Learning Latin without a teacher is possible. However, you will need motivation, a good memory and a natural predisposition for languages. You can find a lot of free material and, in bookstores, or on the internet, you can buy cheap textbooks.
Steps
Step 1. Get a textbook for beginners and a workbook that perhaps also has the answers, which are essential if you don't have a teacher to turn to
- You can borrow the books from a family member or a friend of yours. However, there are also study groups on the internet.
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Wheelock's Latin is a well-known textbook. It is probably the best choice for an independent study since it is possible to find a lot of material related to it and also various study groups online.
- A variety of textbooks with the answers on the right are available for free:
- B. L. D'Ooge, Latin for Beginners + answer key
- J. G. Adler, A Practical Grammar of the Latin Language + answer key (with audio and other resources)
- C. G. Gepp, Henry's First Latin Book + answer key
- A. H. Monteith, Ahn's Method First Course + answer key, Ahn's Method Second Course + answer key.
- Jacob's Latin Reader Part I and Part II.
- Ritchie's Fabulae Faciles (simple stories)
- Lhomond's De Viris Illustribus (used for generations of pupils to learn Latin.)
- The Latin Vulgate Bible
- Insula Thesauraria, [1] and [2]
- Rebilius Crusoe
- Pericla Navarchi Magonis
- Mysterium Arcae Boulé
- Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis
- Harrius Potter et Camera Secretorum
- During the learning phase, you will need to memorize declensions, conjugations and vocabulary. There are no shortcuts and this is where the motivation factor becomes essential to not give up.
- If the answers you have given to the exercises do not coincide with the solutions included in the book, you probably have not assimilated well some topics. Review the lesson and try again.
- Do not underestimate the importance of learning to write in Latin. Even if your goal is only to learn to read, don't ignore the exercises that require you to translate from Italian to Latin. In fact, composition is an excellent way to deeply understand the rules of syntax.
- Do not rush. Completing a lesson every two or three days is more than enough. Going in a hurry, in fact, will not allow you to memorize everything. On the other hand, if you go too slowly, it will be hard to notice progress and you may also forget what you have learned. The ideal would be to complete one lesson a week. Of course, you also need to take into account your learning speed and the time you have available.
- Review the vocabulary often.
- Avoid poetry if you have not first acquired excellent skills in understanding prose. Would you ever recommend the “Divine Comedy” to a foreign person who still has difficulty reading a newspaper in Italian?
- The choice of dictionary depends a lot on what you want to read. In any case, one of the most used vocabularies in high schools and universities is Campanini - Carboni.
- Latin is an idiom characterized by a relatively poor vocabulary, which means that a single word can have multiple meanings and that you have to learn a lot of idiomatic phrases. You will find yourself reading passages of which you will understand every single word, without however grasping the logic and content of the speech. This happens when you start from the wrong translation of a term or do not observe the entire sentence, focusing solely on mere words. For example, "hominem e medio tollere" can be translated as "killing a person" but, for someone who does not analyze the sentence in its entirety, it means "removing a person from the center" >> (removing >> killing).
- Someone might call you nerd or crazy or tell you that you have too much free time.
- Learning Latin to impress people will only make you seem pretentious.
Step 2. Read each lesson, do the exercises right away, check the answers and memorize what you have learned
Your progress will obviously depend on the time you spend studying.
Step 3. There are two schools of thought with respect to Latin teaching methods
According to the first, which is what almost all textbooks follow, it is necessary to provide the student with a complete and organized description of the grammar and a vocabulary; memory plays a fundamental role in learning. The second, on the other hand, argues that you need to have a teacher, while placing less emphasis on memorizing grammar rules. This methodology is very similar to that in vogue during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Step 4. Choose the method that best suits your learning style
The former has the advantage of not needing a teacher to make progress and, moreover, it is shared by almost all available textbooks. On the other hand, there are disadvantages: the effort required is not indifferent and it is easy to get discouraged after a while. The second method is ideal for those who want to start reading right away and learn only the grammar and vocabulary needed to understand certain texts. In this regard, the guidance of a teacher is recommended, also because there are few books based on this methodology.
Step 5. After studying the textbook, start reading something
In bookstores and on the internet, you will find translated books with the original text on the side. Among the recommended books:
Step 6. Now that you have a basic vocabulary and the rudiments of Latin grammar, your next step, which is the most important and the most complicated, is to become fluent
You should get used to not translating the sentences you read, but to understand them instinctively. In other words, you need to learn to think in Latin. This can only be achieved by immersing yourself in the language. And, since it is a dead language, it is possible to do so by reading many books.
Step 7. Try to speak Latin, even if it's a dead language
The exercise will allow you to improve your language skills tremendously. Join a forum where you can do this.
Step 8. As you read, create a personal dictionary, adding words and phrases you don't know
It may be helpful to write different entries for words that have more than one meaning, including idioms.
Step 9. If you are bored with Latin literature after a while and you want to vary, try reading famous novels translated into Latin
Here are some of them:
Step 10. Once you have gained more fluency, move on to the classic texts
Some authors are easier to understand than others. You could start with Caesar's De Bello Gallico and Cicero's Orations
