Gregorian chant version, here.
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Tamarack Christian Latin: Supplementary Materials Hac in schola omnes sumus condiscipuli. / In this school we are all students. |
8 may 2026 |
| Overview |
This page contains elaborations of materials presented on various TCL pages.
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TCL Links |
Main Page • QA, Basics, Overviews • Supplements • Collins • Progressus Latine • Mostly Medieval |
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Spelling changes
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Examples of the crucial importance of Latin spelling changes (nouns):
Examples of the crucial importance of Latin spelling changes (verbs):
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Word order
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Examples of the crucial importance of English word order.
Examples of the relative unimportance of Latin word order:
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Two parts of many Latin words
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The two parts of most Latin words.
1. Most Latin words, notably nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs consist of two parts, a 'base' (stem/root) at the beginning of the word and an 'ending' (termination) at the end. The base of a Latin word indicates its broad reference while the ending identifies the grammatical role the word is performing. It is crucial to understand that most Latin words, unlike most English words, convey two pieces of information: the basic referent for the word (which English words also do) and the specific grammatical function that word is performing (which English words only rarely do).
Examples of the double service that many Latin words perform:
2. Latin nouns, pronouns, and adjectives, because they perform two functions (and, as a result, their endings often change) take the most getting used to for English speakers. Latin verbs, and to a lesser degree adverbs, change forms a bit less often (though still more often than they do in English) but, if you know anything about, say, Spanish or French, these changes are not so startling. Latin prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections are small but important words that almost never change spelling.
3. Don't be surprised if you come to see Latin words as being 'more powerful' than English words in that most Latin words (by appearing in slightly different forms) perform more grammatical work in a sentence than do equivalent English words. Consider: English translations of Latin prayers almost always need more words to convey the same thoughts originally expressed in the Latin.
• Back to Kinds of words, here.
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Case system
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More on the Latin case system 1. The most common use for nouns in Latin and English is to express the "subjects" and "objects" of verbs, but nouns can also, for example, indicate possession or location or they can work in prepositional phrases. Latin uses cases to indicate these different functions. By the way, because English long ago lost its case system, English had to find other ways to indicate the grammatical role that a noun is performing in a sentence and eventually settled on word order to convey such information. 2. In brief, the NOMINATIVE case names the subject; the GENITIVE shows a possessor; the DATIVE is the indirect (object); the ACCUSATIVE is the direct (object); and the ABLATIVE is just about everything else. Knowing declensions is essential. • Declension Charts, here. Example of the use of the five major Latin cases:
3. It has been estimated that approximately one-fifth of Latin nouns belong to the first declension, about one-fourth belong to the second declension, and nearly one half belong to the third declension. The fourth and fifth declensions, though containing some very important nouns, together comprise less than five per cent of Latin nouns.
• Back to Noun Basics, here.
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More on Verbs
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More on verbs
1. Most Latin verbs in the indicative mood come in six tenses. Three of these tenses (imperfect, present, and future) are collectively called "present tenses" because their base is identified from the first principal part of the verb, and three of the tenses are collectively called "perfect tenses" because their base is identified from the third principal part of the verb. Chart of the regular, indicative mood endings, here.
2. Many Latin verbs, like many English verbs, come in two "voices" (active and passive) depending on whether the subject of the verb is doing the verbal action or is receiving the verbal action. Consider: "John hits the ball" vs "The ball is hit by John".
3. Latin and English verbs have four "moods" (indicative, subjunctive, imperative, and infinitive*) that indicate the 'attitude' of the speaker using the verb toward that verb. English verb moods exist but they are expressed in ways quite different from Latin.
• Principle parts for selected verbs, here.
• Back to Verb Basics, here.
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staging
| Quick chart for regular verbs (in the active voice and the indicative mood).
• Charts for two of the most important irregular Latin verbs, esse and posse, here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected verbs (regular)
Irregular verbs: esse and posse, here. |
| English to Latin Sentences |
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| English | Latin | English | Latin |
| -are verbs, ambulare, cantare, intrare, laudare, manducare |
| 01 | You sing. | A) | Y'all sing. | B) |
| 02 | Am I walking? | A) | They are walking. | B) |
| 03 | He walks and praises. | A) | Do you walk? | B) |
| 04 | She does not eat. | A) | They are not eating. | B) |
| 05 | We enter. | A) | I eat. | B) |
| 06 | She walks. | A) | We are not entering. | B) |
| 07 | They are going in. | A) | We are not praising. | B) |
| 08 | Do we praise? | A) | Y'all praise. | B) |
| 09 | He eats. | A) | They do not walk. | B) |
| 10 | I go in. | A) | I eat. | B) |
| -ere verbs, docere, sedere |
| 01 | I teach. | A) | We are not teaching. | B) |
| 02 | We teach. | A) | Does she teach? | B) |
| 03 | They are not sitting | A) | Do you sit? | B) |
| 04 | He is sitting. | A) | You sit. | B) |
| 05 | Y'all sit. | A) | He does sit. | B) |
| 06 | Are we teaching and sitting? | A) | He sits. | B) |
| 07 | He is not sitting. | A) | They do not teach. | B) |
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| 10 |
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| Gregorian chant version, here.
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| Telling time in Ancient Rome, Youtube here. |
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| Question | Answer |
| 1. | 1. |
| 2. | 2. |
| 3. | 3. |
| 4. | 4. |
| More info on |
| English to Latin, 4. |
| If some word/s appear/s in bold start your translation with it/them. |
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| English to Latin, 3. |
| If some word/s appear/s in bold start your translation with it/them. |
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| English to Latin, 2. Dative of the possessor |
| If some word/s appear/s in bold start your translation with it/them. |
| Mary has the document. |
| Mary has the documents. |
| Mary will have the documents. |
| The Church belongs to Jesus. |
| Mary had the document but now Paul has it. |
| Glory and power belong to the Lord. |
| We will have the glory in heaven. |
| Heaven has good angels. |
| Domina has a mother. |
| Translate the following sentences into English. If some word/s appear/s in bold start your translation with it/them. |
| We love Jesus. |
| We will love Jesus. |
| The Church was loving Jesus. |
| Sextus was walking in the street. |
| Mother and father were in church. |
| Mother prays in the church and in the street. |
| Peter is with Paul. |
| Is the prophet in the church? |
| Are the prophets in the church? |
| -are verbs, ambulare, cantare, intrare, laudare, manducare |
| 01 | You sing. | A) | Y'all sing. | B) |
| 02 | Am I walking? | A) | They are walking. | B) |
| 03 | He walks and praises. | A) | Do you walk? | B) |
| 04 | She does not eat. | A) | They are not eating. | B) |
| 05 | We enter. | A) | I eat. | B) |
| 06 | She walks. | A) | We are not entering. | B) |
| 07 | They are going in. | A) | We are not praising. | B) |
| 08 | Do we praise? | A) | Y'all praise. | B) |
| 09 | He eats. | A) | They do not walk. | B) |
| 10 | I go in. | A) | I eat. | B) |
| -ere verbs, docere, sedere |
| 01 | I teach. | A) | We are not teaching. | B) |
| 02 | We teach. | A) | Does she teach? | B) |
| 03 | They are not sitting | A) | Do you sit? | B) |
| 04 | He is sitting. | A) | You sit. | B) |
| 05 | Y'all sit. | A) | He does sit. | B) |
| 06 | Are we teaching and sitting? | A) | He sits. | B) |
| 07 | He is not sitting. | A) | They do not teach. | B) |