Latin For Beginners Latin Ab Initio

Would you like to learn the language of the ancient Romans? 

Fortunately, Latin is not a “dead language” at all; it’s alive and thriving! In this course for absolute beginners, we will discover the joy of one of the world’s most beautiful and important languages. 

You’ll be learning not only to read Latin, but to speak it too. No previous knowledge of Latin is required, as we will start from the very beginning (“ab initio”) and build up gradually, with an emphasis on using Latin to communicate, just like with any other language. Before you know it, you’ll be chatting in Latin with classmates over a cup of coffee!

Latin teaching has thankfully moved on from the days of dry grammar, endless rote memorisation of noun charts and “amo amas amat”-style  verb tables. Our lessons will be based around reading simpler versions of some of the most famous stories told in Latin, such as the story of Romulus and Remus and the founding of Rome. As we read, we’ll pick up on the essentials of grammar and vocabulary, for example, the use of noun cases and verb conjugation, making sure that we have a firm grasp of these, while focusing on the enjoyment of reading the thrilling tales from this fascinating era, told in their original language.  

Throughout the course, we’ll make frequent links between the Latin language of 2,000 years ago, and its presence in our 21st century lives. When you look closely, you notice that Latin is everywhere, from the writing we see on buildings around us to the English words we use every day.  By the end of this course, not only will you be able to communicate using the fundamentals of spoken and written Latin, and read simple Latin stories, but you’ll also gain a clearer picture of the relevance of this magnificent ancient language in the modern world.