? What is it? A:nihil, recte perge (nothing)

Ego tibi irascerer? Could I be angry with you? Scilicet! Heaven Forbid

Num pennam habet, an non?

Sunt haec tua verba, necne? Are these your own words?

Dicam hiuc, an non dicam? Shall I tell him, or shall I not tell him?

Hoc ne feceris. Do not do this.

Ne desperemus. Let us not give up.

Stat mihi facere hoc I’ve decided to do this

Gratissimum mihi facies, hoc si beneficium mihi tribuas. You’d oblige me a lot if you’d do me this favour.

Facerem hoc, si fieri posset. I’d do it, if it were possible.

Si ego essem, qui tu es…..If I were in your place…

Vellem, ut illud fecisses. I wish you had done it.

Fecitne verba discipulus? Did the student speak?

Res ad te spectat. This concerns you.

Quid hoc ad rem? What has that got to do with this? (stay on topic)

Hoc comprehendi non potest.

Hoc in intelligentiam non cadit. That’s unintelligible.

Quid succenses? What are you angry about?

Quid est hoc Latine?

Quid significant hoc Anglice?

Satin hoc tibi expolratum ‘st? Are you sure of that? A: Exploratum habeo.

Aequo sis animo! Be patient.

Expecta! Wait!

Attendite! Adestote animis! Pay attention!

Da mihi hoc! Give it to me!

Ediscendum est tibi pensum vicesimum. You have to learn lesson 20.

Adjuvabo te facere hoc. I’ll help you

Adjuvabone te in laborando? Shall I help you?

Queaso mihi des librum. Please hand the book over.

Pulsantur fores. Someone is knocking at the door.

Quid rides? What are you laughing at?

Tune s, qui rides? Is it you who is laughing?

Nescio quod faciam. I don’t know what to do.

Num hi libri tui sunt? Are these your books?

Praeter speciem stultus es. You’re more stupid than you appear.

Te et moneo et hortor!

Quam pulcher liber!

Quam bonus es!

Quam es erga me benevolus!

Quanti est sapere! How valuable knowledge is!

Dicere aggredior! Attendite! I’m starting to speak. Pay attention.

Quantum differt! What a difference!

Manum de tabula! Hands off the picture!

Honoris mea causaa. Out of respect for me

Te vehementer etiam atque etiam rogo. I earnestly ask you.

Giving a test:

Discipuli, scribite probationem (begin/write the test).

Discipuli, nolite loqui (susurrare).

Quis perfectus est? Quis non perfectus est?

Post probationem scripsistis, deponite in mensa mea.

Fer(te) mihi probationem.

Post probationem scripsistis, vertite in mensa.

Affer mihi libros. (bring me your books)

Analysing a sentence

“Pater meus rosam pulchram in horto suo habet.”

Quis rosam habet? Pater meus rosam habet!

Qualem rosam habet? Pulchram habet pater meus rosam!

Quid in horto suo habet? Rosam in horto suo habet!

Ubi rosam habet? In horto suo rosam habet!

Quid facit pater?

Quo facit?

Cur facit?

Describing a picture/etc

Quid in picturaa videtis?

Quid, pueri (puellasque) in picturaa videtis

Novam picturam hodie habemus.

Picturam novam hodie spectate!

In picturaa nostraa tabernam videmus.

Taberna in hac pictura videtur.

In pictura est taberna. Picturam spectaate!

Nonne tabernam spectas? Quis tabernam non videt?

Quid pictura ostendat? Ubi est taberna? Quid ‘head’ latine apellamus?

Explaining cases intuitively:

Mensa hic posita est.

Tango mensam. Mensam habeo. Habesne mensam? Mensam habeo! Estne tibi mensa? Est mihi mensa!

Mensa longa est. Mensa lignea est. Color mensa niger est.

Ego mensam tango. Ego mensam longam tango. Etc. Thousands of examples to be found in Adler….

Introducing tenses:

Olim, Londini habitabam. Nunc, Eboraci habito. Mox Cantabrigiae habitabo.

Introducing paradigms:

Use types of words as paradigms. Do not use the actual grammatical names of things until the students are fully familiar with the Latin forms.

