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Latin 101: Learning a Classical Language

Series: Great Courses

4.7

(149)

Episodes

Rating

TVPG

Year

2013

Language

English

Publisher

The Great Courses

About

Latin lives! The language of Caesar, Cicero, Virgil, St. Jerome, and countless other great authors is alive and well in the modern world. Learning to read Latin is immensely rewarding, and it is a discipline that trains, enhances, and strengthens critical thinking. Embark on this unrivaled adventure with 36 lectures by Professor Hans-Friedrich Mueller.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1. Pronouncing Classical Latin

30m

Salvete! Greetings! Ease into your study of Latin by admiring its beauty and impressive history. Then focus on the letters and sounds of the restored classical pronunciation, which approximates the way Latin was spoken in the classical era. Finally, cover the rules of accents.

2. Introduction to Third-Conjugation Verbs

30m

Begin your adventure in Latin verbs with the third conjugation, practicing the present tense indicative of ago (I do). Learn the four principal parts of ago - the key words that allow you to conjugate any form - as well as the imperative endings that permit you to issue commands.

3. Introduction to the Subjunctive Mood

30m

See how the long vowel "a" is the key to the present subjunctive mood in verbs such as pono (I place). The subjunctive expresses doubt or potential, and you explore its use by the poet Catullus in one of the most famous love poems to survive from the ancient world.

4. The Irregular Verbs Sum and Possum

30m

Learn two important irregular verbs, sum (I am) and possum (I am able), mastering their present tense indicative, imperative, infinitive, and subjunctive forms. Notice how the tiniest linguistic details can be powerful markers, giving rise to Latin's great economy of expression.

5. Introduction to Third-Declension Nouns

30m

Having conjugated verbs, now learn to decline nouns. In this lecture, investigate the largest class of nouns, called third declension. Discover the function of the five cases and how to identify the noun stem. Then practice with masculine and feminine nouns.

6. Third-Declension Neuter Nouns

30m

After a review of verb and noun endings covered so far, focus on third- declension neuter nouns, specifically the word corpus (body). Note the distinctive features of the neuter declension, then practice these endings. Close by exploring several celebrated Latin expressions that feature corpus.

7. First- and Second-Declension Adjectives

30m

Adjectives must agree in number, case, and gender with the nouns they modify. Review a chart of the endings for first- and second-declension adjectives. Then practice matching adjectives with nouns in examples such as nox perpetua (everlasting night) and basium fervidum (fiery kiss).

8. First- and Second-Declension Nouns

30m

Study first- and second-declension nouns, discovering that they have the same endings as first- and second-declension adjectives - with some peculiarities. Close the lecture by translating your first complex sentence in Latin, which involves a shocking incident in Rome's Temple of Vesta.

9. Introduction to the Passive Voice

30m

See how the magic of personal endings makes the passive voice in Latin elegantly simple - unlike awkward passive constructions in English. After practicing the present tense passive indicative of the third conjugation, translate passages from the Roman authors Cicero and Virgil.

10. Third -io and Fourth-Conjugation Verbs

30m

Investigate two classes of verbs similar to pono: the third-io and fourth conjugations. Learn the forms in the present tense active indicative. Then discover that you can understand the commands in the original Latin of the famous Christmas carol "O Come All Ye Faithful!"

Extended Details

SeriesGreat Courses

Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Hans-Friedrich MuellerWriter

Hans-Friedrich MuellerActor