I Speak Latin

A Conversational Latin Course for Young Beginners

Andrew A. Campbell

Quidnam Press
Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
© 2011 by Andrew A. Campbell

All rights reserved.

Quidnam Press
78-B Main Street
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370

ispeaklatin.com
How to Use I Speak Latin
This book provides everything a teacher needs to create an engaging and enjoyable Latin learning
experience, whether at home or in a traditional classroom. There are no student textbooks to purchase, and
all of the activities can be done with a few basic materials, such as index cards, colored pencils, old
magazines, and family photographs.

Each lesson plan covers one topic and takes 15-30 minutes to teach, depending on the size of the group.
Teaching notes (Quid Novī?, What's New) explain the objectives for the lesson and provide simple grammar
explanations. This preparatory material gives you, the teacher, the information you need to present the
lesson, even if you have little or no background in Latin yourself.

Vocabulary Cards

At the end of most lessons, students create flashcards. These cards contain no English, only a picture on
one side of the card and the appropriate Latin word or phrase on the other. The cards are a key part of the
program and are used for a variety of different activities.

It is very important that the students make the connection between an object or action and the
corresponding Latin word without the intermediary of their native language. There may be instances where
translation is necessary, but it should play a very small role in the lessons. (Grammar explanations take
place in English.)

Scheduling

I Speak Latin includes a total of 64 lessons. The pacing is flexible. Assuming a 36-week school year with
four weeks of catch up or review time built in, suggested completion times are as follows:

Students who begin in... Can complete the program in...

Grade 2 Two years (=1 lesson per week)
Grades 3-5 One year (=2 lessons per week)
Grade 6 One year (=2 lessons per week) if combined with
another program; as little as one semester (=4
lessons a week) if used alone

All students should also allot at least one 20-minute lesson period a week for vocabulary review.
How to Pronounce Latin...Like a Barbarian

New Latin teachers, particularly homeschooling parents, are often worried about how to pronounce Latin.
Should they use the Restored Classical pronunciation preferred by university teachers and classics scholars?
Or should they teach Ecclesiastical (Church) Latin for its relevance to religion and music? What about
regional accents coming through in Latin? Is it all right to speak Latin with a twang?

Today most scholars model their Latin pronunciation on that of the educated class during the reign of
Augustus, but this is a convention based on a number of factors, not least an academic bias toward the
high literary culture of that time. But Latin was spoken long before the Augustan Age and continued to be
used as a spoken language into the Middle Ages and beyond. At its height, the Roman Empire stretched
from Hadrian's Wall at the Scottish border to North Africa and the Middle East. Regional accents in Latin
were at least as varied as those of countries where English is spoken today.

The accents of almost all contemporary Latin speakers reflect their respective mother tongues; Pope
Benedict XVI, for example, speaks Latin with a German accent. All of these speakers are “barbarians” –
foreigners – by birth, and all have learned Latin as a foreign language. As with any language, the bottom
line is that we are able to understand each other well enough to communicate.

So please do not worry about the “correct” accent. Speak Latin like a barbarian, and speak it
proudly!

The good news is that, whatever your background, Latin is easy to pronounce. It is phonetically regular,
and most of the letters are similar to English.

Latin has five vowels:

A (as in father)
E (as in grey)
I (as in Igor)
O (as in open)
U (as in super)

These are pure vowel sounds, not diphthongs. For example, cur (=why) is pronounced like the English
word “core,” not “cure.”

Some vowels appear with a long mark (macron) over them. This does not change the quality of the vowel,
but indicates that it is to be held longer than the unmarked version. The difference is subtle and sometimes
difficult for beginners to hear. Do have your students write the macrons, but don't worry too much about
the subtleties of their pronunciation at this stage.

Latin also has the following diphthongs (vowel blends):

ae (like the English word eye)

au (to rhyme with the English word how)
ei (as in the English word eight)
ui (like the English word we)

The consonants are mostly pronounced as in English with a few exceptions:

C (always hard, as in cat)
G (always hard, as in good)
V (=U, usually sounds like the English W)
GN (as in the word lasagne or the Ñ in piñata)

The letters J and W do not appear in the classical Latin alphabet. You will sometimes see the letter J used in
post-classical Latin texts; it is pronounced like the letter I. Similarly, W appears in medieval Latin in names
of Germanic origin; as our name for the letter indicates, it is pronounced like a long or “double” U.

The last two letters of the alphabet, Y and Z, appear rarely in Latin and then only in words of Greek
origin. The Y is pronounced like the U in the French word tu, or the German word über, though if you
pronounce it like the Latin U, no one will look askance! The Z is as in English.

I have tried to make the pronunciation guides reflect North American English as much as possible.
Syllables that appear in capital letters receive the accent.

Examples: Salvē, Magistra! [SAHL-way, mah-GEE-strah!] = Hello, teacher!

Bene! [BAY-nay!] = OK. Well done!
Additional Resources

The following titles, although not necessary to teach I Speak Latin, may be helpful to you as references.

John C. Traupman, Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency, 4th ed. (ISBN 978-0-86516-622-6).

John C. Traupman, The Bantam New College Latin & English Dictionary, 3rd ed. (ISBN 978-0-553-59012-8).

Norma W. Goldman, English Grammar for Students of Latin, 3rd ed. (ISBN 978-0-934034-34-0).
Lesson One

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, you will introduce four simple commands in Latin: surge (stand up), cōnsīde (sit down), ī (go),
and venī (come). You and your students will also decide on a way to indicate the need to switch from Latin
to English for a short time to clear up confusion.

The commands are given in the imperative form of the verb. The word “imperative” comes from the
Latin word imperō, which means to command. You will be addressing each student individually during this
lessons, using the singular form of the imperative.

The teaching technique used in this lesson is called Total Physical Response, or TPR. Students move
around and act out the words physically. This is an excellent way to introduce action verbs, and we will be
using it often during the course of this program.

To prepare for this lesson, make sure your students have space to move around. Put a piece of paper with
a big X on it on the floor at least four or five steps away from the students' seating area. Work with one
student at a time, using English names. In the script, I have used the name “Julia” (spelled Iūlia in Latin) as
a model. Students begin the lesson seated.

Lesson Plan

Say... Do...
Iūlia, surge. Make rising gesture with hands. If necessary, demonstrate by standing up
[SOOR-gay] yourself. When student stands up...
Julia, stand up.
Bene! Applaud.
[BAY-nay]
Good!
Iūlia, cōnsīde. Make “down” gesture. Demonstrate sitting, if necessary.
[kon-SEE-day]
Julia, sit down.
Bene! Applaud. Repeat the commands several more times. When the student is
[BAY-nay] standing...
Good!
Iūlia, ī! Point to the paper with the X. Make “shooing” motion. Once the student has
[EE] moved to the spot...
Go!
Bene! Applaud.
[BAY-nay]
Good!
Iūlia, venī! Make beckoning gesture until student returns. Repeat the commands several
[WAY-nee] more times. When the student is back at the seating area...
Julia, come!
Bene, cōnsīde. Repeat with remaining students until each has had a turn.
[BAY-nay, kon-SEE-day.]
Good. Sit down.
As you can see, TPR lessons can be fun. Spontaneous, humorous moments make lessons all the more
enjoyable. Don't be afraid to get silly!

After the TPR activity, you will want to debrief in English with your students. Ask them what they
understood. As a class, settle on a method for signaling the need for a time out when the students are
confused, or if the teacher needs to stop and regroup. Three possible signals:

• the T-shaped time-out gesture used in sports

• thumbs up for “I understand”/thumbs down for “I'm lost” (Switch back and forth rapidly for “I
sorta, kinda get it, but I'm not 100% sure.”)
• index cards with green, yellow, and red dots on them

Using one of these signals acts like a “pause button” for the lesson. Everyone can use English until the
confusion has been cleared up. To restart the lesson, ask, Bene? (OK?) and when you get the go-ahead
(thumbs up, green card, etc.), continue with the lesson from where you left off.

To complete today's lesson, distribute index cards to each student, then draw a stick figure * for each action
on the board. Under each drawing, write the Latin word.

surge: figure rising from chair (up arrow between chair seat and figure)
cōnsīde: same, but with down arrow
ī: Arrow from figure to X
venī: Arrow from X to figure

Students make individual cards for each word, with the stick figure on the unlined side of the card and the
Latin word on the other. Have students orient the cards horizontally so they can be filed easily.

* For sample flashcard drawings, visit ispeaklatin.com.

Lesson Two

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, we will introduce the greeting words Salvē (hello) and Valē (goodbye). In addition, you will
teach the words for “teacher” and “student,” so you and your pupils can address each other more easily.

There are several grammar concepts at work here. First, although it will not become apparent until the next
lesson, students are learning the singular forms of the greetings. These forms are used when addressing
only one person. Next, they will encounter the concept of grammatical gender. If you are a woman, you
will use the feminine word Magistra (teacher) to refer to yourself; if you are a man, use Magister, the
masculine equivalent. Likewise, a male pupil is discipulus, and a female one is discipula.

Finally, you will be using the vocative form of these nouns to address each other. The term “vocative”
comes from the Latin verb that means “call,” and is the root of English word vocation (“calling”). The
vocative form is used when speaking to a person directly, by name. If you were to translate the sentence
“John, come here, please!” into Latin, the name “John” would appear in the vocative case. Many vocative
forms in Latin are the same as the nominative (subject) form, but most nouns ending in -us change to -e.
So when addressing a discipulus directly, you will say discipule.

The word dīc is an imperative singular form meaning “say.”

It is not necessary to explain these points to your students; they are for your understanding and assistance.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by repeating the TPR activity from Lesson One with each student. Some students may have
completely forgotten the words; don't worry. Just repeat the activity for a minute or two before moving on.
With repeated exposure, the words will sink in. Allow students to refer to their cards if necessary.

Once the students are all seated again, introduce the new material. In the script, the teacher is addressing a
male student. A female student would be addressed as discipula [dis-KEE-poo-lah].

Say... Do...
Magistra [Magister] sum. Point to yourself and repeat:
[mah-GEE-strah {mah-GEE-stair}
soom].
I am a teacher.
Magistra. Ma-gi-stra sum. Now point to a (male) student.
[mah-GEE-strah. mah-GEE-strah
soom.]
Teacher. I am a teacher.
Discipulus es. Dis-ci-pu-lus. Point emphatically at the student.
[dis-KEE-poo-loos ess. dis-KEE-poo-
loos]
You are a student.
Magistra... Point at yourself...
[mah-GEE-strah...]
Teacher...
...discipulus. Point at the student.
[...dis-KEE-poo-loos.]
Student.
Bene? Raise eyebrows and tilt head to say “Do you understand?”
[BAY-nay?]
OK?
Bene. Discipule, surge. Point to the student and make rising gesture with hands. Student stands.
[BAY-nay. dis-KEE-poo-leh, SOOR- Approach the student, smile, and hold out your hand for a handshake.
gay]
OK. Student, stand up.
Salvē, discipule! Shake the student's hand, repeating the phrase several times. Then point
[SAHL-way, dis-KEE-poo-lay] to yourself and in a stage whisper, say...
Hello, student.
Dīc, “Salvē, magistra!” If the student does not repeat the phrase Salvē, magistra, point to your
[deek, SAHL-way, mah-GEE-strah] mouth and repeat:
Say, “Hello, teacher!”
Dīc... “Salvē!” When the student says the word, repeat:
[deek, SAHL-way!]
Say...Hello!
Salvē, discipule! Shake hands heartily. Then let go, turn away slightly, and wave over your
[SAHL-way, dis-KEE-poo-lay] shoulder.
Hello, student.
Valē, discipule! Continue walking away and repeating the phrase. If the student does
[WAH-lay, dis-KEE-poo-lay] not reply, use your stage whisper.
Goodbye, student.
Dīc... “Valē!” When the student replies, applaud.
[deek WAH-lay]
Say... Goodbye!
Bene, discipule! Cōnsīde. When the student returns to his seat, repeat the process with remaining
[BAY-nay, dis-KEE-poo-lay. Kon-SEE- students.
day.]
Good, student. Sit down.

To complete the lesson, make index cards for the new words:

magistra/magister: large figure with graduation cap

discipulus: small figure holding a book
discipula: small figure with hair bow holding a book
salvē: two figures shaking hands
valē: two figures walking away from each other, waving
dīc: picture of a face with open mouth, lines coming out to indicate sound
Lesson Three

Quid Novī?

This is a review lesson. Choose at least two of the activities listed below to do today.

Lesson Plan

1. Concentration

Write the following words on individual index cards:

surge, cōnsīde; ī, venī; magistra or magister, discipulus; salvē, valē

Shuffle the cards and deal them face down in two rows of four. Students take turns flipping over two
cards. If they get a match, they keep the cards and get another turn. If you have an odd number of
students, play with the one who needs the most encouragement or help.

If you play this game today, store the cards for later use.

2. Artist's Challenge

Call out words from the vocabulary learned so far, and have students draw a stick figure to represent it. Or
have the students give you the words to draw. To add some fun and challenge, you can deliberately make
mistakes and see if the students catch you!

3. Simon Dīcit (Simon Says)

Students stand in a line at one end of the room. Say Simon dīcit [SEE-mohn DEE-keet] followed by one of
the action verbs learned so far: surge, cōnsīde, ī, venī. For ī students move one step forward; for venī,
they turn around and take one step back, then turn around again. Demonstrate this before beginning the
game. Students only move when the command is prefaced by Simon dīcit; otherwise, they are out. The
students who reach the other side of the room without making a mistake win the game.
Lesson Four

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, students learn how to ask “who are you?” (Quis es?), state who or what they are ([ego]...sum),
ask for someone's name (Quid est nōmen tibi?), and give their own (Nōmen mihi est...). You can use the
students' English names, or they can choose a Roman name. One advantage to using a Roman name is that
students will need to use the vocative (direct address) form with certain masculine names. The forms in
parentheses are the corresponding vocative forms. As you can see, masculine names ending in -ius do not
add the final -e, but end with -ī. Feminine names do not change in the vocative.

Common Roman boys' names include: Aulus (Aule), Decimus (Decime), Lucius (Lucī ), Mārcus (Mārce),
Publius (Publī ), Quīntus (Quīnte), Sextus (Sexte), and Titus (Tite).

Common Roman girls' names include: Aemilia, Aurelia, Claudia, Cornelia, Fabia, Flavia, Iūlia, Paula, and
Tullia.

If you are teaching your own children at home, it may seem funny to ask their names. To make the lesson
more engaging, act as if you were struck with amnesia. Scratch your head, squint, and act dazed and
confused. Begin by pointing to one student. (Remember to substitute discipula if you are speaking to a girl.)