Accusative Case of Latin

ACCUSATIVE CASE of Latin

SINGULAR	PLURAL
MUSAM	MUSAS
DOMINUM	DOMINOS
DEUM	DEOS
REGNUM	REGNA
HONOREM	HONORES
SERMONEM	SERMONES
MILITEM	MILITES
TURREM	TURRES
LAPIDEM	LAPIDES
PATREM	PATRES
CARMEN	CARMINA
ANIMAL	ANIMALIA
ITER	ITINERA
OPUS	OPERA
CAPUT	CAPITA
POEMA	POEMATA
SEDILE	SEDILIA
FRUCTUM	FRUCTUS
CORNU	CORNUA
DOMUM	DOMOS/US
REM	RES
DIEM	DIES

Genitive Case of Latin

GENITIVE CASE of Latin

SINGULAR	PLURAL
MUSAE	MUSARUM
DOMINI	DOMINORUM
MAGISTRI	MAGISTRORUM
GENERI	GENERORUM
DEI	DEORUM
REI	REGNORUM
HONORIS	HONORUM
SERMONIS	SERMONUM
NUBIS	NUBIUM
MILITIS	MILITUM
TURRIS	TURRIUM
LAPIDIS	LAPIDUM
PATRIS	PATRUM
ANIMALIS	ANIMALIUM
CARMINIS	CARMINUM
ITINERIS	ITINERUM
OPERIS	OPERUM
CAPITIS	CAPITUM
POEMATIS	POEMATUM
SEDILIS	SEDILIUM
FRUCTUS	FRUCTUUM
CORNU	CORNUUM
DOMUS	DOMUUM /DOMORUM
REI	RERUM
DIEI	DIERUM

Dative Case of Latin

DATIVE CASE of Latin

SINGULAR	PLURAL
MUSAE	MUSIS
DOMINO	DOMINIS
MAGISTRO	MAGISTRIS
GENERO	GENERIS
DEO	DIS
REGNO	REGNIS
HONORI	HONORIBUS
SERMONI	SERMONIBUS
NUBI	NUBIBUS
MILITI	MILITIBUS
TURRI	TURRIBUS
LAPIDI	LAPIDIBUS
PATRI	PATRIBUS
ANIMALI	ANIMALIBUS
CARMINI	CARMINIBUS
ITINERI	ITINERIBUS
OPERI	OPERIBUS
CAPITI	CAPITIBUS
POEMATI	POEMATIBUS
SEDILI	SEDILIBUS
FRUCTUI	FRUCTIBUS
CORNU	CORNIBUS
DOMUI	DOMIBUS
REI	REBUS
DIEI	DIEBUS

Ablative Case of Latin

ABLATIVE Case of Latin

SINGULAR	PLURAL
MUSA	MUSIS
DOMINO	DOMINIS
MAGISTRO	MAGISTRIS
GENERO	GENERIS
DEO	DIS
REGNO	REGNIS
HONE	HONORIBUS
SERMONE	SERMONIBUS
NUBE	NUBIBUS
MILITE	MILITIBUS
TURRE	TURRIBUS
LAPIDE	LAPIDIBUS
PATRE	PATRIBUS
ANIMAL	ANIMALIBUS
CARMINE	CARMINIBUS
ITINERE	ITINERIBUS
OPERE	OPERIBUS
CAPITE	CAPITIBUS
POEMATE	POEMATIBUS
SEDILI	SEDILIBUS
FRUCTU	FRUCTIBUS
CORNU	CORNIBUS
DOMO	DOMIBUS
RE	REBUS
DIE	DIEBUS

Nominative Case

NOMINATIVE CASE of Latin

SINGULAR	PLURAL
MUSA	MUSAE
DOMINUS	DOMINI
DEUS	DII
REGNUM	REGNA
HONOR	HONORES
SERMO	SERMONES
MILES	MILITES
TURRIS	TURRES
LAPIS	LAPIDES
PATER	PATRES
ANIMAL	ANIMALIA
CARMEN	CARMINA
ITER	ITINERA
OPUS	OPERA
CAPUT	CAPITA
POEMA	POEMATA
SEDILE	SEDILIA
FRUCTUS	FRUCTUS
CORNU	CORNUA
DOMUS	DOMUS
RES	RES
DIES	DIES

