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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.
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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