Lesson Plan

Say... Do...
Surge, discipule! If necessary, gesture for the student to rise. Then put out your hand for
[SOOR-gay, dis-KEE-poo-lay!] a handshake.
Stand up, student.
Salvē, discipule! Prompt as necessary for the reply Salvē, magistra!
[SAHL-way, dis-KEE-poo-lay!]
Hello, student!
Discipule, quis es? Point at the student, shrug your shoulders in a questioning movement,
[dis-KEE-poo-lay, kwees ess?] and look confused.
Student, who are you?
Quis es? Quid est nōmen Continue to point and look confused. Then point to yourself...
tibi?
[Kwees ess? Kwid esst NO-men TEE-
bee?]
Who are you? What is your name?
Ego magistra. Magistra sum. Repeat as necessary: E-go, ma-gi-stra. Ma-gi-stra sum. Then point again to
[AY-go mah-GEE-stra. Mah-GEE- the student.
stra soom.]
I [am] the teacher. I'm the teacher.
Quis es?? Magistra es? The student will likely shake his head no. He may answer discipulus sum
[Kwees ess?? mah-GEE-strah ess?] (the correct answer) or discipulus es, which is not correct but on the right
Who are you? Are you the teachers? track.
Discipulus es? Student nods.
[dis-KEE-poo-loos ess?]
You're a student?
Dīc “discipulus sum.” Student repeats.
[deek “dis-KEE-poo-loos soom.]
Say, “I am a student.”
Bene. Sed quid est nōmen Emphasize nōmen. Student probably will not answer, or may repeat
tibi? discipulus sum. Point to yourself...
[sed kwid esst NO-men TEE-bee?]
Good. But what is your name?
Nōmen mihi est [your Emphasize the word mihi (my). When giving your name, use whatever
name]. will be familiar to your students: Mom, Mrs. Jones, etc.
[NO-men MEE-hee esst...]
My name is...
Quid est nōmen tibi? Emphasize tibi (your). The student will probably give his name at this
[kwid esst NO-men TEE-bee?] point, but if not ask...
What is your name?
Est nōmen tibi [X]? For X, insert incorrect and humorous possibilities: Captain Jack
[esst NO-men TEE-bee...?] Sparrow, George Washington, Darth Vader, Rumpelstiltskin...At this
Is your name...? point, the student will almost certainly understand and give his name.
Ah! Nōmen tibi est […]! Insert the student's name in the sentence and shake hands heartily. If
Salvē [name]! the student has only give his name (“John”) but not used the whole
[Ah! NO-men TEE-bee esst...! SAHL- phrase, write Nōmen mihi est plus his name on the board.
way...]
Ah! Your name is...! Hello,...!
Dīc “nōmen mihi est..” Point to the board and have the student repeat the phrase. When he has
[deek, NO-men MEE-hee esst...] done so successfully, continue.
Say “my name is...”
Bene, [name]. Cōnsīde. Repeat with remaining students.
[BAY-nay […]. Kon-SEE-day.]
Good, …. Sit down.

Complete the lesson by making cards for the following new words and phrases:

Quis es?: Two figures close together, one pointing to other, dialog bubble with ?? in it
[Ego]...sum: Figure with arrow pointing over head.
nōmen: Figure with name underneath. Arrow pointing to name.
Lesson Five

Quid Novī?

This lessons builds on the last one by teaching students how to ask about and identify another person.
Students have been hearing the verb est (he/she/it is) all along, but now will use it actively to refer to other
individuals. In addition, they will learn the word eī (AY-ee, literally “to him” or “to her”) in the phrase Quid
est nōmen eī? (What is his/her name?)

Lesson Plan

Warm up using one of the games from Lesson Three, then continue by introducing the new material as
follows.

Note: If you are working with only one student, you will need pictures of familiar people or characters. In
a classroom, you can use pictures and/or refer to the other students in the class.

Say... Do...
Discipule, quid est nōmen tibi? Point to the student and give a questioning shrug. If necessary,
Quis es? prompt the student in a stage whisper: Nōmen mihi est... When the
[dis-KEE-poo-lay, kwid esst NO-men student replies, point to yourself.
TEE-bee? Kwees ess?]
Student, what is your name? Who are
you?
Bene. Et quis sum? The student will probably not be able to answer this question straight
[BAY-nay. Eht kwees soom?] away. Remind the student...
Good. And who am I?
Magistra sum. Quis sum? The student should now answer magistra.
[mah-GEE-strah soom. Kwees soom?]
I'm the teacher. Who am I?
Bene. Dīc “Magistra es.” The student repeats Magistra es.
[BAY-nay. Deek “mah-GEE-strah ess.]
Good. Say “You're the teacher.”
Bene. Now point at another student or a picture of someone known to the
[BAY-nay] student.
Good.
Quis est? Emphasize est (he/she is) so the student can distinguish it from es (you
[kwees esst?] are). If the student gives just the name, respond:
Who is he (she)?
Bene! [...] est. Repeat the question Quis est? at least three more times with different
[BAY-nay. {…} esst.] people or pictures, until the student is able to generate the phrase
Good! It's […]. [name] est accurately. Then write the phrase nōmen eī est... on the board.
Bene, [name] est. Nōmen eī Using whatever picture you're referring to, fill in the blank at the end
[name] est. of nōmen eī est. For example, Nōmen eī est Captain Jack Sparrow. Then add
[BAY-nay, {name} esst. NO-men AY-ee = Captain Jack Sparrow est. Point to the picture again.
{name} esst.]
Good, it's [name]. His name is [name].
Quid est nōmen eī? If necessary, point to the board and have the student read the
[kwid esst NO-men AY-ee?] response: Nōmen eī est Captain Jack Sparrow. Then point to another
What is his name? picture (or student).
Et quid est nōmen eī? Student responds: Nōmen eī est...
[eht kwid esst NO-men AY-ee?]
And what his his (her) name?
Et quid est nōmen tibi? Emphasize tibi. If the student looks confused or gives an incorrect
[eht kwid esst NO-men TEE-bee?] response, point at the student and repeat the question until the
And what is your name? student gives the correct response: Nōmen mihi est...
Bene! Applaud. Repeat with other students as necessary.
[BAY-nay!]
Good!

Complete the lesson by having students make cards for the new vocabulary.

et: A+B, arrow pointing to the plus sign. Students may not have even noticed the introduction of this
intuitive little word. It means “and.”
Quis est?: Three figures, two close together, one further way. One figure points to the furthest figure, ??
inside speech bubble.
Nōmen eī est...: Same drawing as Quis est, but with name under furthest figure. Arrows pointing to figure
and name.

Note: Please look ahead at the next lesson, and ask the students to review their cards before the next class.
Lesson Six

Quid Novī?

This is a review lesson. If you need to assess student progress formally, as in a school setting, you can also
use this activity to see how much your students have retained from the first five lessons.

Lesson Plan

Prepare four cards for each student with stick figures for the following words and phrases:

Salvē!
Quis es?
...sum.
Valē!

Shuffle each set of cards so they are in a random order.

The student assignment has two parts: first, place the cards in a logical order, and second, write a short
dialog in Latin that reflects the story told by the cards. As an alternative, you can ask students to display the
cards to you in a logical order and deliver the dialog orally.

At minimum, students should be able to produce a dialog consisting of the four phrases above, and some
may include additional words and phrases, e.g., Salvē, magistra; Quid est nōmen tibi, etc.

If the students struggle with this task, review the previous lessons before moving on. If the problems are
minimal, have the students work together in class to create a comic strip version of the dialog. Use the
stick figures in sequence as the basis of the comic strip, and add the phrases in speech bubbles above the
characters. The finished product can be displayed your teaching space.
Lesson Seven

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, you will add to the students' repertoire of commands in the singular. The new actions are:
ambulā (walk), curre (run), salī (jump), and saltā (dance). You will also teach two adverbs: lentē (slowly) and
cito (quickly). There are a few other words in the lesson as well, although the students are not responsible
for these yet. Quaesō means please, nunc means now, and age means go on.

Lesson Plan

Say... Do...
Salvē, discipula! Wave hello.
[SAHL-way, dis-KEE-poo-lah!]
Hello, student.
Venī, quaesō! Make beckoning gesture.
[WAY-nee, QUEYE-so!]
Come, please!
Nunc, ambulā! Demonstrate walking. (Use your fingers on the table if space is at a
[noonk, AHM-boo-lah!] premium.) Then repeat the command and demonstration until the
Now walk! student begins walking.
Bene! Applaud. Invite each student to follow suit, one by one.
[BAY-nay!]
Good!
Age, discipule, ambulā! Bene. Address one student again, and continue...
[AH-gay, dis-KEE-poo-lay, AM-boo-
lah! BAY-nay.]
Go on, student, walk! Good.
Nunc, curre! Jog in place or use fingers to demonstrate.
[noonk, KOO-ray!]
Now, run!
Bene, curre! Again, invite each student to run, one by one.
[BAY-nay, KOO-ray!]
Good, run!
Age, discipula, curre! Bene. Address one student again, and continue...
[AH-gay, dis-KEE-poo-lay, KOO-ray!
BAY-nay.]
Go on, student, run! Good.
Nunc, salī! Jump up and down, or use your fingers to demonstrate. Repeat with
[noonk, SAH-lee!] other students as above.
Now, jump!
Et nunc, saltā! Dance. (Be silly!) One by one, invite the students to join you.
[eht noonk, SAHL-tah!]
And now, dance!
Discipule, saltā lentē! Lentē! Dance very slowly until the student follows your lead.
[dis-KEE-poo-lay, SAHL-tah LEN-tay!
LEN-tay!]
Student, dance slowly. Slowly.
Discipula, saltā cito! Cito! Dance quickly until the student does the same.
[dis-KEE-poo-lah, SAHL-tah KEE-
toh! KEE-toh!]
Student, dance quickly! Quickly!
Bene, bene. Gesture for everyone to stop. Now call on each student one at a time,
[BAY-nay, BAY-nay.] giving a specific command to each. (If you have only one or two
Good, good. students, call out commands in turn.)
Ambulā (lentē, cito)! Curre As you call on each student, briefly demonstrate the desired action.
(lentē, cito)! Salī (lentē, cito)!
Saltā (lentē, cito)!
[AM-boo-lah (LEN-tay, KEE-toh)!
KOO-ray...SAH-lee...SAHL-tah.]
Walk (slowly, quickly)!
Run...jump...dance.
Bene! Applaud.
[BAY-nay!]
Good!

Complete the lesson by having the students make cards for each of the new words:

ambulā: figure walking

curre: figure running with speed lines
salī: figure jumping
saltā: figure dancing (music notes in the air)
lentē: picture of a turtle with slow speed lines
cito: picture of a rabbit or race car (fast speed lines)
Lesson Eight

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, students will learn words to describe different types of people. You will need a collection of
pictures showing adults and children. You will be teaching the words vir (man), fēmina (woman), puer (boy),
and puella (girl). The word quoque means also, and nōn means not.

Introducing nouns is not as high energy as the TPR activities used with verbs. Although the nouns are
given only a few at a time, some students may need to take a break from making their cards. If you notice
the students getting fidgety, get everyone up for a quick round of Simon Dīcit (Lesson Three) using the
commands they have learned so far (see Lessons One and Seven). Then return to a quieter activity.

Beginning with this lesson, pronunciation guides will be given only as new words are introduced. If you are
unsure of the pronunciation of a word, please refer to previous lessons or to the audio files at
ispeaklatin.com.

Lesson Plan

Say... Do...
Quid est? Display a picture of a man.
[kwid esst?]
What is it?
Est vir. Vir est. Write the word vir on the board. Show a different picture of a man.
[esst weer. Weer esst.]
This is a man. It's a man.
Est quoque vir. Point to the word vir. Now show a third picture of a man.*
[esst QWOH-quay weer.]
This is also a man.
Et vir est. Now show a picture of a woman and ask:
And this is a man.
Est vir? Nōn est! Est fēmina. As you say nōn est, shake your head decisively, then emphasize the word
[esst weer? Non esst. Esst FAY-Mē- fēmina in the next sentence. Write the word on the board as you
nah.] pronounce it slowly.
Is it a man? It is not. This is a woman.
Fē-mi-na. Show another picture of a woman.
Wo-man.
Est fēmina. And another. Point to the picture.
This is a woman.
Est fēmina. Discipula, est vir? The student will likely shake her head no. Invite her to say Nōn est.
This is a woman. Student, is it a man?
Nōn est. Nōn est vir. Fēmina Use a beckoning gesture to encourage the student to repeat what you
est. have said. Then turn to the other students.
It is not. It is not a man. It is a woman.
Est vir? Gesture again and repeat the question until a student answers: Nōn est.

* If students question the word quoque, write quoque=et on the board. Although they are not exact synonyms, this will
convey the general idea. At the end of the lesson, you can translate quoque into English if questions remain.
Is it a man?
Quid est? Est... Student: fēmina.
What is it? It's...
Bene. Display a picture of a boy.
Good.
Puer est. Students may try to call out the English word. Do not acknowledge
[POO-air esst.] them, but write the word puer on the board. Then display another
It's a boy. picture of a boy.
Puer quoque est. Call on a student and point to the picture of the boy.
[POO-air KWOH-quay esst.]
This is also a boy.
Discipule, quid est? Student: Puer or puer est.
Student, what is this?
Nōn est vir? Student: Nōn est.
It's not a man?
Bene. Display a picture of a girl.
Good.
Puella est. Pu-el-la. Show another picture of a girl. Write the word on the board.
[poo-ELL-lah esst. poo-ELL-lah.]
This is a girl.
Est quoque puella. Show a third picture.
This is also a girl.
Discipula, quid est? Student: Puella. If the student is unable to answer, point to the word on
Student, what is this? the board and help pronounce it. Now shuffle the pictures and display
one at random. Call on a student and ask:
Quid est? If the student answers correctly, nod and move on. If the answer is
What is it? incorrect, repeat it with a rising, questioning tone (puer est?!) and see if
the student can self-correct. If not, provide the correct word: Nōn est.
Fēmina est. Continue questioning until each student has correctly
identified each type of person at least once.

Complete the lesson by making cards for the new words:

vir: Oval head, downward pointing triangle body

fēmina: Over head, upward pointing triangle body
puer: Half size, round head, downward pointing triangle body
puella: Half size, round head, upward pointing triangle body

You can also add long hair to the female figures if that helps your students distinguish them, but try not to
make the drawings too elaborate. Remember that no English should appear on the cards!
Lesson Nine

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, we will expand on the nouns learned in the last lesson by adding names for members of the
immediate family (familia). They are: māter (mother), pater (father), frāter (brother), soror (sister), avus
(grandfather), and avia (grandmother). Students will also learn the very useful word ecce, meaning “here is,
look at, behold.”

Students will be generating sentence like māter est fēmina (the mother is a woman). In this sentence, māter is
the subject, est is a linking verb, and fēmina is the subject complement. In Latin as in English, both the
subject and the subject complement use the same form, the nominative or subject form. The subject
complement is also sometimes called a predicate nominative because it is a nominative (subject) form
that appears in the predicate of the sentence. Many students learn these terms in the middle grades, so
when you encounter them in your English grammar lessons, you can let students know that they've already
learned the concept in Latin, even if they didn't know it at the time.

We will also be introducing the Latin question particle -ne. This particle is a suffix added to the end of the
first word in a sentence to signal interrogative meaning. (Interrogat means “he/she asks,” hence our
grammatical term for “questioning.”) It is not a negative. Estne fēmina? means exactly the same as Est fēmina?:
Is she a woman? If students question you about -ne, write -ne=? on the board, followed by the example:
estne=est...?

If possible, gather pictures of the students' family members for this lesson; otherwise, use photos from
magazines or books that show families.

