tag

#novice

22 pages tagged

Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels ›

Novice Latin (A1–A2)

The Novice stage is the foundation of all Latin study. It corresponds to ACTFL Novice (N-1 through N-4) and CEFR A1–A2, roughly equivalent to the first year of high school or college Latin. In terms of hours, expect 75–300 study hours to move from zero to the end of Novice, depending on your pace, prior language-learning experience, and whether you have a teacher. Self-directed learners typically need the higher end...
latin novice beginner a1 a2 llpsi May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 4: Present Tense Active (All 4 Conjugations + esse)

Identifying the Four Conjugations Latin verbs belong to one of four conjugations (plus a 3rd-io sub-type), identified by the infinitive ending : Conjugation Infinitive ending Example Meaning 1st -āre amāre to love 2nd -ēre (long ē) monēre to warn, advise 3rd -ere (short e) regere to rule 3rd -io -ere (short e) capere to take, capture 4th -īre audīre to hear The difference between 3rd and 2nd conjugation is the...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 19: The Subjunctive Mood — Present and Imperfect

Overview The subjunctive mood expresses actions that are not simply stated as facts (indicative) or commanded (imperative), but are subjective — possible, desired, feared, doubted, or subordinated to another clause. At novice level, you learn two tenses of the subjunctive (present and imperfect) and two main uses: purpose clauses ( ut/nē ) and indirect commands ( iubeō/rogō/hortor + ut ). 1. What the Subjunctive Expresses The subjunctive is required in...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 12: The Relative Pronoun (quī, quae, quod)

Overview A relative clause is a subordinate clause that describes or identifies a noun (its antecedent ). It is introduced by a relative pronoun. The Latin relative pronoun quī, quae, quod (who, which, that) must agree with its antecedent in gender and number , but it takes its case from its function inside the relative clause . This double rule is the central challenge of the relative pronoun. 1. Full...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 2: First Declension Nouns

What Case Endings Do In English, word order tells you who does what: "The girl loves the poet" ≠ "The poet loves the girl." In Latin, case endings carry that information. Word order is flexible and used for emphasis, not grammar. The sentence Puella poētam amat and Poētam puella amat both mean "The girl loves the poet" — the endings -a (nominative, subject) and -am (accusative, direct object) tell you...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 13: 4th and 5th Declension Nouns

Overview The 4th and 5th declensions are the smallest declension groups in Latin, but they include some extremely common words — manus (hand), domus (house), exercitus (army), rēs (thing), and diēs (day). Learning these paradigms gives you the final pieces of the Latin noun system. 1. Fourth Declension — Masculine/Feminine The 4th declension is identified by -ūs in the genitive singular . Most nouns are masculine; a few are feminine...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 17: Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs

Overview Latin adjectives have three degrees of comparison : positive (good), comparative (better), and superlative (best). Adverbs derived from adjectives also have comparative and superlative forms. Latin offers two constructions for expressing "than": the particle quam and the ablative of comparison. 1. Comparative Adjectives — Regular Formation Add -ior (M/F) and -ius (N) to the positive stem (found by removing -is from the genitive singular): Positive Stem Comparative (M/F /...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 11: Pronouns — Personal, Reflexive, and Demonstrative

Overview Latin has a rich pronoun system. Personal pronouns cover 1st and 2nd person fully; for 3rd person Latin uses demonstratives. The reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of the main clause. Demonstratives hic , ille , and is fill different roles depending on proximity and emphasis. 1. Personal Pronouns (1st and 2nd Person) Personal pronouns are declined like nouns. Subject pronouns are usually omitted when the verb ending...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 10: Introduction to the Dative and Ablative Cases

Overview The dative and ablative are the two cases most often confused by beginners — not because they look alike (their endings are usually distinct), but because each has several different uses. This lesson maps out the most important uses of both cases at the novice level. The Dative Case 1. Dative of Indirect Object The most common use: the dative marks the person to whom or for whom something...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 16: The Perfect Passive and Pluperfect

Overview Latin uses compound tenses to express completed action in the passive voice and action prior to another past action. These compound tenses are built from participles + forms of esse . Understanding these tenses requires knowing: (1) the perfect passive participle (PPP = 4th principal part), and (2) forms of esse in present, imperfect, and future. 1. The Perfect Passive Participle (PPP) The PPP is the 4th principal part...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 5: Adjective Agreement (1st–2nd Declension)

The Agreement Rule Latin adjectives must agree with their noun in three features: Gender (masculine / feminine / neuter) Case (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, vocative) Number (singular / plural) Crucially, agreement does not mean the adjective uses the same declension as the noun. A masculine noun of the 1st declension ( nauta ) paired with an adjective will take the masculine form of the adjective, which uses 2nd-declension endings...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 18: Participles — Active and Passive