One of the best Latin textbooks ever published

One of the best Latin textbooks ever published., June 16, 2008

By	Alex Sheremet (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

If you've found this page, you're either lucky or industrious. Adler's "Practical Grammar" is virtually unknown to anyone outside of the spoken Latin movement, and for good reason: it's geared towards building oral fluency, which amounts to spending years on "fake Latin" before moving on to the original texts. Of course, this is how all languages have to be learned -- classical languages are not (or, rather, should not be) an exception, since they are languages, after all.

First, the book, by itself. It's out-of-date: 1859. Obviously, some words and expressions are no longer used, and some contemporary words ("computer," "television," etc.) are missing. No matter -- the Vatican has "official" Latin names for the above items, which can be learned quickly, if need be, through their site.

The book has about 700 pages of instruction and examples, with another 150 or so of grammar -- in short, it's one of largest and most comprehensive Latin textbooks ever published. It covers every important point of grammar, and builds fluency by repetition, translation, and generated response. Thus, problematic items such as complex subordination, sequence of tenses, and so on, are systematically reinforced, and, if you take note of your weaknesses and review the necessary material, there will come a time -- unlike through Wheelock's, etc., followed by trudging and sweating through original Latin readings -- when your grammatical knowledge will be quite active and automatic. Moreover, the vocabulary is constantly repeated in subsequent lessons. You're not asked to memorize stuff that will never be used again -- I hate textbooks that introduce huge chunks of vocabulary that are either used once or twice, or never; that is NOT the way to build an active understanding of the words, and should be considered a waste of time.

Also, as you progress, the number of exercises increases significantly -- from a dozen or so in the early chapters, to about a hundred or more for each chapter later on. Obviously, as things become more difficult, you'll need the extra help. It helps that there are, unlike in most textbooks, 96 chapters -- meaning, there is less vocabulary and fewer grammatical points to learn per unit of progress than in other books, although the sum total is actually more. This encourages steady progress, with fewer pitfalls. And this is something more textbooks should do -- splitting language work into smaller chunks means it's easier to absorb, and that there will be more exercises overall, with focused exposure on individual points.

Second, the book, in conjunction with other learning materials. Although this can be used on its own, I suspect most people will be on this page after reading the Latinum Podcast (just Google it, if you're unsure). Evan Millner did an excellent job of putting the entire textbook on audio (!), while incorporating excellent new exercises, reviews, and dictations of his own (!!), and putting it up online for free (!!!). This pretty much makes paid audio obsolete, for a couple of reasons -- unlike Adler, most audio CD's are only a couple of hours or so at most of unfocused, minor stuff, and are quite expensive. On the other hand, the Podcast amounts to hundreds of hours or more, perhaps a thousand if everything is counted, which follow a very specific program -- namely, the already-comprehensive book, which is thus supplemented.

If you're interested in spoken Latin, there are now these great resources... through Adler, you will get an excellent, intuitive understanding of the language, and through the Podcast, you will practice listening, repeating, and verbally generating enough Latin to have an easy time communicating with others.

This title is out of print, and will probably stay out of print for a while -- download the PDF on Google Books, and either have a book binder print it out and bind it for you (usually, $50-$100, depending on the quality of the binding, etc.), or read it on your computer.

Finally, a few other books, etc., of interest: if you've gone through Wheelock, and even if you've gone through a couple of years of poetry or prose and still cannot read a complex sentence without hunting for verbs, subjects, objects, and adjectives, and messing around with them to force them into an Anglicized word order, you're like most students. To correct this, purchase "Lingua Latina" by Hans Orberg (both Pars I, Pars II) to get your reading practice in (and up to speed.. start from the beginning, even though it'll feel like baby stuff at first.. 12 or so chapters in, you'll have definite moments of confusion), and, once you move on to Pars II, get the small "How to Read Latin Fluently" guide from CANE Instructional Manuals. For a comprehensive grammar, I like the clarity and organization of Allen and Greenough's "New Latin Grammar."

Good luck!