Lesson Plan

Say... Do...
Quis est? Hold up a picture of a mother (ideally holding a baby). Some students
Who is it? may answer Fēmina est, which is correct. Others may try to give the
English word “mother.” Ignore any answers given in English.
Bene. Fēmina est. Est quoque Point to the woman.
māter.
[esst KWOH-kway MAH-tair.]
Good. It's a woman. It's also a mother.
Ecce māter. Mā-ter. Write the word on the board.
[EK-kay MAH-tair.]
Here's a mother. Mo-ther.
Est fēmina. Est māter. Now show a picture of a father, again preferably with an infant or small
This is a woman. This is a mother. child.
Ecce pater. Pa-ter. Write the word on the board. Now show the mother again.
[EK-kay PAH-tair.]
Here's a father. Fa-ther.
Estne pater? Student: Nōn est.
[esst-nay MAH-tair.]
Is it a mother?
Quis est? Student: Pater est.
Who is it?
Bene. Now show a picture of two siblings, a boy and a girl.
Good.
Ecce frāter... Point to the boy...
[EK-kay FRAH-tair...]
Here is a brother...
et soror. and to the girl.
[eht SOH-rohr.]
and a sister.
Frāter...et soror. Point to the respective pictures and then write the words on the board.
[FRAH-tair...eht SOH-rohr.] Then ask a student...
Brother...and sister.
Estne soror fēmina? Student: Nōn est.
[esst-nay SOH-rohr FAY-Mē-nah?]
Is the sister a woman?
Bene. Soror est puella. Estne Student: Māter est fēmina. Nod.
māter fēmina?
[SOH-rohr esst poo-ELL-lah.]
Good. The sister is a girl. Is the mother
a woman?
Māter est fēmina, et soror est Point to the brother again.
puella.
The mother is a woman, and the sister
is a girl.
Et frāter? Est vir? Student: Nōn est.
[eht FRAH-tair? Esst weer?]
And the brother? Is he a man?
Est puella? Student: Nōn est.
Is he a girl?
Est...? Student: Est puer.
He is...?
Bene. Show a picture of grandparents. Point to grandfather...
Good.
Ecce avus... ...then point to grandmother, then back and forth.
[EK-kay AH-wooss...]
Here is a grandfather...
...et avia. Avus et avia. Write the words on the board.
[eht AH-wee-ah. AH-wooss eht AH-
wee-ah.]
...and a grandmother. Grandfather and
grandmother.
Discipula, estne avia fēmina? Student: Avia est fēmina.
[...estne AH-wee-ah FAY-Mē-nah?]
Student, is the grandmother a woman?
Et avus, est puer? Student: Nōn est puer or Vir est. Continue questioning until students can
[eht AH-wooss, esst POO-air?] match the words from the last lesson from the new vocabulary.
And the grandfather, is he a boy?
Complete the lesson by making cards for the new words.

familia: Group of adults and children

māter: Same as for fēmina, but holding an oval shaped bundle with face showing
pater: Same as for vir, but with baby, as above
frāter et soror: Same as for puer and puella, but holding hands
avus et avia: Like vir and fēmina, but with eyeglasses

Although some students may not have all of these people in their own families, they should draw them on
their cards. In upcoming lessons they will learn additional vocabulary that will allow them to talk about
their own families more fully.
Lesson Ten

Quid Novī?

This is a review lesson. Use activities #1 and #3 listed in Lesson Three, adding the new vocabulary as
indicated.

Lesson Plan

For Concentration, the new pairs are: vir/fēmina, puer/puella, pater/māter, frāter/soror, avus/avia. To distinguish
puer/puella from frāter/soror, make two copies of the latter with identical pictures of the two holding hands,
but put an arrow pointing to the boy (frāter) on one, and to the girl (soror) on the other. The pater/māter
pictures should show adults holding babies, to distinguish them from the more generic vir/fēmina.

For Simon Dīcit, use the following commands: surge, cōnsīde, ī, venī, ambulā, curre, salī, saltā.

Have fun!
Lesson Eleven

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, students will learn two possessive adjectives, meus (my) and tuus (your, singular). They will
also learn that adjectives agree with the nouns they modify. In this lesson, we will focus on the masculine
and feminine singular forms: meus/tuus and mea/tua, respectively.

Each student needs a photo or drawing of his or her family for today's lesson. You will also need a photo
or drawing of your own family of origin (including you, your parents, and your siblings, if any).

Lesson Plan

Say... Do...
Ecce familia. Show the picture of your family. Point to your chest.
[EK-kay fah-MEE-lee-ah]
Here is a family.
Mea familia est. Hug the picture to your chest lovingly, then display it again.
[MAY-ah fah-MEE-lee-ah esst.]
It's my family.
Ecce māter mea...pater Point to each family member in turn. (Adapt what you say to the actual
meus...soror mea...frāter picture.) When you say et ego, point back and forth from the picture to
meus...et ego! your chest to indicate that you are the same person.
[EK-kay MAH-tair MAY-ah...PAH-
tair MAY-oos, SOH-rohr MAY-
ah...FRAH-tair MAY-oos...eht AY-
goh!]
Here are my mother...my father...my
sister...my brother...and I!
Familia mea est! Write the words Familia mea on the board. Then draw stick figures of each
[Fah-MEE-lee-ah MAY-ah est!] member of your family underneath, placing the girls and women in one
It's my family! column and the boys and men in another. As you draw, repeat the names
of the people, e.g....
Ecce māter mea...pater Put yourself in the appropriate column. Now write the words māter mea,
meus...soror mea...frāter soror mea, pater meus, frāter meus, under the corresponding stick figure.
meus...et ego! Repeat the words aloud as you write them.
Here are my mother...my father...my
sister...my brother...and I!
Ecce māter mea...pater When you've finished writing, call on one student, and point to each
meus...soror mea...frāter phrase in turn, inviting the student to repeat them. Repeat with each
meus...et ego! student. (If you have a large group, have the students repeat the words
Here are my mother...my father...my together.)
sister...my brother...and I!
Discipule, dīc “māter Now move around behind a student, and point to his or her picture.
mea...pater meus...” etc.
Student, say “my mother...my
father...” etc.
Estne familia tua? When saying tua, point to the student. The student may nod. In any case,
[esst-nay fah-MEE-lee-ah TOO- repeat...
ah?]
Is this your family?
Familia tua est! Move to the board and point to the words Familia mea.
It's your family!
Dīc “Familia mea est!” The student repeats. Have the student stand up, hold the picture above his
Say, “It's my family.” or her head, and proclaim Familia mea est! proudly. (You may need to
model this, or physically move the student into place.) Repeat with each
student:
Est familia tua? Student: Familia mea est! Now return to the board and point to your māter
Is this your family? mea stick figure.
Quis est? The correct response is māter tua (your mother), but some students may
Who is it? just read the words on the board and respond māter mea. If so, look
surprised, point to the student and say...
Māter tua est?! Most students will catch their mistake at this point. If not, you can
It's your mother?! exclaim Soror! or Frāter! as if the student were a long-lost sibling. If the
students still do not understand, correct them now briefly in English:
Who is this? Students: Your mother. You respond:
Bene. Dīc, “Māter tua est.” Now point to the stick figure of your father (or brother).
Good. Say “It's your mother.”
Quis est? Student (reading from board): Est pater...? The student will probably not
Who is it? be able to generate the appropriate form and may say tua. Ignore this error
for the time being and move on.
Pater meus est. Point to the appropriate person in student's picture, and ask:
It's my father.
Est pater tuus? Prompt as necessary:
Is it your father?
Dīc, “Pater meus est.” Repeat with the other students. Continue this pattern with soror mea/tua
Say, “It's my father.” and frāter meus/tuus. Some students may ask for how to say “stepfather” or
“stepsister.” For now, just call these people “father, sister,” etc.

End this lesson with a short debriefing in English. Ask the students what they noticed about today's new
words:

Q. When do you use the words that end in -us (meus/tuus)?

A. With males.
Q. When do you use the words that end in -a (mea/tua)?
A. With females.

Point out that the word familia does not refer to a male or female person, but to a group. It uses the
feminine ending because it is a grammatically feminine word that ends in -a, like puella or fēmina.
Lesson Twelve

Quid Novī?
In this lesson we will introduce the words for extended family members, including aunts, uncles, and
cousins. There is a lot of new material in this lesson, so you may want to spread it out over two class
periods or assign the vocabulary cards as homework.

Latin has different words for maternal and paternal relations. These are illustrated in the family tree below.
A maternal aunt and uncle are mātertera and avunculus, respectively; a paternal aunt and uncle are amita and
patruus. A maternal cousin is a cōnsōbrīnus (m.) or cōnsōbrīna (f.); a paternal cousin, whether male or female, is
a patruēlis. In our family tree below, the patruēlis is a fīlius ūnicus, an only son, or a fīlia ūnica, only daughter.

Have students gather photos of their extended families, including aunts, uncles, and cousins, that can be
cut up and used on the students' vocabulary cards. If no photos are available, ask the students to draw their
relations to the best of their ability.

At the beginning of class, draw a large family tree on the board, as follows:

avus meus------avia mea avus meus------avia mea

______________| |_______
| | | |
mātertera mea---avunculus meus māter mea----------------------------pater meus amita mea---patruus meus
____|_____ ____________________ |_______ |
| | | | | patruēlis
cōnsōbrīnus cōnsōbrīna EGO frāter meus soror mea meus/mea
meus mea (fīlius ūnicus/fīlia ūnica)

The words in bold are new vocabulary.

Lesson Plan

For today's activity, have students draw their family tree, based on a model you have put on the board.
Have students write the names of their various relations along with the Latin terms for the relationship,
e.g., Robert, frāter meus; Alexandra, cōnsōbrīna mea.

Younger students may be unclear about the relationships between the various members of their family, and
some may have situations (divorce, step-parents, half-siblings, etc.) that make the family tree complicated.
Be prepared for many questions (in English) about how to represent these relationships. The following
additional vocabulary may come in handy:

noverca: stepmother
vītricus: stepfather
amīcus: boyfriend*
amīca: girlfriend

There are specific terms in Latin for “stepsister on the mother's side” and so on, but at this stage, it is best

* Amīcus and amīca can also be used to refer to platonic friends.

to stick with the simple terms soror and frāter for all siblings.

Some students may have nieces and nephews of their own. The terms for these are:

niece: fīlia sorōris (=sister's daughter), fīlia frātris (=brother's daughter)

nephew: fīlius sorōris (=sister's son), fīlius frātris (=brother's son)

When the students have completed their family trees, have them make cards for the new vocabulary and
paste photos of their relations on these as appropriate. If they do not have a given relationship in their
family, have them copy the relevant portion of the family tree with a blank for the vocabulary word, and
then put the word on the back of the card. For example, the drawing below could be used to represent
cōnsōbrīnus.

mātertera---avunculus
|
( ) (m.)
Lesson Thirteen

Quid Novī?
In this short lesson, you will teach a new and extremely useful question word, ubi, which means “where?”

You will need your wallet with your picture ID and a single dollar bill.

Lesson Plan

As you teach this lesson, you are going to pretend to be disoriented. You will be asking students to give
their names, and then promptly forgetting where they are. For the purpose of the script, I will use random
names; you will substitute the names of the actual students in your class. Approach a student, peer into his
or her face...

Say... Do...
Salvē! Quis es? Most students will not answer immediately. A few may give a correct
Hello! Who are you? response, e.g., John sum or Nōmen mihi John est.
Quis es, puer (puella)? Quid Student responds as above.
est nōmen tibi?
Who are you, boy (girl)? What is your
name?
Ah. John es. Dīc, quis sum? Point to yourself. Students may not understand the question, so repeat:
Ah. You're John. Say, who am I?
Nōmen tibi est John. Quid est Look confused. Students may give various responses, including your
nōmen mihi? name or Magister es!
Your name is John. What is my name?
Magister sum?! Hmmm.... Continue to look confused. Then perk up and lift your index finger as
I'm the teacher?! Hmmm... if you've just had a brilliant idea. Get out your wallet and look at your
ID.
Ah-ha! Nōmen mihi est [your Applaud. Then turn to another student.
name]. Magister (magistra)
sum!
Ah-ha! My name is […]. I'm the
teacher!
Quis es? Student: Teresa sum.
Who are you?
Teresa? Ubi est John?? Shade your eyes as if searching for something in the distance. Either
[OO-bee esst...] John or Teresa will likely speak up or point to John. Give a relieved
Teresa? Where is John?? sigh.
Ahhh. Ecce John. Move on to another student.
Ahhh. There's John.
Quis es, discipula? Student: Maria sum.
Who are you, student?
Maria?! Ubi est Teresa? Search again. Student points. Act confused.
Maria?! Where is Teresa?
Nōn est Teresa. John est! By this time, the students are likely laughing, or at least protesting
That's not Teresa. It's John! (possibly in English).
Ubi est John? John identifies himself.
Where is John?
Et Teresa? Ubi est Teresa? Teresa identifies herself. Continue this questioning pattern until you
And Teresa? Where is Teresa? have spoken with every student at least once.
Ubi est George? Students are confused. There is no George in the class. Call and search
Where is George? for George...
George...! Ubi es, George? Put your finger up again in the “bright idea” gesture. Take out your
George...! Where are you, George? wallet, take out the dollar bill, and announce:
Ecce George! Salvē, George! Drop your imaginary persona now.
Here's George! Hello, George!

Note: If you have only one student, use names of pets, other people in the family, or friends, present or
not, in place of the names of other students.

If there is a George in your class, substitute the appropriate name for whatever currency you have
available.

Finish off the lesson by writing Ubi...? on the board and demonstrating the corresponding stick figure.

Ubi?: Figure with question marks over its head, holding map. Alternative: figure with question marks next
to a compass.
Lesson Fourteen

Quid Novī?

In this review lesson students practice using family vocabulary, the possessive adjectives meus/tuus, and the
question word ubi.

Lesson Plan

1. Ubi est...?

This game works best in classroom settings. Students pair up. (If there is an odd number of students, you
can join in.) Both students take their family cards, mix them together, and place them face up on the table
in random order. They then take turns asking questions about the people in the pictures:

Ubi est māter tua? Ubi est pater meus? Ubi est cōnsōbrīna tua?

If the other student is able to identify the person correctly, she claims the card before asking a question of
her own. If she does not identify the person, she does not get a card but still asks a question. The student
with the most cards wins. Make sure all the cards go back to their owners at the end of the game.

2. Ubi/Ecce

This is a variation on Concentration. It works best with one student or in a home-based setting. You will
need a set of cards with family photos on them but no labels on the back. Shuffle the cards and place them
in a row, face up. The student has one minute to look at the cards and memorize their positions. Turn the
cards face down, and ask the student:

Ubi est māter tua?

Ubi est pater tuus?
Ubi est soror tua?
Ubi est frāter tuus?
Etc.

(See Lesson Twelve for a complete list of family vocabulary.)

When the student finds the card, he says

Ecce māter mea!

Etc.

If you are working with your own child, you can make the game more challenging by asking questions like
Ubi est māter mea? (i.e., the child's grandmother) or Ubi est soror mea? (the child's aunt).
Lesson Fifteen

Quid Novī?
In previous lessons, students have learned to express possession with the adjectives meus/mea and tuus/tua.
In this lesson, they will an idiomatic way to say “I have”: ...est mihi. This phrase literally means “...is to me.”
If you speak French, you will recognize this as the equivalent of “[quelque chose] est à moi.” To speak
about something someone else has, we say …est tibi, literally, “[it] is to you,” or “it is yours.”

Students have already encountered this usage in the phrase nōmen mihi est X, “my name is X,” or, more
literally, “the name X is to me,” “I have the name X.”

We will also be introducing the preposition in, which means in, inside, or on. In Latin, nouns and adjectives
that appear after this preposition are placed in the ablative case.* For example, the phrase “in your family,”
is in familiā tuā in Latin. Note that the final vowels of familia and tua have a macron (long mark) over them;
this signals the ablative for feminine nouns in the first declension. (A declension is a family of nouns that
share endings.) Other declensions have different ablative endings, and we will encounter them later. For
now, students will learn in familiā tuā and in familiā meā as set phrases.