Overview Latin has four participles — verbal adjectives that combine properties of a verb (tense, voice) with properties of an adjective (gender, number, case agreement). They allow Latin to compress complex ideas into participial phrases. The most important construction involving participles is the ablative absolute . 1. The Four Participles at a Glance Participle Tense/Voice Stem Endings PAP (Present Active) ongoing/simultaneous + active present stem 3rd decl., one-term. (-ns/-ntis) PPP...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 20: Reading Connected Latin — Putting It All Together

Overview This lesson is a review and synthesis . You have now covered all the grammar of the novice curriculum. The goal here is not to introduce new forms but to read continuous Latin, parse every form, and verify that the pieces fit together. Work through both passages carefully before looking at the analysis. 1. What You Have Learned in Lessons 1–20 Lesson Topic 1–5 (assumed prior) 1st–2nd declension nouns...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 15: Passive Voice — Present, Imperfect, and Future

Overview In the passive voice , the grammatical subject receives the action rather than performing it. Latin expresses the passive by changing the verb endings. The subject is acted upon; if the performer of the action is mentioned, it appears in the ablative (with a/ab for a person, without a preposition for an instrument). 1. What Passive Means Active Passive Puer puellam amat. (The boy loves the girl.) Puella ā...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 9: Perfect Tense Active (The 3rd Principal Part)

The Four Principal Parts Every Latin verb is listed in dictionaries with four principal parts because each tells you something you cannot predict from the others: Part Example ( amāre ) What it gives you 1st — 1sg present active amō present, imperfect, future active stems 2nd — infinitive amāre conjugation identification 3rd — 1sg perfect active amāvī perfect, pluperfect, future perfect active 4th — perfect passive participle amātum passive...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 3: Second Declension Nouns (Masculine and Neuter)

Overview The second declension is recognized by the genitive singular ending -ī . It contains two major subgroups: Masculine nouns ending in -us or -er in the nominative singular Neuter nouns ending in -um in the nominative singular 2nd Declension Masculine: servus, servī, m. Case Singular Plural Nominative serv us serv ī Genitive serv ī serv ōrum Dative serv ō serv īs Accusative serv um serv ōs Ablative serv ō...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 6: The Accusative and Genitive Cases — Deeper Dive

The Accusative Case The accusative is the busiest case in Latin. Its core function is the direct object , but it has several other important uses. 1. Direct Object The accusative marks the receiver of the verb's action. Puella librum legit. — The girl reads the book . Agricolae agrum colunt. — The farmers cultivate the field . 2. Accusative with Prepositions (Motion and Extension) Prepositions that take the accusative...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 1: The Latin Alphabet, Pronunciation, and Macrons

The Latin Alphabet Classical Latin uses 23 letters — the same set as English minus W . Two pairs of letters are variant forms of the same letter: I / J — In classical texts, I does the work of both. J was introduced by later scribes. Classical Latin uses I everywhere ( Iulius , not Julius ). V / U — Classical Latin uses V for both the vowel...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 7: Imperfect and Future Tense Active

The Imperfect Tense What the Imperfect Means The imperfect (Latin imperfectum = "unfinished") expresses: Ongoing or continuous past action : "I was loving," "she was ruling" Habitual or repeated past action : "he used to warn," "they would sing every day" Attempted action : "I was trying to take" (conative imperfect) The imperfect is never a completed event. That is the job of the perfect tense (Lesson 9). The Imperfect...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 8: Third Declension Nouns

Overview The third declension is the largest and most varied Latin declension. Unlike the first and second, third-declension nouns have many different nominative singular forms. The genitive singular is always your anchor: it ends in -is and reveals the true stem. Rule: Strip -is from the genitive singular to get the stem, then add endings. mīles, mīlitis → stem mīlit- rēx, rēgis → stem rēg- nox, noctis → stem noct-...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Texts by Level ›

Novice Latin Texts

Novice Texts: Specially Written and Bridge Texts This page covers the complete reading landscape for novice Latin learners: from the most famous reading-method textbook (LLPSI), through the growing world of Latin novellas, to bridge texts that lead into authentic classical prose. The goal is to build enough fluency through comprehensible input so that you can transition to real Latin authors without constant dictionary lookups grinding you to a halt. LLPSI...
latin texts novice llpsi novellas eutropius nepos May 30, 2026
Language Learning › Learn Latin › Latin Proficiency Levels › Novice Latin (A1–A2) ›

Lesson 14: Third Declension Adjectives

Overview You already know 1st/2nd declension adjectives ( bonus/bona/bonum ). A large and important group of Latin adjectives follows 3rd declension patterns. These adjectives are classified by how many distinct nominative singular forms they have: three-termination, two-termination, or one-termination. All share common 3rd-declension endings in the other cases, but with i-stem characteristics. 1. Two-Termination: fortis, forte (brave, strong) One form for M and F nominative singular, another for N. This...
latin novice lesson May 30, 2026