This document provides an overview of a Latin I course, including why students take Latin, where Latin is seen in modern language and culture, basic Latin grammar concepts like nouns and verbs, sample vocabulary words, and a brief introduction to pronunciation. Key topics covered include how Latin aids in learning other languages, examples of Latin influence in medical terms, planets, and more. Basic noun declension and verb conjugation patterns are demonstrated.

1. Latin I /Intro to LatinA study of the Latin language and the history, culture and geography of Ancient Rome

2. Latin’s a dead language.It’s very plain to see.First it killed the Romans,And now it’s killing me!

3. Why take Latin?It makes learning other languages easierKnowing Latin word roots will improve your English vocabulary (and SAT scores)It improves your logic/problem-solving skillsYou don’t have to speak it well – it’s all on paperYou want to be a lawyer/doctor You can tell your sister to get a life (“Facutvivas!”) and she won’t be able to tell your mom what you just saidIt’s cool!

4. Where Do I See Latin Today? You have the bodyI do not wish to contendIn place of a parentFor the goodUnder penaltyMethod of operatingIn absenceFrom the law

5. Where Do I See Latin Today?Medical phrasesNPO is short for “nihil per os” which means nothing through the mouth Medical conditionsCerebellum, lacrimal, pulmonaryBody partsBicep is the muscle with “two heads”, tricep is the muscle with “three heads”Adductor muscles pull to the center, abductor muscles pull away from the center

6. Where Do I See Latin Today?

7. Where Do I See Latin Today?PlanetsJupiter, Venus, MercuryMoonsIo, Europa, CallistoConstellationsPegasus, Andromeda, Ursa Major, Ursa MinorAstrologyTaurus (bull), Gemini (twins), Sagittarius (archer)

8. Where did Latin come from?To sound impressive/snooty: A descendant of the Ancient Proto-Indo-European language.Or, to sound normal: It evolved from the languages spoken by the tribes that lived in Latium, an area in western central Italy.

9. Where did Latin Go?Ummm…it died.Medieval Latin is still used by the Catholic church.BUT…it still has lots of kids. There are 20+ Romance languages. The big 6 are: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, Catalan.Wait! What happened to English? Why am I taking this class if English didn’t come from Latin?English is a Germanic language, which is sort of a cousin Latin. English and Latin are still very heavily connected.

10. Is Latin hard?No! The hardest parts are:Understanding the concepts of declining nouns and conjugating verbs.Memorizing, memorizing, memorizing…Some Latin is ridiculously easy. Can you guess what these words mean?DictatorGloriaRosaElephantusIntelligentia

11. The Latin LanguageLatin uses (basically) the same alphabet as we do.Latin has the same parts of speech as English.Noun VerbAdjective AdverbPronoun PrepositionConjunctionInterjectionLatin is an inflected language – which means word order is not as important as the form of the words.

12. Word OrderIn English word order matters – with a few special exceptions:Poetry

13. 900 year old Jedi masters Typical Class StructureReview prior week’s exercisesNew grammar lessonNew vocabulary wordsTranslation practiceLatin PhrasesGeographyHistoryCultureMythologyHomework assigned (start working on together, if time)

14. Okay, so if I suffer through this class then I’m done with Foreign Languages? Please?Well, not exactly. Talk to your parents about how many hours you need for credit on your transcript.Ideas for more hours:Memorize vocabularyStudy aspect of Roman lifeReport/Project for classMore translation practiceStudy ancient historyLapbooksNational essay writing contests

15. Let’s Get Started!NounsFirst declension, feminine nounsSingular and pluralNominative and accusativeVerbsFirst conjugation, 3rd person, present active indicativeSingular and plural

16. Latin AlphabetABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZi represents both i and jAs the i represented both the vowel i and the consonant j, the v represented both the vowel u and the consonant v; but for some reason it’s more acceptable to use u and v so we’ll make it easy and let you have both.y and z occur only in words borrowed from Greek

17. PronunciationFirst, you must decide which pronunciation we want:As if it were English“Church Latin”As the ancient Romans did

18. PronunciationBut how can we know how the ancient Romans spoke Latin? They didn’t leave us YouTube videos to listen to. And, remember, it’s dead!Ancient grammar booksLanguages derived from LatinSpelling errorsTranscriptions into other alphabets (e.g., Greek)