We will again be using family vocabulary. There are two new words: frāterculus (m.), meaning little brother,
and sorōrcula (f.), meaning little sister. You may also need to remind students of the terms fīlius ūnicus (m.)
and fīlia ūnica (f.), meaning only child.

Lesson Plan

Begin by drawing a stick figure family of six on the board: mother, father, boy, girl, smaller boy, and smaller
girl. In this instance, the mother and father do not need to be holding babies to be recognizable. Label this
picture “Familia Mea,” even if it is not an accurate depiction of your real family. Draw the students'
attention to the picture.

Say... Do...
Ecce familia mea. If the students are your own children, or know your family, wink
This is my family. broadly. Then point to each member of the family in turn.
Ecce māter...et pater...et As you name the last two members of the family, gesture to indicate
frāter...et soror. Et ecce that they are very small. Using a squeaky voice to say the words helps
frāterculus...et sorōrcula. get the point across. Write the new words on the board. Then call a
[frah-TAIR-koo-loos...eht soh-ROHR- student up to the board.
koo-lah]
Here are the mother...and father..and
brother...and sister. And here are the
little brother...and little sister.
Ubi est familia tua? Hand the student the chalk or marker, and mime drawing on the
Where is your family? board. If necessary, repeat familia tua, while gesturing. As the student
is drawing, narrate what you see.
Ah, ecce māter tua...et pater As the students comes to drawing siblings, change to a questioning
tuus. voice.

* The same word, in, can also mean into, in which case it is followed by the accusative, or direct object, case. This use will
not be introduced at this point, however.
Ah, there's your mother...and your
father.
Est frāter tuus? The student may be drawing himself or herself and may say “It's me!”
Is that your brother? or something similar. In this case, respond: Ah, tu es! (Oh, it's you!)
We'll assume here that the student has a brother and a sister.
Ah, est soror tua? Student nods, or repeats Soror (mea) est.
Ah, is that your sister?
Est sorōrcula? If the student does not understand the question, hold your hand to
Is she a little sister? indicate a child much shorter than the student. Confirm the student's
response as appropriate:
[Nōn] est sorōrcula. Now introduce the new phrase, speaking slowly and clearly.
She's [not] a little sister.
Puella est soror tua. In familiā Repeat the last sentence, pointing first at the board (Soror est) and then
tuā est soror. Soror est tibi. at the student (tibi).
The girl is your sister. There is a sister in
your family. You have a sister.
Et puer? Point to the boy in the picture.
And the boy?
Est frāter tuus? Student affirms.
Is he your brother?
Est frāterculus? Gesture to indicate a very small child. Student confirms or denies.
Is he a little brother? (We'll assume it is a little brother.)
Puer est frāterculus tuus. In Again, say the last sentence slowly, pointing to the board (frāterculus est)
familiā tua est frāterculus. and then to the student (tibi).
Frāterculus est tibi.
The boy is your little brother. In your
family there is a little brother. You have a
little brother.
Bene! Invite another student up to the board and repeat the process. If there
Good! are many students, you may want to repeat your questions only one or
two more times. Then point back to your original picture of the stick
figure family.
In familiā meā est māter...et Point to each figure as you say the word.
pater...et frāter...et soror...et
sorōrcula...et frāterculus.
In my family there is a mother...and a
father...and a brother...and a sister...and a
little sister...and a little brother.
Māter est mihi. Pater est mihi. Point to each figure as you repeat. Then turn to a student and ask:
Soror est mihi. Frāter est mihi.
Sorōrcula est mihi. Frāterculus
est mihi.
I have a mother...and a father...and a
brother...and a sister...and a little
sister...and a little brother.
Est frāter tibi? Student should reply Frāter est mihi or Frāter nōn est mihi. Prompt in a
Do you have a brother? stage whisper if necessary. Continue questioning the students using
 the words soror, frāter, sorōrcula, and frāterculus. If a child does not have
siblings, supply the phrase fīlius ūnicus sum (for a boy) or fīlia ūnica sum
(for a girl). If the students are catching on quickly, expand the
vocabulary pool to include other family words: avia, avus, mātertera,
avunculus, amita, patruus, cōnsōbrīnus, cōnsōbrīna, patruēlis.

Conclude the lesson by having the students make cards for the new vocabulary.

sorōrcula: girl and smaller girl holding hands, arrow pointing to smaller girl
frāterculus: boy and smaller boy holding hands, arrow pointing to smaller boy
Lesson Sixteen

Quid Novī?

In this short lesson, students learn how to ask and respond to the question Quōmodo tē habēs (How are you
doing?). Answers take the form of Mē habeō... plus an adverb: I am doing well, poorly, etc. The five adverbs
you will be teaching are: optimē (great), bene (well), satis bene (well enough, OK), male (badly, poorly), and
pessimē (very badly, terribly).

Lesson Plan

Before class, draw five large circles on the board. These will be faces that show the various emotions the
students will be talking about. They will also be the models for the students' vocabulary cards.

Begin the lesson by greeting one student.

Say... Do...
Salvē, discipula. Student: Salvē!
Hello, student.
Quis es? Quid est nōmen tibi? Student: Nōmen mihi est [name].
Who are you? What is your name?
Quōmodo tē habēs? Student: ?? Move to board and fill in the first circle with a big smiley
[KWOH-moh-doh tay HAH-bayss?] face. Grin, bop around a bit, and point to yourself, saying
How are you? enthusiastically:
Mē habeō optimē! Point to the face on the board and repeat.
[may HAH-bay-oh OP-tee-may!]
I'm doing great!
Optimē! Point to your own face and grin. The point to the student.
[OP-tee-may!]
Great!
Quōmodo tē habēs? If the student does not reply, write the words Mē habeō... on the board
How are you? and label the smiley optimē. Point to the words in turn as the student
repeats them.
Optimē! Return to the board and fill in the next smiley with a normal smile and
Great! label it bene. Match the smile with the expression on your own face.
Mē habeō bene. Bene. Then fill in the next circle with a neutral face, using a straight line for
I'm doing well. Well. the mouth and label it satis bene.
Mē habeō satis bene. Satis As you repeat the words, see-saw your hand back and forth to signal
bene. “so-so.” Then fill in the next circle with a downturned mouth and
[...SAH-teess BAY-nay] label it male.
I'm doing OK. OK.
Mē habeō male. Male. As you repeat the word, put on a sad expression and point to your
[MAH-lay] own face. Finally, fill in the last circle with a sad face and tears and
I'm doing poorly. label it pessimē.
Mē habeō pessimē! Pessimē! Repeat the word with a catch in your voice, as if you were about to
[...PAY-see-may]
I'm doing terribly. Terribly! cry, then mime weeping. Now call on each student in turn.
Quōmodo tē habēs? If necessary, point to the words Mē habeō on the board and then let
How are you? the student choose one of the five options.

Complete the lesson by having students copy the models onto individual index cards. Remember that the
picture should go on one side of the card and the word on the other.
Lesson Seventeen

Quid Novī?

The students now have enough conversational elements to create a simple dialog. In this lesson, they will
map out a dialog in comic strip form and then perform it. If you are working with only one student, you
will take one part in the dialog; otherwise, supervise the students to make sure they are on task and
understand the assignment. This lesson may serve as a review and/or as an assessment of student progress.

Lesson Plan

Write the following on individual slips of paper. (For a larger class, type the sentences out on a single sheet,
photocopy it, and then cut the slips apart.)

Salvē!
Quid est nōmen tibi?
Quōmodo tē habēs?
Valē!

Each student will need a piece of plain white paper, held horizontally. On the board, draw four connected
boxes to represent the comic strip frames. Have the students copy this onto their papers. (For larger
classes, you may want to provide a pre-printed sheet with the frames already in place.)

Explain (in English) that the students will be writing comic strips using the phrases provided. Notice that
the phrases represent only one person's side of the dialog; the students will have to generate appropriate
responses as well as draw the figures. To get the students started, demonstrate by filling in one of the
frames on the board with two figures facing each other. Each has a speech bubble with the word “Salvē!”
in it. Assist and correct as necessary.

Once everyone has finished, call students forward in pairs to perform the dialogs they have created. Most
will be identical, or nearly so:

A. Salvē!
B. Salvē!
A. Quid est nōmen tibi?
B. Nōmen mihi est [name].
A. Quōmodo tē habēs?
B. Mē habeō....
A. Valē!
B. Valē!

When everyone has performed, take a moment to congratulate the students on their progress. They are
speaking Latin!
Lesson Eighteen

Quid Novī?

Like the previous lesson, today's class serves as a review and may also be used as an assessment.

Lesson Plan

Give each student a large piece of plain paper on which to draw a family portrait. The students can use
stick figures or draw more realistic likenesses. Each student then shows the drawing to the class and
introduces each person:

Ecce māter mea...

Ecce pater meus...
Ecce sorōrcula mea...

You can prompt students as necessary with questions:

Ubi est māter tua?

Est pater tuus?
Lesson Nineteen

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, students will learn to sing the alphabet in Latin, enabling them (and you) to spell out words
in Latin. Knowing the names of the letters, particularly the vowels, will also help students pronounce
unfamiliar Latin words correctly.

Lesson Plan

Write the letters of the Latin alphabet on the board. If students notice that some letters are “missing,”
explain (in English) that the Latin alphabet does not have a J or W, and that in Latin U and V are the same
letter. The last two letters, Y and Z, are Greek imports and retain their Greek names.

Point to each letter and pronounce it clearly; the students repeat after you.

A ah, as in father
B bay
C kay
D day
E ay, as in say
F eff
G gay
H ha
I ee, as in see
K kah as in coffee
L ell
M em
N en
O oh
P pay
Q koo
R err (slightly rolled)
S ess
T tay
U oo
X eeks
Y OOP-see-lohn
Z ZAY-tah

Once you have repeated the alphabet two or three times, you can sing it to the tune of “This Old Man.”
(Some students may know the tune as “The Barney Song.”) The last three words translate loosely as “now
our song is done.”

A, B, C
D, E, F
G, H, I
K, L, M, N
OPQ
RST
U et Y [=upsilon]
Z [=zeta]. Carmen nostrum iam.
After teaching the alphabet, play a few rounds of Carnifex (Hangman) to drill the letters. Pay special
attention to the pronunciation of the vowels. English speakers tend to confuse the Latin E (ay) with the
English long A, and the Latin I (ee) with the English long I. Ignore macrons (long marks) when playing the
game.

In future lessons, you may find the phrase Quōmodo scribitur... [KWOH-moh-doh SKREE-bih-toor...] useful. It
means “How do you write/spell...?”
Lesson Twenty

Quid Novī?
In this and the next lesson, students will learn to count in Latin. They will also learn, or review, Roman
numerals. You will introduce the question word quot? (pronounced like the English word “quote”), which
means “how many?”

Lesson Plan

Warm up by singing the Latin Alphabet Song twice.

Write the Arabic numerals 1-10 on the board. Point to each as you say the Latin word and have the
students repeat after you. Say the numbers through three times.

1 – I – ūnus [OO-noos]
2 – II – duo [DOO-oh]
3 – III – trēs [like the English word “trace”]
4 – IV – quattuor [QUAH-too-or]
5 – V – quīnque [QUEEN-quay]
6 – VI – sex [sex]
7 – VII – septem [SEP-tem]
8 – VIII – octō [OHK-toh]
9 – IX – novem [NOH-whem]
10 – X – decem [DAY-kem]

Students may notice that the last four numbers in the sequence appear in the names of the months
September, October, etc. This will be discussed when students learn about the months, but at this point,
you can confirm that some of our month names do indeed derive from the Latin numbers.

Some students may giggle at the pronunciation of the number 6. My policy is to let students get their
snickers out once and only once. After that, it's just another Latin word! If you find that some students
can't get past it, you can exaggerate the vowel: [SAYX].

Once the students have heard the numbers at least three times, drill by holding up random numbers of
fingers and asking Quot sunt? (How many are there?) If the classroom is too large for all the students to see
your fingers, write random numerals on the board instead.

Now write the Latin words next to the Arabic numerals, followed by the Roman numerals. Demonstrate
that the Roman numeral I represents one finger, and V represents the shape made between the thumb and
forefinger when all five fingers are outstretched. To show X, hold all ten fingers outstretched and cross
your thumbs.

Drill again, writing random Roman numerals on the board.

Finish the lesson by having students write the ten numerals (Arabic and/or Roman) on their cards, with the
corresponding Latin word on the opposite side.
Lesson Twenty-One

Quid Novī?
This lesson introduces the numbers from eleven to twenty, plus the words centum and mille – 100 and 1000
respectively. Students will learn to do simple addition problems in Latin, using the question: Quot sunt X et
Y? (What are X and Y?) The word sunt (they are) was used in the last chapter without comment, as most
students will understand it intuitively. In coming chapters, they will learn how to use it with plural nouns.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by singing the Latin Alphabet Song. Then review the numbers 1-10 by having students stand up
and count off. If you have more than ten students, number eleven begins again at ūnus.

Now introduce the new numbers just as you did in the previous lesson.

11 – XI – ūndecim [OON-day-keem]*
12 – XII – duodecim [DOO-oh-DAY-keem]
13 – XIII – trēdecim [TRAY-day-keem]
14 – XIV – quattuordecim [QUAH-too-oor-DAY-keem]
15 – XV – quīndecim [QUEEN-day-keem]
16 – XVI – sēdecim [SAY-day-keem]
17 – XVII – septendecim [SEPT-en-day-keem]
18 – XVIII – duodēvīgintī [DOO-oh-day-wee-GIN-tee]
19 – XIX – ūndēvīgintī [OON-day-wee-GIN-tee]
20 – XX – vīgintī [wee-GIN-tee]

100 – C – centum [KEN-toom]

1000 – M – mille [MEE-lay]

Drill the numbers by writing random numerals from 1-20 on the board. The teens may be somewhat
challenging to pronounce, so don't be surprised if the students are hesitant. Give them plenty of chances
to say the numbers and repeat them (correctly) after each answer is given to reinforce the pronunciation.

The students may notice that the numbers 18 and 19 do not follow the same patterns as the other teens.
They are, respectively, “two from twenty” and “one from twenty.” Centum (100) is the root of our word
“century,” and mille (1000) gives us “millennium.”

Once the students have had a chance to practice the numbers, go to the board and write the equation
1+1= . Point to the numbers as you say:

Say... Do...
Ūnus et ūnus sunt... Point to a student, who answers: duo.
[OO-noos eht OO-noos soont...]
One and one are...
Eh? Quot sunt ūnus et ūnus? Cup your ear as if you didn't hear the answer. Student repeats: DUO!
* Some of these numbers are pronounced almost as if they were two words, e.g., quattuor/decim. I indicate the resulting
natural accentuation in the pronunciation guide. Remember, too, that in the Restored Classical pronunciation the G is a hard
sound, as in the English “good.”
Eh? How much are one and one?
Ah, duo! Ūnus et ūnus sunt Most students will be able to recognize the word optimē in this new
duo! Optimē! context. If not, say bene (one thumb up)...optimē! (two thumbs up).
Ah, two! One and one are two! Great! Then write 1+2= on the board.
Quot sunt ūnus et duo? Student: Trēs.
How much are one and two?
Bene! Continue to write equations on the board with sums up to 20. For an
Good! extra challenge, use Roman numerals.

Finish up the class by having the students create vocabulary cards for the numbers 11-20, 100, and 1000.
Lesson Twenty-Two

Quid Novī?

