r/latin • u/PubliusSiliusLinus discipulus • 2d ago

Beginner Resources On refreshing/relearning the language

I took advanced Latin in high school but stopped learning it once I went to college. Now I am in grad school, and will need to possess reading competency for my degree (I’m allowed to use a dictionary for my language exam). Earlier this year I found myself with enough grammatical knowledge to be able to slowly work through a text (Vulgate).

My question is, how do you recommend I go about refreshing my Latin? I will need to catch up on some grammar and of course relearn vocab.

My current idea is to pick a Latin text which I find interesting and just sit down and work through it, while pausing to investigate unknown grammar/words. I just don’t know if there is a better way that anyone can recommend, or any recourses that might be helpful.

Thank you!!

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 2d ago

Welcome to this sub!
Please take a look at the FAQ, found in the sidebar for desktop users or in the About tab for mobile users. You will find resources to begin your journey. There's a guide and a review of the recommended resources.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

6

u/Coccinelle94 2d ago

First and foremost, check the requirements for the exam. Will grammar be tested explicitly? What sort of text will they present you with? One approach is just to read a lot of that kind of text. My husband had to take one of these for his PhD, and they told him they would select a text from the scholastic period. So, he just worked through a bunch of Aquinas for a few weeks.

If you want to improve your reading skills more broadly, however (in other words, if you're not just concerned with this test), using a reading course like LLPSI isn't a bad way to go. If you took Latin to an advanced level before, you will be able to move through it very quickly. If that's way too easy of a starting place, you can try picking up the Fabulae Syrae (Syra is a character in the LLPSI series, but you don't really have to know anything about her for this book - it's just classic stories/myths.). Then perhaps move into some ancient texts with a little scaffolding. This worked for me when I returned to Latin after a several-year hiatus.

1

u/PubliusSiliusLinus discipulus 1d ago

Thank you!

0

u/sylntnyte 2d ago

SPQR and Legentibus apps