19. Pronunciation - Vowels Short Long

20. Pronunciation - DipthongsAll other consecutive vowels are pronounced as separate syllables: debeo, habeat, audio

21. Pronunciation – ConsonantsBCDFGHIJKLMNPQRSTVXY

22. Pronunciation – ConsonantsBCDFGHIJKLMNPQRSTVXY

23. Pronunciation – ConsonantsBCDFGHIJKLMNPQRSTVXY

24. Pronunciation – ConsonantsBCDFGHIJKLMNPQRSTVXY

25. Pronunciation – ConsonantsBCDFGHIJKLMNPQRSTVXY

26. Pronunciation – ConsonantsBCDFGHIJKLMNPQRSTVXY

27. Pronunciation – Consonantal Blends

28. Accentuation and Accent MarksNext week…

29. NounsIn Latin, the form of the noun changes to indicate:Number – singular or plural (like adding –s or –es in English, but a little more complicated)Case – function in the sentence. This is rare in English, except with personal pronouns:

30. NounsEvery Latin noun is one of 3 genders:MasculineFeminineNeuterDifferent genders follow different patterns of word endings to indicate case and number.

31. NounsEvery Latin noun is in one of five declensions. A declension is like a word family. The nouns in a declension follow the same pattern of word endings to indicate case and number.Consider English – some words need +s to form the plural and others need +es. There are rules to govern which words need which endings.

32. NounsFor vocabulary you must memorize the nominative singular, genitive singular, gender, and meaning.puella, puellae, F, girlFirst declension nouns end in –a for nominative singular and –ae for genitive singular. 95% of first declension nouns are feminine.

33. NounsThe stem of a noun is the word without its case ending. puell / a(stem) (nominative singular ending)puell / ae(stem) (genitive singular ending)

34. NounsThere are 5 (actually 7-8) cases in Latin:Nominative – subject Genitive – possession Dative – indirect objectAccusative – direct object AblativeToday we will learn nominative and accusative.

35. NounsNominative CaseSubjectThe king ruled his subjects.The people obeyed the king.Predicative Nominative (follows a linking verb)Tom is a farmer.The escaped prisoner is a woman.

36. NounsAccusative CaseDirect Object of a verbThe king ruled his subjects.The people obeyed the king.Object of certain prepositions (in a few weeks…)

37. NounsFirst Declension Noun Endings

38. NounsPuella, puellae, F, girlStem = puell

39. NounsTranslate girl/girls into Latin in the following sentences.

40. VerbsVerbs change to reflect the following:Person: 1st (I, we), 2nd (you), 3rd (he, she, it, they)Number: Singular or pluralTense: There are 6, but for now think present, past, and futureVoiceActive: Subject performs the verb action. (The girl kicks the ball.)Passive: Subject receives the verb action. (The ball is kicked by the girl.)Mood: Worry about this later. 95% of first year Latin is Indicative mood.There are 4 conjugation (families) of verbs in Latin. Each has its own pattern of indicators for Person, Number, Tense, Voice, and Mood

41. VerbsFour principal parts of a verb

42. VerbsFor vocabulary you must memorize the four principal parts and the meaning.First conjugation nouns end in –o for the first principal part and –are for the second principal part.Most first conjugation verbs are regular, so you only need to memorize the first two principal parts if the last two follow the pattern.

43. VerbsThe stem of a verb is the infinitive with the –re dropped.voco, vocare, vocavi, vocatus, to callvoca / re(stem)(Note: This is the present stem and is used for the first 3 tenses. When we get to the other tenses, we’ll talk about the other stem.)

44. VerbsEndings for 1st Conjugation Verbs***The final “a” disappears!

45. VerbsPresent Active Indicative of voco, vocare, vocavi, vocatus: to call

46. VerbsThere does not have to be a subject to agree with the verb. It can be assumed.Vocat. He is calling. (or she or it; use context if possible to figure it out)However, there can be a subject. In that case, the subject and verb must agree in number.Puellavocat. The girl is calling.Puellaevocant. The girls are calling.

47. VocabularyNounsdiscipula, discipulae, F: female studentfemina, feminae, F: womanfilia, filiae, F: daughtermagistra, magistrae, F: female teacherpuella, puellae, F: girlregina, reginae, F: queenserva, servae, F: female servant/slave

48. VocabularyVerbsambulo (1): walkamo (1): lovelaudo (1): praiseporto (1): carryvoco (1): call

49. VocabularyEt: andNon: notSed: but