In the last two lessons, we gently introduced the plural verb sunt (they are, there are). Today we will
introduce some plural nouns with numbers and sunt. Students will discover that the numbers ūnus, duo, and
trēs are adjectives that decline; that is, they change form depending on the gender of the noun they modify.
The other numbers up to 20 do not change. For your reference, the forms used in this lesson are as
follows:

masculine: ūnus vir, ūnus puer

feminine: ūna [OO-nah] fēmina, ūna puella

masculine: duo virī [DOO-oh WEE-ree] (two men), duo puerī [DOO-oh poo-EH-ree] (two boys)
feminine: duae fēminae [DOO-eye FAY-mee-neye] (two women), duae puellae [poo-ELL-eye] (two girls)

masculine/feminine: trēs virī, trēs puerī, trēs fēminae, trēs puellae

There are additional forms for neuter nouns; these will be introduced in a later lesson.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by singing the Latin Alphabet Song and counting together from one to twenty in Latin.

Draw stick figures of one man, one boy, one woman, and one girl on the board, leaving space around each
to add more figures. Point to the man.

Say... Do...
Quis est? Student: Vir est.
Who is it?
Bene. Hold up one finger.
Good.
Ūnus vir est. Ūnus. Now draw a second man next to the first.
It is one man. One.
Quot sunt? Student: Duo.
How many are there?
Bene! Duo virī sunt. Hold up two fingers, then write the words I vir, II virī on the board.
Good! There are two men. Draw one more man.
Quot sunt? Student: Trēs.
How many are there?
Bene. Write III virī on the board. Now point to picture of the boy.
Good.
Quis est? Student: Puer est. (Prompt as necessary if students have forgotten the
Who is it? word.)
Ūnus puer est. Hold up one finger, then draw a second boy.
It is one boy.
Quot sunt? Student: Duo.
How many are there?
Bene. Sunt duo puerī. Emphasize the new plural form.
Good. There are two boys.
Duo virī, duo puerī. Point back and forth between the men and the boys, emphasizing the
Two men, two boys. -ī ending of the words. Draw one more boy.
Quot sunt? Student: Trēs puerī.
How many are there?
Bene! Sunt trēs puerī. Now point to the woman.
Good! There are three boys.
Quis est? Student: Fēmina est.
Who is it?
Bene. Ūna fēmina est. Emphasize ūna, especially the ending. Point back and forth between
Good. It's one woman. the figures as you say:
Ūnus vir, ūnus puer, ūna Emphasize the endings, then have students repeat them. Now draw a
fēmina. second woman.
One man, one boy, one woman.
Quot sunt? Student: Duo.
How many are there?
Ah! Cup your ear to indicate that students should listen carefully.
Ah!
Duo virī, duae fēminae! Emphasize the new ending -ae (pronounced like the English word
Two men, two women! “eye”).
Duo virī, duae fēminae. Have students repeat these two phrases. The draw a third woman.
Two men, two women.
Quot sunt? Students: Trēs? (Students may hesitate, expecting a new form.)
How many are there?
Bene! Trēs fēminae! Ūna Point to each woman in turn as you count off. Then point to the girl.
fēmina, duae fēminae, trēs
fēminae.
Good! Three women!
Quis est? Student: Puella est.
Who is it?
Quot sunt? Student: Ūn..a? If the student says ūnus, repeat it back with a
How many are there? questioning tone: Ūnus?? Most students will self-correct.
Bene! Est ūna puella. Draw a second girl.
Good. There is one girl.
Quot sunt? Some students may guess correctly: duae. Some won't. Point back to
How many are there? the women...
Duae fēminae... Point back to the girls.
Two women...
Et duae puellae. Now draw a third girl. Point back to the women.
...and two girls.
Trēs fēminae, et... Point to the girls. Student: Trēs puellae.
Three women, and...
Bene! Sunt trēs puellae.
Good! There are three girls.

Debrief in English, explaining that what you have been working with are plural forms, used when we are
talking about more than one of something. If the students are not familiar with the term plural, give some
examples in English: boy → boys; girl → girls; child → children; woman → women. (Latin plurals are
much more regular than English ones!) Explain that the numbers ūnus, duo, and trēs change according to
whether we're counting male persons or female persons. Guide students in making vocabulary cards for
these new forms.

ūnus vir: man with the Roman numeral I over his head
duo virī: two men with the Roman numeral II over their heads
trēs virī: three men with the Roman numeral III over their heads
ūnus puer: boy with the Roman numeral I over his head
duo puerī: two boys with the Roman numeral II over their heads
trēs puerī: three boys with the Roman numeral III over their heads
ūna fēmina: one woman with the Roman numeral I over her head
duae fēminae: two women with the Roman numeral II over their heads
trēs fēminae: three women with the Roman numeral III over their heads
ūna puella: girl with the Roman numeral I over her head
duae puellae: two girls with the Roman numeral II over their heads
trēs puellae: three girls with the Roman numeral III over their heads
Lesson Twenty-Three

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, we will continue to introduce plural noun forms and reinforce the declension of the
numbers ūnus, duo, and trēs.

To prepare, gather or draw pictures of families with various numbers of children, parents, etc. You may
need to adjust the script to reflect the pictures you have.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by counting together from one to twenty.

Begin by showing a picture of a family with one mother, one father, and one child (boy or girl).

Say... Do...
Ecce familia. Ecce māter, et Point to each member of the family in turn.
pater, et puer (puella).
Here is a family. Here is a mother, and a
father, and a boy (girl).
Quot sunt in familiā? Student: Trēs.
How many are in the family?
Bene. Ūna māter, ūnus pater, Now show a family with two boys.
ūnus puer (ūna puella).
Good. One mother, one father, one boy
(one girl).
Quot sunt in familiā? Student: Quattuor.
How many are in the family?
Numerā! Demonstrate this command by counting on your fingers in Latin:
Count! ūnus, duo, trēs, quattuor... Then point to each person in the family as
student describes each. Prompt or confirm:
Ūna māter, ūnus pater, et duo Now point to the two boys individually.
puerī.
One mother, one father, and two boys.
Ūnus frāter. Ūnus frāter. Write 1+1=2 on the board.
One brother. One brother.
Ūnus frāter et ūnus frāter sunt Write the words duo frātrēs. Then point back to the picture.
duo frātrēs.
[DOO-oh FRAH-trayss]
One brother and one brother are two
brothers.
In familiā sunt duo frātrēs. Now show a family with two girls.
In the family are two brothers.
Quot sunt in familiā? Student: Quattuor.
How many are in the family?
Numerā! Point to each person as student counts: ūna māter, ūnus pater...
Count!
Ūna soror et ūna soror. Write 1+1=2 on the board again.
One sister and one sister.
Ūna soror et ūna soror sunt Write the words duae sorōrēs, and point back to the two girls.
duae sorōrēs.
One sister and one sister are two sisters.

Continue in this manner with different family configurations: duo frātrēs et ūna soror, duae sorōrēs et ūnus frāter,
quattuor sorōrēs, duae mātrēs, duo patrēs, etc. Students should recognize that the four core family words – māter,
pater, frāter, and soror – form their plural with -ēs, and all but soror also contract: māter → mātrēs (not māterēs),
pater → patrēs, frāter → frātrēs.

Have students create cards for these vocabulary words in the same way they did in the last lesson.
Lesson Twenty-Four

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, we will introduce the plural form of commands. If you are teaching one student, you will
need two stuffed animals, dolls, or puppets to demonstrate the actions.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by playing Simon Dīcit (Simon Says) using the singular commands learned so far: venī, ī, surge,
cōnsīde, ambulā, curre, salī, saltā. (See Lessons One and Seven.) You may need to remind the students of the
meanings of some of the words; either demonstrate, or draw the appropriate stick figure on the board.

Next, have the students pair up with a partner. You will be playing Simon Says again, but this time mixing
plural and singular commands. Demonstrate this with one pair first. Have the students link arms. Point to
the pair.

Say... Do...
Discipulī, ambulāte! If the students do not move, use your fingers to mime two people
[ahm-boo-LAH-tay] walking together.
Students, walk!
Bene. Ambulā! Demonstrate that the students should let go of each other and each
Good. Walk. walk separately.
Curre! Each student runs separately.
Run!
Discipulī, currite! They link arms and run together.
[KOOR-rih-tay]
Students, run!
Venī! Each comes forward separately.
Come!
Venīte! They link arms and come forward together.
[way-NEE-tay]
Come!
Ī! Point to a location on the floor; each student goes there separately.
Go!
Īte! Point to another location; students move together.
[EE-tay]
Go!
Salī! Students jump separately.
Jump!
Salīte! Students link arms and jump together.
[sahl-EE-tay]
Jump!
Saltā! Students dance separately.
Dance!
Saltāte! Students dance together.
[sahl-TAH-tay]
Dance!

Once you've demonstrated how the game works, play Simon Says as usual, mixing singular and plural
commands. Students are “out” if they move without hearing Simon dīcit or if they move together in
response to a singular command, or vice versa.

At the end of the lesson, write the plural commands on the board and have students make vocabulary
cards for them. In each case, they should draw two stick figures doing the action on the front of the card.
See Lessons One and Seven for the action stick figures.
Lesson Twenty-Five

Quid Novī?

In previous lessons, students have learned that adjectives like meus, tuus, and the numbers ūnus and duo
change their endings depending on the noun they are modifying. In this lesson, they will learn another
group of common adjectives: colors. You will also slip in the masculine demonstrative adjective hic (this) in
the phrase hic color est... (this color is...).

In addition, we will be introducing the neuter gender. Up to this point, almost all of the nouns we've
learned have been the names of persons, so natural and grammatical gender have been the same. But Latin,
like English, has a grammatical gender that is neuter: literally, “neither of the two.” Unlike English,
however, all three Latin genders extend to inanimate objects: mēnsa (table) is feminine, liber (book) is
masculine, and cubiculum (bedroom) is neuter.

To demonstrate the forms of the color words in each of the three genders, we will use three shapes
(fōrmae, singular fōrma):

circulus (m) – circle

stella (f.) – star
triangulum (n.) – triangle

Prepare for the lesson by creating a set of flash cards. Each of the three shapes should appear once in each
of the following colors:

albus, alba, album [AHL-boos, AHL-bah, AHL-boom] – white

āter, ātra, ātrum [AH-tair, AH-trah, AH-troom] – black
ruber, rubra, rubrum [ROO-bair, ROO-brah, ROO-broom] – red
caeruleus, caerulea, caeruleum [ky-ROO-lay-oos, ky-ROO-lay-ah, ky-ROO-lay-oom]* – blue
flāvus, flāva, flāvum [FLAH-woos, FLAH-wah, FLAH-woom] – yellow

If you have colored chalk or markers for a white board, you can use them for this lesson. Otherwise, make
cards with a swatch of each of these colors.

To ask what color something is, use the phrase Cuius colōris est...? [KWEE-us koh-LOH-rees esst?] This literally
means “Of what color is...? The words cuius colōris are in the genitive (possessive) case. For now, teach it as
a set phrase.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by singing the Latin Alphabet Song. Then play a short game of Simon Dīcit to review the plural
verb forms taught in the last lesson.

To introduce the new material, begin by drawing the three fōrmae (shapes) on the board. Do not color them
in.

Say... Do...

* Remember that -ae sounds like the English word “eye.”

Ecce trēs fōrmae. Write the words fōrma, fōrmae on the board.
[EK-kay trayss FOR-my.]
Here are three shapes.
Ecce circulus. Point to the circle and write the word underneath.
[KEER-koo-looss]
Here is a circle.
Et ecce stella. Point and write the word.
[STEHL-lah]
And here is a star.
Et ecce triangulum. Point and write the word. Point back to the circle.
[tree-AHN-goo-loom]
And here is a triangle.
Discipulī, quid est? Gesture for the whole class to answer in unison: circulus. Point to the
Students, what is it? star.
Bene. Et quid est? Students: Stella. Point to the triangle.
Good. And what is it?
Et quid est? Students: Triangulum.
And what is it?
Bene. Now show the cards with the various color swatches, or quickly draw
Good. scribbles of each color on the board.
Discipulī, colōrēs sunt. Write the words color, colōrēs on the board.
[koh-LOH-rayss]
Students, these are colors.
Hic color est albus. Show or point to white swatch and write the word. Students repeat.
[hik KOH-lohr esst AHL-boos.]
This color is white.
Et hic color est āter. Show or point to the black swatch and write the word. Students
[AH-tair] repeat.
And this color is black.
Hic color est ruber. Show or point to the red swatch and write the word. Students repeat.
[ROO-bair]
This color is red.
Hic color est caeruleus. Show or point to the blue swatch and write the word. Students repeat.
[ky-ROO-lay-oos]
This color is blue.
Et hic color est flāvus. Show or point to the yellow swatch and write the word. Students
[FLAH-woos] repeat. Now show the white circle.
And this color is yellow.
Circulus albus est. Cuius Student: Albus. (Prompt for the whole sentence: Circulus albus est.)
colōris est circulus? Show the black circle.
[KEER-koo-looss AHL-booss esst.
KWEE-oos koh-LOH-rayss esst KEER-
koo-looss?]
The circle is white. What color is the
circle?
Circulus āter est. Cuius colōris Student: Circulus āter est. Show the red circle.
est circulus?
The circle is black. What color is the
circle?
Circulus ruber est. Cuius Student: Circulus ruber est. Show the blue circle.
colōris est circulus?
The circle is red. What color is the circle?
Circulus caeruleus est. Cuius Student: Circulus caeruleus est. Students may stumble over this long
colōris est circulus? word. Pronounce it slowly with them if necessary. Show the yellow
The circle is blue. What color is the circle.
circle?
Circulus flāvus est. Cuius Student: Circulus flāvus est. Now show both the white circle and the
colōris est circulus? white star.
The circle is yellow. What color is the
circle?
Circulus albus est. Stella alba Emphasize the difference in the adjective forms albus and alba. Repeat
est. once or twice to make sure students notice. Write the word alba on the
The circle is white. The star is white. board. Now show the black circle and the black star.
Circulus āter est. Stella ātra est. Repeat as above. Next show the red circle and star.
The circle is black. The star is black.
Circulus ruber est. Stella rubra Repeat as above, adding āter, ātra; ruber, rubra. Then show the blue
est. circle and star.
The circle is red. The star is red.
Circulus caeruleus est. Stella Repeat as above. Then show the yellow circle and star.
caerulea est.
The circle is blue. The star is blue.
Circulus flāvus est. Stella flāva Repeat as above.
est.
The circle is yellow. The star is yellow.

If students appear confused, switch to English as this point to explain that the color words are changing
form so that they agree or “match” with their nouns. Identify circulus as a masculine noun like discipulus.
Identify stella as a feminine noun like puella. Then return to the Latin demonstration. Show the white
triangle.

Ecce triangulum. Triangulum Emphasize the endings of the color words to help students hear the
album est. Circulus albus est. change. Then write the word album on the board. Show the black
Stella alba est. Triangulum triangle.
album est.
[tree-AHN-goo-loom AHL-boom]
Here is a triangle. The triangle is white.
The circle is white. The star is white. The
triangle is white.

Triangulum ātrum est. Again, emphasize the -um endings. Then show the red triangle.
The triangle is black.
Triangulum rubrum est. Next, show the blue triangle.
The triangle is red.
Triangulum caeruleum est. Finally, show the yellow triangle.
The triangle is blue.
Triangulum flāvum est.
The triangle is yellow.

In English, explain that the word triangulum is a neuter word and that all Latin nouns are either masculine
like circulus, feminine like stella, or neuter like triangulum. See if the students can tell you some other
masculine words they've learned (puer, pater, frāter, etc.) and some feminine ones (fēmina, puella, soror, etc.).
Explain that, in Latin, even objects can be masculine or feminine, and that from now on, students should
identify the gender of nouns on their vocabulary cards.

Have students make cards for the three shapes and the five colors introduced in this lesson.
Lesson Twenty-Six

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, students learn four new color words and drill all the colors they have learned so far.

To prepare, create cards in the three shapes (circle, star, and triangle) in the following colors:

prasinus, prasina, prasinum [PRAH-see-nooss, PRAH-see-nah, PRAH-see-noom] – green

purpureus, purpurea, purpureum [poor-POO-ray-ooss, poor-POO-ray-ah, poor-POO-ray-oom] – purple
roseus, rosea, roseum [ROH-say-oos, ROH-say-ah, ROH-say-oom] – pink
aurantius, aurantia, aurantium [ow-RAHN-tee-ooss, ow-RAHN-tee-ah, ow-RAHN-tee-oom] – orange

Add these to the deck of color flash cards you made in for the last lesson.

Lesson Plan

Students warm up in pairs (or one-on-one with the teacher) by greeting their partner and asking and
answering the question Quōmodo tē habēs? (See Lesson Sixteen.)

Begin by making color swatches on the board as in Lesson Twenty-Five. Also draw the three shapes
(circulus, stella, triangulum) on the board.

Say... Do...
Ecce trēs fōrmae. Point to the circle.
Here are three shapes.
Quid est? Student: Circulus est. (Prompt as necessary.) Point to star.
What is it?
Quid est? Student: Stella est. Point to the triangle.
What is it?
Et quid est? Student: Triangulum est.
And what is it?
Bene. Ecce colōrēs. Indicate the colors, pointing in turn. As the students identify each
Good. Here are the colors. color, write the name below the swatch. Be sure to write all three
forms, e.g., albus, alba, album. Then show or point to the green swatch.
Hic color est prasinus. Write the words prasinus, prasina, prasinum under the swatch. Then hold
[PRAH-see-nooss] up the green circle, star, and triangle cards in turn.
This color is green.
Ecce circulus prasinus...et Emphasize the -us, -a, -um endings on both the nouns and color
stella prasina...et triangulum adjectives so that students hear how they match. Then point to the
prasinum. purple swatch.
Here is a green circle...and a green
star...and a green triangle.
Hic color est purpureus. Write the words purpureus, purpurea, purpureum under the swatch. Then
[poor-POO-ray-ooss] show or point to the purple circle, star, and triangle cards in turn.
This color is purple.
Ecce circulus purpureus...et Again, emphasize the matching endings. Then point to the pink
stella purpurea...et triangulum swatch.
purpureum.
Here is a purple circle...and a purple
star...and a purple triangle.
Hic color est roseus. Write the forms on the board and hold up the corresponding cards.
[ROH-say-ooss]
This color is pink.
Ecce circulus roseus...et stella Emphasize the endings as before. Finally, point to the orange swatch.
rosea...et triangulum roseum.
Here is a pink circle...and a pink
star...and a pink triangle.
Hic color est aurantius. Write the forms as before and show the cards.
[ow-RAHN-tee-ooss]
This color is orange.
Ecce circulus aurantius...et
stella aurantia...et triangulum
aurantium.
Here is an orange circle...and an orange
star...and an orange triangle.

Drill all of the colors by using the flash cards. If you have a large class, split the group into two teams. In
order to get a point, the team members must identify the shape and the color correctly, using the correct
adjective ending (-us/-r, -a, -um). For example, the white circle must be identified as circulus albus
(masculine).

End the class by having students create cards for the four new color words.
Lesson Twenty-Seven

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, you will use games to review letters, numbers, colors, and plural commands.

Lesson Plan

1. Simon Dīcit

See Lesson Twenty-Four. Use both singular and plural commands.

2. Carnifex (Hangman)

Play several rounds using shape-and-color phrases, e.g., triangulum ātrum, stella rosea, etc.

3. Math War

Students pair up. Take decks of playing cards and remove the face cards and joker. Split the remaining
cards into two equal piles. Students take turns flipping cards over. Whichever student gives the correct
number of the card in Latin wins it. The player with the most cards wins.
Lesson Twenty-Eight

Quid Novī?

In this lesson we will introduce the plural forms of circulus, stella, and triangulum, and the corresponding
color adjectives.

Lesson Plan

Begin by drawing groups of stick figures on the board to represent the following:

ūnus vir et ūna fēmina – one man and one woman

ūnus puer et ūna puella – one boy and one girl
duo virī et duo puerī – two men and two boys
duae fēminae et duae puellae – two women and two girls
trēs puerī et trēs puellae – three boys and three girls

Review these words by pointing to each grouping and asking Quot sunt? Prompt and write words on the
board as necessary. Do not erase the figures, but draw the following additional items on the board:

ūnus circulus – one circle

ūna stella – one star
ūnum triangulum – one triangle
duo circulī – two circles
duae stellae – two stars
duo triangula – two triangles
trēs circulī – three circles
trēs stellae – three stars
tria triangula – three triangles

Begin by pointing to the circle.

Say... Do...
Quid est? Student: Circulus.
What is it?
Bene. Ūnus circulus est. Point to the two circles.
Good. It's one circle.
Quot sunt? Student: Duo.
How many are there?
Duo circulī sunt. Point back and forth between the two men and the two circles.
[KEER-koo-lee]
There are two circles.
Duo virī...duo circulī. Emphasize the -i [EE] ending as you say the words. Then point the
Two men...two circles. three circles.
Quot sunt? Student: Trēs.
How many are there?
Trēs circulī sunt. Trēs virī...trēs Repeat as above. Now point to the star.
circulī.
There are three circles. Three men...three
circles.
Quid est? Student: Stella est or Ūna stella.
What is it?
Ūna stella est. Point to the two stars.
It is one star.
Quot sunt? Student: Duae. (May answer duo.)
How many are there?
Sunt duae stellae. Point to the two women and two girls, then to the stars.
There are two stars.
Duae fēminae...duae Emphasize the -ae [EYE] ending. Then point to the three stars.
puellae...duae stellae.
Two women...two girls...two stars.
Quot sunt? Student: Trēs stellae. Point to the three girls, then to the three stars.
How many are there?
Bene. Trēs stellae sunt. Trēs Now point to the triangle. Note that there is no counterpart among
puellae...trēs stellae. the human figures.
Good. There are three stars. Three
girls...three stars.
Quid est? Student: Triangulum. (May answer ūnus triangulum.) Emphasize the
What is it? endings as you correct.
Ūnum triangulum est. Then point to the two triangles.
It's one triangle.
Ah...quot sunt? Students may make various guesses. Cup your ear to indicate that they
Ah...how many are there? should listen carefully.
Sunt duo tri-an-gu-la. Ūnum Write the plural form triangula on the board. Then point to the three
triangulum...duo triangula. triangles.
There are two triangles. One
triangle...two triangles.
Quot sunt? Students may guess trēs triangula. Again, cup your ear.
How many are there?
Sunt tria triangula. Tria! Write the whole phrase tria triangula on the board. Point to the circles.
There are three triangles. Three!
Ūnus, duo, trēs... Then point to the stars...
One, two, three...
Ūna, duae, trēs... Then to the triangles.
One, two, three...
Ūnum, duo, tria.
One, two, three.

If necessary, debrief in English. Explain that the plural of neuter nouns like triangulum ends in a short -a,
and that the neuter form of the number three is tria, which has a short -a ending just like the noun
triangula.

Complete the lesson by having the students make cards showing the different numbers of shapes on one
side and the number and noun written out on the other. Make sure that the students are accurately writing
the various forms of the numbers.
Lesson Twenty-Nine

Quid Novī?
Beginning in this lesson, we will be learning about different types of homes, rooms, and furnishings.
Today we start with different habitations: domus (house, home), casa (cottage), īnsula (apartment building),
vīlla (villa, country estate). These words will appear in the phrase habitō in...: I live in a... .

Prepare by drawing pictures of the different types of homes or collecting photographs from magazines.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by asking each student Quōmodo tē habēs? (How are you?). Then sing the Latin Alphabet Song
together.

Draw or show a picture of a house, then write the word Domus above the picture.

Say... Do...
Ecce domus. Point to the house. Show another picture of a house.
[EK-kay DOH-mooss.]
Here is a house.
Ecce domus... And another picture...
Here is a house...
Et ecce domus. Write the word domus. Now show a picture of a small cottage.
And here is a house.
Ecce casa. Write the word casa. Then show a picture of a big apartment building.
[EK-kay KAH-sah.]
Here is a cottage.
Et ecce īnsula. Write the word īnsula. Finally, show a picture of a Roman villa or a
[EEN-soo-lah] country estate house.
And here is an apartment building.
Ecce vīlla. Write the word vīlla.
[WEE-lah]
Here is a villa.
Habitō in... Write this phrase on the board, then fill in the type of building you
[HAH-bee-toh in...] live in: domō, casā, īnsulā, vīllā. Call on a student and ask where he or she
I live in a... lives:
Ubi habitās? If the student doesn't understand, point to the words habitō in... as you
[OO-bee HAH-bee-tahss?] repeat them and then point to yourself. Then point to or draw a
Where do you live? picture of your dwelling place. Repeat the whole sentence: Habitō in
[domō]. Now point to the student and repeat your question:
Ubi habitās? If the student doesn't answer, offer some possibilities, pointing to the
Where do you live? various pictures:
Habitās in vīllā? In īnsulā? The student may try to repeat Habitās in... Correct in a stage whisper:
[HAH-bee-tahss in WEE-lah? In EEN-
soo-lah?]
Do you live in a villa? In an apartment
building?
Habitō in... Student: Habitō in... domō.
I live in a...
Bene. Call on all the students in turn and ask:
Good.
Ubi habitās?
Where do you live?

Complete the lesson by having students make vocabulary cards for the words domus (f., plural: domūs), casa
(f., plural: casae), īnsula (f., plural: īnsulae), and vīlla (f., plural vīllae). You can add a few interesting facts about
these words.

• Domus is the root of our words domestic and domesticate.

• The Latin word casa comes into Spanish as the word for house.
• The word īnsula literally means “island” but was also used to refer to an “island of humanity” rising
up out of the sea of the urban landscape. Ancient Roman apartment buildings were cheap
dwellings and notoriously unsafe; they burned and even collapsed regularly.

As a special project, older students can research and report on the layout of an ancient Roman villa.
Lesson Thirty

Quid Novī?
In this lesson we will continue to talk about homes. We will use the vocabulary learned in the last lesson to
introduce two new adjectives: magnus, magna, magnum (large, big, great) and parvus, parva, parvum (little,
small).

To prepare, draw pictures or collect photos of the following: a large country house (villa), a small cottage,
an elephant, a mouse, large circles, small circles, large stars, small stars, large triangles, small triangles, a tall
man, a toddler boy or girl.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by counting from 1 to 20 in Latin. Begin by showing a picture of a villa.

Say... Do...
Quid est? Student: Vīlla est.
What is it?
Vīlla est magna. Gesture to show “very big.” Then show a picture of a large apartment
[WEE-lah esst MAH-nyah]. building.
The villa is large.
Īnsula est magna. Gesture “very big” again.
[EEN-soo-lah esst MAH-nyah.]
The apartment building is large.
Casa est parva. Gesture to show “very small.” Show the picture of the elephant, and
[KAH-sah esst PAR-wah.] using a deep, slow voice say...
The cottage is small.
Elephantus est magnus. Now show the mouse, and use a squeaky little voice as you say...
[el-ay-FAHN-tooss esst MAH-nyooss.]
An elephant is large.
Et mus est parva. Now show the large circle, star, and triangle. Point to each in turn as
[eht mooss esst PAR-wah.] you say...
And a mouse is small.
Magnus, magna, magnum... Then show the small shapes and point.
[MAH-nyooss, MAH-nyah, MAH-
nyoom]
Large, large, large...
Parvus, parva, parvum.
[PAR-wooss, PAR-wah, PAR-woom.]
Small, small, small.

Drill the adjectives by showing random pictures of buildings and shapes and people. Make sure all the
pictures show extremely large or small items to avoid ambiguity. Verify that the students are accurately
matching the correct adjective to each noun: masculine -us forms with masculine nouns, feminine -a forms
with feminine nouns, and neuter -um forms with neuter nouns. (The only neuter nouns introduced so far is
triangulum.) Avoid the word domus at this point, since it belongs to a different declension (noun group) and
may confuse the students.

Conclude the lesson by having students make cards for the words magnus, -a, -um, and parvus, -a, -um.

Magnus, -a, -um: big circle, star, triangle

Parvus, -a, -um: small circle, star, triangle
Lesson Thirty-One

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, we will introduce the nominative (subject) plural forms of magnus and parvus, and also the
conjunction aut (pronounced like the English word “out”), which means “or.”

Prepare cards with groups of large or small shapes: circles, stars, and triangles. You will also need pictures
of the following: one very large house, one large apartment building, one small cottage, two very large
houses, two large apartment buildings, and two small cottages.

Lesson Plan

Begin by showing the picture of the large house (villa).

Say... Do...
Quid est? Student: Vīlla est.
What is it?
Estne vīlla magna aut parva? Gesture “big” or “small.” Student: Vīlla est magna.
[Esst-nay WEE-lah MAH-nyah owt
PAR-wah?]
Is the villa large or small?
Bene. Ecce īnsula. Estne Student: Īnsula est magna.
īnsula magna aut parva?
Good. Here is an apartment building. Is
the apartment building large or small?
Ecce casa. Estne casa magna Student: Casa est parva.
aut parva?
Here is a cottage. Is the cottage large or
small?
Bene. Now show the picture of two villas.
Good.
Sunt duae vīllae. Ūna vīlla et Write 1+1=2 on the board.
ūna vīlla sunt duae vīllae.
[DOO-eye WEE-leye]
There are two villas. One villa and one
villa are two villas.
Sunt vīllae magnae aut parvae? Emphasize the endings. Write the words magnae and parvae on the
[soont WEE-leye MAH-nyeye owt PAR- board.
weye?]
Are the villas large or small?
Magnae aut parvae? Student: Magnae. Now show the apartment buildings.
Large or small?
Bene. Et īnsulae? Sunt magnae Student: Magnae. Now show the cottages.
aut parvae?
[EEN-soo-leye]
Good. And the apartment buildings? Are
they large or small?
Et casae? Sunt magnae aut Student: Casae sunt parvae.
parvae?
And the cottages? Are they large or
small?
Bene. Now show the large stars.
Good.
Sunt stellae magnae aut Student: Magnae. Now show the small stars.
parvae?
Are the stars large or small?
Sunt magnae aut parvae? Student: Parvae. Show the large circles and cup your ear to indicate
Are they large or small? that students should listen carefully. Emphasize the endings.
Ecce circulī. Sunt circulī magnī Write the words magnī and parvī on the board.
aut parvī?
Here are circles. Are the circles large or
small?
Magnī aut parvī sunt circulī? Student: Magnī. Now show the small circles.
Are the circles large or small?
Bene. Magnī aut parvī? Student: Parvī. Now show the large triangles and cup your ear.
Good. Large or small?
Bene. Ecce triangula. Sunt Student: Magna. Write the words magna and parva on the board.
triangula magna aut parva?
Good. Here are triangles. Are the
triangles large or small?
Bene. Triangula sunt magna. Show the small triangles.
Good. The triangles are large.
Ecce. Magna aut parva? Student: Parva.
Look here. Large or small?

Use the cards to drill the plural forms of the adjectives as above. Be sure that students are correctly pairing
plural nouns with plural adjectives of the correct gender, e.g., circulī magnī, stellae magnae, triangula magna. If
the students need an extra challenge, add in the singular shape cards (circulus magnus, circulus parvus, stella
magna, etc.).

Conclude the lesson by having students make cards showing the plural forms.

circulī magnī: several large circles

circulī parvī: several small circles
stellae magnae: several large stars
stellae parvae: several small stars
triangula magna: several large triangles
triangula parva: several small triangles

Ask the students to review their color flashcards before the next lesson.
Lesson Thirty-Two

Quid Novī?

This lesson reviews singular and plural adjectives and adds the plural forms of the color adjectives. You
will present the forms the students already know and help them transfer that knowledge to other words.

Prepare cards showing the three shapes in a variety of sizes and colors. Try to use as many variations as
you can: one vs. many, small vs. large, all the possible colors.

Lesson Plan

Warm up with a quick game of Simon Dīcit, using singular and plural commands.

Begin by drawing a large circle on the board.

Say... Do...
Quid est? Student: Circulus.
What is it?
Est circulus magnus aut Student: Magnus. Draw a small circle and point to it.
parvus?
Is the circle large or small?
Est circulus magnus aut Student: Parvus. Draw another small circle next to the first one and
parvus? point to them both.
Is the circle large or small?
Sunt circulī magnī aut parvī? Student: Parvī. Try to elicit the complete sentence: Circulī parvī sunt.
Are the circles large or small? Now color one small circle yellow.
Cuius colōris est circulus? Student: Flāvus. Now color the other small circle yellow. Emphasize
What color is the circle? the endings as you say:
Cuius colōris sunt circulī Student:...flāvī?
parvī?
What color are the small circles?
Bene! Draw two large stars.
Good!
Sunt duae stellae magnae aut Student: Magnae. Color the stars yellow.
parvae?
Are the two stars large or small?
Cuius colōris sunt duae stellae Student: Flāvae. Correct as necessary, emphasizing how the ending on
magnae? all of the adjectives match the noun ending -ae. Now draw three small
What color are the two large stars? triangles.
Sunt triangula magna aut Student: Parva.
parva?
Are the triangles large or small.
Bene. Tria triangula parva Now color them yellow.
sunt.
Good. The triangles are small.
Cuius colōris sunt triangula Student: Flāva?
parva?
What color are the small triangles?
Bene!
Good!

Continue the drill in this manner using other colors. Work from the known plural forms (circulī magnī, stellae
magnae, triangula magna) to the new forms of the color words. Where possible, add in numbers:

ūnus circulus, duo/trēs circulī

ūna stella, duae/trēs stellae
ūnum triangulum, duo/tria triangula
Lesson Thirty-Three

Quid Novī?
In this lesson you will use a listening exercise to review colors, numbers, and size adjectives. This activity
can be used an assessment of student progress, if desired.

Students will each need three sheets of plain paper and a set of colored pencils.

Lesson Plan

Explain to the students (in English) that you will be telling asking them to draw various numbers of objects
in various sizes and colors. Ask the students to keep the drawings simple. Have the students fold their
papers into quarters; they will use one quarter for each drawing. Have them number each quarter with a
number from 1-10. Tell them that you will read a description of each drawing. They should first write
down each phrase next to the appropriate number, then go back and do the drawings. Read each
description three times slowly in Latin to give students time to understand and write. (English translations
are provided for your convenience in evaluating the students' work.)

1. ūnus magnus circulus āter (large black circle)

2. duae magnae īnsulae rubrae (two large red apartment buildings)
3. tria parva triangula aurantia (three small orange triangles)
4. duo parvī circulī caeruleī (two small blue circles)
5. trēs parvae stellae prasinae (three small green stars)
6. duae magnae stellae flāvae (two large yellow stars)
7. triangulum parvum caeruleum (a small blue triangle)
8. trēs casae roseae (three pink cottages)
9. duo parvī circulī purpureī (two small purple circles)
10. vīlla magna prasina (a big green country house)

If you are using this exercise as an assessment, grade as follows:

Spelling (1 point)
Correct type of object (3 points)
Number of objects (3 points)
Color of objects (3 points)

If you find that your students are struggling with the material at this point, review vocabulary thoroughly
before moving on.
Lesson Thirty-Four

Quid Novī?

In this and the following few lessons, students will be learning the names of the rooms in a house and the
fixtures and furnishings that go in them. The focus is on vocabulary building, but there is one grammar
point of note.

In Lesson Fifteen we briefly mentioned that the Latin preposition in (in, inside, on), when it refers to the
place where something is located, will be followed by words in the ablative case. * Examples we have seen so
far include in familiā meā and habitō in domō, in villā, etc. Note the macrons over the final A's in the feminine
word, and the change from domus to domō.

In this lesson we will introduce the first of our modern rooms, the culīna, or kitchen. Like familia and vīlla in
the examples above, culīna is a feminine word that adds a macron to its final A after the preposition in: in
culīnā (in the kitchen).

The words you will be introducing are as follows:

frīgidārium – refrigerator (plural: frīgidāria)

foculum – stove (plural: focula)
furnus – oven (plural: furnī)
fusōrium – sink (plural: fusōria)
mēnsa – table (plural: mēnsae)
sellae – chairs (singular: sella)

(These last two items may also appear in cēnāculō: in the dining room.)

To prepare, draw a simple picture of a kitchen or find one in a book or magazine. (Look in cooking or
decorating publications for large, detailed pictures.) If you have a large class, you may want to duplicate the
picture for each student.

Lesson Plan

To begin the lesson, display the picture of the kitchen.

Say... Do...
Ecce culīna. In culīnā sunt... Point to each item in turn. Begin with the refrigerator.
[EK-kay koo-LEE-nah. In koo-LEE-nah
soont...]
Here is a kitchen. In the kitchen are...
Frīgidārium... Now point to the stove.
[free-gee-DAH-ree-oom]
a refrigerator...
Foculum... Next, point to the oven.
[FOH-koo-loom]
a stove...

* When used with a verb of motion, in can also mean “into” and is then followed by the accusative (direct object) case. The
accusative will be introduced in later lessons.
Furnus... Then, the sink.
[FOR-nooss]
an oven...
Fusōrium... Now, the table.
[foo-SOH-ree-oom]
a sink...

Mēnsa... And finally, the chairs.

[MEN-sah]
a table...
Et sellae. Point back to the refrigerator.
[eht SEL-leye]
and chairs.
Discipulī, dīcite frī-gi-dā-ri- Students repeat. Next, point to the stove, inviting the students to
um. Frīgidārium. repeat after you as you write the word on the board.
Students, say “refrigerator.” Refrigerator.
Ecce fo-cu-lum. Foculum. Then point to the oven.
Here is the stove. Stove.
Fur-nus est. Furnus. Now the sink.
This is the oven. Oven.
Et fu-sō-ri-um. Fusōrium. Now point to the table.
And the sink. Sink.
Ecce mēn-sa. Mēnsa. Finally, point to one chair.
Here is the table. Table.
Sella est. Ūna sella... Point to indicate all of the chairs...
It's a chair. One chair...
Quattuor sellae. (Substitute the correct number for the quantity of chairs in the
Four chairs. picture.)

Have students make vocabulary cards for each of these items. Students may have a hard time
distinguishing between the “four F's” in the kitchen. Share these details to help them:

• Frīgidārium is a neo-Latin word for refrigerator. In classical Latin, it refers to the cold room in
Roman baths. Our word frigid comes from the Latin frigidus, meaning cold or cooling.
• The word foculum literally means “little hearth.” The hearth, or focus, was the center of the Roman
home, which is why we use the word “focus” to mean a thing worthy of attention. Remind
students that people used to cook over the hearth fire.
• Furnus, oven, is the source of our word furnace, an enclosed space that heats up.
• Fusōrium refers to a big sink, as in a kitchen. There is another word for a bathroom sink, which
students will learn in a later lesson.

Now have students break into pairs (or work one-on-one with you) to drill each other with their flashcards.
Plan to spend no more than 5 minutes on this part of the lesson.
Lesson Thirty-Five

Quid Novī?
In this lesson we will be introducing the contents of the living room, or mediānum.

As we saw in the last lesson, feminine nouns like culīna receive a macron on the final A after the
preposition in. In this lesson, we see that neuter nouns of the sort we've encountered so far will replace
their final -um with a long O. For example, the neuter noun mediānum changes to mediānō: in mediānō means
“in the living room.” Since most of the names of household rooms are neuter, they will also change
according to this pattern.

The items in the living room are as follows:

lucerna – lamp (plural: lucernae)

lectulus – sofa (plural: lectulī)
arcisellium – armchair (plural: arcisellia)
tapētum – rug, carpet (plural: tapēta)
tēlevīsiōrium – television set (plural: tēlevīsiōria)
stereophōnium – stereo (plural: stereophōnia)

To prepare for the lesson, draw or find a picture of a living room. For this and the next lesson, you will be
following the same pattern as in the last lesson: introducing the vocabulary, having students make
vocabulary cards, drilling the vocabulary.

Lesson Plan

Warm up with one of the following activities: Simon dīcit, Latin Alphabet Song, Counting 1-20.

Show the living room picture, and write the word mediānum on the board.

Say... Do...
Ecce mediānum. Me-di-ā- Point to the word as you pronounce it slowly.
num.
[EK-kay may-dee-AH-noom.]
Here is the living room. Living room.
In mediānō sunt... Point to each item in turn, beginning with the lamp. Invite the
[in may-dee-AH-noh soont...] students to repeat each word after you as you write it on the board.
In the living room are...
Lucerna: lu-cer-na. Next, point to the sofa.
[loo-KAIR-nah]
a lamp...
Lectulus: lec-tu-lus. Then the armchair.
[LEK-too-looss]
a sofa...
Arcisellium: Ar-ci-sel-li-um. Now the carpet or rug.
[ahr-kee-SEL-lee-oom]
an armchair...
Tapētum: Ta-pe-tum. Then the TV.
[tah-PAY-toom]
a rug...
Tēlevīsiōrum: tē-le-vi-si-o- Finally, the stereo.
rum.
[tay-lay-wee-see-OH-room]
a television set...
Stereophōnium: Ste-re-o-pho-
ni-um.
[stay-ree-oh-PHOH-nee-oom]
a stereo.

Have the students create cards for these items.

As an additional activity, have students draw the layout of a house on graph paper. The house should
include a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and one or more bedrooms. Today, ask the students to draw in
the furnishings for the kitchen and living room. They will complete the layout in the next lesson.
Lesson Thirty-Six

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, we will introduce the vocabulary for the two remaining rooms: the balneōlum (bathroom) and
the cubiculum (bedroom). Like mediānum, both words substitute a long O for the final -um when they appear
after the preposition in: in balneōlō, in cubiculō.

lātrīna – toilet
labellum – sink, wash basin
solium – bathtub
lectus – bed
vestiārium – wardrobe, closet
armārium – dresser, bureau

Lesson Plan

Begin by showing a picture of a bathroom.

Say... Do...
Ecce balneōlum. In balneōlō Point to each item in turn, beginning with the toilet. Invite the
sunt.. students to repeat each word after you as you write it on the board.
[EK-kay bahl-nay-OH-loom. In bahl-
nay-OH-loh soont...]
Here is a bathroom. In the bathroom
are...
Lātrīna: la-tri-na... Next point to the sink.
[lah-TREE-nah]
a toilet...
Labellum: la-bel-lum... Now point to the tub.
[lah-BEL-loom]
a sink...
Et solium. So-li-um. Show the picture of a bedroom.
[eht SOH-lee-oom.]
And a bathtub.
Ecce cubiculum. In cubiculō Point to each item in turn, beginning with the bed. Invite students to
sunt... repeat the words as you write them on the board.
[EK-kay koo-BEE-koo-loom. In koo-
BEE-koo-loh soont...]
Here is a bedroom. In the bedroom are...
Lectus... Now point to the closet or wardrobe.
[LEK-tooss]
a bed...
Et vestiārium... Then point to the dresser.
[eht wess-tee-AH-ree-oom]
and a closet (wardrobe)...
Et armārium.
[eht ahr-MAH-ree-oom]
and a dresser.
Students now create vocabulary cards for these items and complete their house layouts. Ask them to study
these before the next lesson period.
Lesson Thirty-Seven

Quid Novī?
This lesson reviews the household vocabulary.

Lesson Plan

Choose one of the following activities:

• Give each student an empty layout and slips of paper with the furniture names on them. Have
students stack the slips on the appropriate room. (Works best with younger students in a
homeschool setting.)

• Distribute pictures of furnished rooms and ask the student to give the name of each room and
label the pieces of furniture in Latin. You can also use famous paintings for this exercise, such as
Vincent van Gogh's “Bedroom in Arles.”

• Provide each student with an empty layout with the rooms labeled in Latin. Read the names of
pieces of furniture aloud and ask students to write the words in the appropriate room.

• Verum aut Falsum? (True or False)

Have students number a piece of paper from one to ten. Read each of the following statements
and ask students to indicate if the statement is verum (true) or falsum (false).

1. Labellum est in cubiculō. (Falsum)

2. Furnus est in culīnā. (Verum)
3. Stereophōnium est in mediānō. (Verum)
4. Mēnsa est in culīnā. (Verum)
5. Lectulus est in cubiculō. (Falsum)
6. Lectus est in cubiculō. (Verum)
7. Fusōrium est in balneōlō. (Falsum)
8. Tapētum est in culīnā. (Falsum)
9. Frīgidārium est in balneōlō. (Falsum)
10. Tēlevīsiōrium est in mediānō. (Verum)
Lesson Thirty-Eight

Quid Novī?
In this lesson and the following lessons, we will introduce the Latin words for various types of clothing
(vestīmenta). We will also review colors.

To prepare for the lesson, draw or gather pictures of the articles of clothing listed below, in various solid
colors. Catalogs and fashion magazines are good sources for pictures. Alternatively, you can use actual
clothing items.

brācae (f. pl.) – pants, trousers

breviōrēs brācae (f. pl.) – shorts
tunīcula (f.) – T-shirt
indūsium (n.) – shirt
gunna (f.) – skirt
pēlūsia (f.) – blouse
subūcula (f.) – underwear (lit. undertunic)

Lesson Plan

Begin by showing a picture of a bedroom with a dresser and wardrobe/closet. Point first to the wardrobe
or closet.

Say... Do...
Ecce cubiculum. Quid est? Student: Vestiārium est.
Here is a bedroom. What is this?
In vestiāriō sunt vestīmenta. Write Vestīmenta on the board. Show or draw a picture of a pair of
[in wess-tee-AH-ree-oh soont wess-tee- trousers or jeans.
MEN-tah.]
In the closet are clothes.
Sunt brācae. Write the word on the board under Vestīmenta.
[BRAH-keye.]
There are pants.

Cuius colōris sunt brācae? Student: Caeruleae. (Adjust for the actual color for this and all
What color are the pants? following garments.) Students are likely to get the ending wrong here;
it should be -ae. Correct verbally as necessary, repeating the whole
sentence and emphasizing the endings: Brācae caeruleae sunt. (The pants
are blue.) Now show a picture of a shirt (not a T-shirt).
Ecce indūsium. Add this word to the list.
[in-DOO-see-oom]
Here is a shirt.
Cuius colōris est indūsium? Student: Rubrum. Again, correct any mistakes on the adjective ending
What color is the shirt? and repeat the correct forms, emphasizing the endings: Indūsium
rubrum est. Now show a picture of a skirt.
In vestiāriō est gunna. Write the word on the board.
[GOON-na]
In the closet is a skirt.
Cuius colōris est gunna? Student: Flāva. Correct as before. Next, show a blouse.
What color is the skirt?
Ecce pēlūsia. Write the word on the board.
[pay-LOO-see-ah]
Here is a blouse.
Cuius colōris est pēlūsia? Student: Alba. Correct as before.
What color is the blouse?
Bene. In vestiāriō sunt brācae... Point as you repeat the words. Then point back to the dresser in the
indūsium...gunna...et pēlūsia. picture of the bedroom.
Good. In the closet are pants...a shirt...a
skirt...and a blouse.
Quid est? Student: Armārium.
What is it?
Et quid est in armāriō? Student: Vestīmenta. If the students do not come up with this answer
[ahr-MAH-ree-oh] on their own – and they may not – point back to the word on the
board and have them repeat it. Then show a picture of a T-shirt.
Ecce tunīcula. Write the word on the board.
[too-NEE-koo-lah]
Here is a T-shirt.
Cuius colōris est tunīcula? Student: Prasina. Adjust and correct as above. Now show a pair of
What color is the T-shirt? shorts.
Sunt breviōrēs brācae. Brācae Breviōrēs brācae literally means “shorter pants.” Write the words on the
sunt breviōrēs. board, then...
[bray-wee-OH-rayss BRAH-keye]
There are shorts. The pants are short(er).
Brācae... Point to pants.
The pants...
Sunt breviōrēs. Gesture to indicate the difference in length: shorter.
Are shorter.
Cuius colōris sunt breviōrēs Student: Ātrae. Adjust and correct as before. Like brācae, this term is
brācae? feminine plural. Finally, show a pair of underwear. (Men's boxer
What color are the shorts? shorts seem to cause less giggling!)
Ecce subūcula. Sub-ū-cu-la. Say the word slowly as you write it on the board.
[soob-OO-koo-lah]
Here is underwear.
Cuius colōris est subūcula? Student: Rosea! Adjust and correct as before. Now you will go over the
What color is the underwear? items one more time, with their colors. Point to each in turn, having
students repeat. As before, adjust the color words to reflect the actual
pictures you have.
Bene. In vestiāriō sunt...brācae Repeat the items as above.
caeruleae, indūsium rubrum,
etc.
Good. In the closet are...blue pants, a red
shirt, etc.
Et in armāriō sunt...tunīcula Repeat as above.
prasina, etc.
And in the dresser are...a green T-shirt,
etc.

To conclude the lesson, have the students make vocabulary cards for the new words.
Lesson Thirty-Nine

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, we will review the use of color adjectives and introduce some new clothing words:

paenula (f.) - coat

iacca (f.) - jacket
tunica lānea (f.) - sweater (lit. “wool tunic”)
amictorium (n.) - scarf
pilleus (m.) - cap
digitālia (n. pl.) - gloves

This lesson works best if you have the actual clothing items on hand. If not, you can also use pictures.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by showing a picture of a stack of T-shirts. (The Lands' End catalog regularly has these.) If you
have them available, you can also use real T-shirts. Point to each in turn as you ask: Cuius colōris est tunīcula?
Skip any colors that students do not yet know. The answers should all end in -a: alba, ātra, rubra, etc. Then
ask: Quot tunicae sunt? Have the students count together: ūna, duae, trēs, quattuor...

Next, show a stack of polo or dress shirts and ask: Cuius colōris est indūsium? In this case, all the answers
should end in -um: caeruleum, roseum, aurantium, etc. Again, ask how many there are all together: Quot indūsia
sunt? Ūnum, duo, tria, quattuor...

If necessary, remind the students (in English) that the endings of the color words should match the
endings of the noun.

Begin the next part of the lesson by miming being cold: shiver, hug yourself, rub your hands together and
blow on them.

Say... Do...
Frīgidum est! Hold up a sweater.
[FREE-gee-doom]
It's cold!
Ecce tunica lānea. Put on the sweater, then write the word on the board. Again, mime
[TOO-nee-kah LAH-nay-ah] being cold. Hold up a jacket. (A light fleece or windbreaker works
Here is a sweater. well.)
Ecce iacca. Put on the jacket, then write the word on the board. Again, mime
[YAK-kah] being cold. Hold up a coat.
Here is a jacket.
Ecce paenula. Put on the coat, then write the word on the board. Continue to mime
[PEYE-noo-lah] being cold. Hold up a scarf.
Here is a coat.
Ecce amictorium. A-mic-to-ri- Put on the scarf, then write the word on the board. Repeat the word
um. slowly as you write. Again, mime being cold. Hold up the cap/hat.
[ah-meek-TOH-ree-oom]
Here is a scarf.
Ecce pilleus. Pil-le-us. Put on the hat, then write the word on the board as you repeat. Then
[PILL-lay-ooss] hold up the gloves.
Here is a hat.
Ecce digitālia. Di-gi-tā-li-a. Repear the word slowly as you write it on the board, then put on the
[dee-gee-TAH-lee-ah] gloves. Now, suddenly act very hot: fan yourself.
Here are gloves.
Calidum est! Take off all of the garments in the reverse order, saying the names as
[KAHL-ee-doom] you go.
It's hot!
Digitālia, pilleus, amictorium, Make the last sound like a huff: “whew” in English.
paenula, iacca, tunica lānea.
Heu!
Gloves, hat, scarf, coat, jacket, sweater.
Whew!

Have the students make cards for the new words, then play a couple of rounds of Carnifex (Hangman),
using some of the longer clothing and furniture words.
Lesson Forty

Quid Novī?

In this lesson we review plural nouns and adjectives in the nominative (subject) case and complete our
clothing vocabulary with the following words:

calceī (singular: calceus) - shoes

calceī gymnicī (m. pl.) - sneakers, athletic shoes
sandalia (n. pl.) - sandals
caligae (f. pl.) - boots*
impīlia (n. pl.) - socks

Bring a selection of shoes to class, or gather pictures of the various types.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by playing Simon Dīcit (Simon Says). At the end of the game, have the students line up facing
you. Hold up a pair of shoes, or point to your own.

Say... Do...
Ecce calceī. Cal-ce-ī. Repeat the word as you write it on the board.
[KAL-kay-ee]
Here are shoes.
Cuius colōris sunt calceī meī? Student: Ātrī. Whatever the color, the word should end in -ī since
[KAL-kay-ee MAY-ee] calceī is a masculine plural word. Go down the line of students,
What color are my shoes? pointing to their shoes and asking:
Cuius colōris sunt calceī tuī? In each case, the color word should end in -ī. Now select a student
[KAL-kay-ee TOO-ee] wearing sneakers, or hold up a pair of sneakers or a photo.
What color are your shoes?
Ecce calceī gymnicī. Gym-ni- Remember that the Y sound in Latin is a nasal U, as in the French tu.
cī. If the sound is too difficult, substitute the regular Latin U [OO].
[KAL-kay-ee GÜM-nee-kee] Repeat the word slowly as you write it on the board.
Here are athletic shoes.
Cuius colōris sunt calceī Student: Albī. Now hold up a pair of sandals.
gymnicī?
What color are the athletic shoes?
Ecce sandalia. Write the word on the board.
[sahn-DAH-lee-ah]
Here are sandals.
Cuius colōris sunt sandalia? Student: Alba. Most students will try to repeat the -ī ending here, but
What color are the sandals? sandalia is neuter plural. Repeat to clarify, emphasizing the short -a
ending:
Ah! Sandalia ātra. Next, show a pair of boots.
Ah! Black sandals.

* In classical Latin, this word refers to a short boot worn by soldiers. The mad Roman emperor Caligula got his nickname -
“Little Boot” - from this word.
Ecce caligae. Write the word on the board.
[KAHL-ee-geye]
Here are boots.
Cuius colōris sunt caligae? The students may not pick up on the gender of this word (f. pl.). If
What color are the boots? not, help them out...
Caligae rubrae sunt. Now repeat the phrases, writing them on the board and adjusting the
The boots are red. colors to reflect the items on hand...
Calceī ātri, caligae rubrae,
sandalia alba.
Black shoes, red boots, white sandals.

Debrief in English as necessary, showing the students how the endings of the plural adjectives and nouns
match: -ī for masculine plural nouns (calceī), -ae for feminine plural nouns (caligae), -a for neuter plural nouns
(sandalia).

Finish by having students make vocabulary cards for the new words.
Lesson Forty-One

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, students will review vocabulary and set phrases with an in-class writing assignment. You will
provide pictures and writing prompts to help students compose a descriptive paragraph. The goal is to
have students bring together words from different topic areas: family, rooms, furnishings, clothing, and
colors.

Students may need a couple of new words and phrases to complete the exercise.

eius [AY-oos]: his or her, e.g., Brācae eius sunt caeruleae. (His [or her] trousers are blue.) This word, which
literally means “of him” or “of her,” does not change form to agree with the noun it modifies.

In picturā: in the picture. Most students will understand this cognate phrase with no further explanation.

To prepare, gather pictures of individuals and families in home settings. These may be from books,
magazines, or famous paintings.

Lesson Plan

Explain, in English, that the students will be writing a description of a picture. The description should be
in the form of a paragraph of at least five Latin sentences. Provide the following sample Latin paragraph
as a model.

The picture is a magazine ad showing a man in a kitchen.

In picturā est vir. Vir est in culinā. Brācae eius sunt caeruleae. Tunīcula eius est rubra. In culinā sunt mēnsa,
sellae, frīgidārium, et foculum.

Translation: In the picture is a man. The man is in the kitchen. His pants are blue. His T-shirt is red. In the
kitchen are a table, chairs, a refrigerator, and a stove.

Some students may ask how to describe other things in the pictures. Reassure them that they will learn
more as they continue to study Latin, but for right now, they should stick with words they already know.

When evaluating the students' paragraphs, look for the following:

• Words after in appear in the ablative (long O or long A ending): in culinā, in medianō
• Adjectives agree with (match) their nouns: tunīcula rubra but indūsium rubrum
• Singular subjects agree with singular verbs: Vir est...but Sellae sunt...
Lesson Forty-Two

Quid Novī?

In this and the following lessons, students learn how to talk about what they do at different times of day.

Up to this point, students have been exposed to a limited range of verbs. They have learned singular and
plural imperative (command) forms and some forms of the verb to be (sum, es, est, sunt).

Beginning in this lesson, you will be introducing action verbs and verb phrases in the infinitive form. The
infinitive in English is expressed by the word to followed by a verb, e.g., to go, to run, to see. In Latin, the
(present) infinitive is one word, typically ending in -re.

Rather than having students memorize verb forms in isolation, here they will learn verbs as part of
meaningful phrases and sentences that help cement both form and meaning.

For this lesson, you will colored markers or chalk for your board. If you have the kind of clock used for
teaching time, it will come in handy, but it is not strictly necessary.

Here is the vocabulary you will be introducing:

māne – morning, in the morning*

sōl (m.) – sun
lūcet – shines, is shining
Tempus est + infinitive – It is time to...
surgere - to get up
ientāculum sūmere – to eat breakfast (lit., to take breakfast)
studēre – to study
merīdiē – at noon, midday
prandium sūmere – to eat lunch (lit., to take lunch)
postmerīdiē – in the afternoon
lūdere – to play

There are many more possible activities, of course, but these should be enough to give students a
framework for the passage of time without overwhelming them with new words.

Lesson Plan

Begin by drawing a yellow circle on the board.

Say... Do...
Ecce sōl. Now draw rays around the circle.
[SOHL]
Here is the sun.
Sōl lūcet. Write the words on the board. Have the students repeat. Set the play
[SOHL LOO-ket] clock (or draw) to 7:00. Draw a horizon line a few inches under the

* Māne is one of the rare nouns in Latin that does not change form.
The sun is shining. sun, so it appears that the sun has just come up.
Māne est. Sōl lūcet. Point to the clock.
[MAH-nay]
It is morning. The sun is shining.
Tempus est surgere! Mime sleeping with your head on a pillow, then open your eyes and
[TEM-poos esst SOOR-gay-ray] pretend to jump out of bed, pointing at the clock. Repeat:
It is time to get up!
Tempus est surgere! Call on one student.
It's time to get up.
Discipule, surge! The student should remember this command from Simon Dīcit and
Student, get up! other activities. Repeat with another student:
Discipula, surge! Then indicate all the students.
Student, get up!
Discipulī, surgite! All students stand. Write the words Tempus est surgere on the board.
Get up, students!
Bene. Cōnsīdite, discipulī. Students sit. Change the clock to say 8:00.
Good. Sit down, students.
Māne est. Tempus est Repeat the phrase slowly as you write it on the board. Sit down and
ientāculum sūmere. I-en-tā-cu- pretend to eat a bowl of cereal and drink a cup of coffee.
lum sū-me-re.
[ee-en-TAH-koo-loom SOO-may-ray]
It's morning. It's time to eat breakfast.
Māne tempus est ientaculum Point to the clock, then invite the students to repeat the words after
sūmere. you. Now set the clock to 9:00. Point to it as you say
In the morning it's time to eat breakfast.
Māne tempus est... studēre. Take a book and pretend to read. Then pretend to write. Furrow your
[stoo-DAY-ray] brow and tap your forehead to indicate thinking. Read again. Then
In the morning it's time to study. write the word studēre on the board and have students repeat. Change
the clock to noon.
Merīdiē tempus est prandium Point at the clock, then mime eating a sandwich. (If you have a
sūmere. lunchbox or bag handy, you can use it as a prop.) Then write the
[may-REE-dee-ay...PRAHN-dee-oom] sentence to the left on the board and have students repeat it. Now
At noon, it's time to eat lunch. change the clock to 3:00.
Postmeridiē tempus est lūdere! Mime playing with a ball, or draw children playing on the board. (A
[POST-may-REE-dee-ay...LOO-day-ray] child flying a kite or two children on a seesaw are good visual cues.)
In the afternoon, it's time to play! Write the words on the board and have the students repeat.

Debrief with the students in English, asking them what they understood. Explain that the words merīdiē
and postmerīdiē mean “at noon” and “in the afternoon,” respectively. You can also discuss the abbreviations
a.m. and p.m., which stand for the Latin words antemerīdiem (before noon) and postmerīdiem (after noon).

When the students make their vocabulary cards, they should draw the action indicated with a small clock in
the corner, showing the appropriate time (as in the lesson). On the back, have them write the complete
sentences given in the lesson, e.g., Merīdiē tempus est prandium sūmere. They should have six cards: (1)
Māne sōl lūcet. (2) Māne tempus est surgere. (3) Māne tempus est ientāculum sūmere. (4) Māne tempus est
studēre. (5) Merīdiē tempus est prandium sūmere. (6) Postmerīdiē tempus est lūdere. Ask the students to
review their cards before the next lesson.
Lesson Forty-Three

Quid Novī?

In this lesson we add vocabulary relating to evening and nighttime activities. The vocabulary is as follows:

vesperī – in the evening

cēnāre – eat dinner, dine
nox (f.) – night
nocte – at night
lūna (f.) – moon
stellae (f. pl.) – stars
lūcent – shine, are shining
dentēs purgāre – to brush one's teeth
fābulam legere – to read a story
dormītum īre – to go to bed, go to sleep

Lesson Plan

Begin by reviewing the vocabulary from the previous lesson. Draw a sun on the board, then display the
clock set for 7:00.

Say... Do...
Sōl lūcet! Tempus est... Mime waking up, stretching, and getting out of bed.
The sun is shining. It's time...
Tempus est...discipulī? Invite the students to supply the correct word: surgere. Then change
It's time...students? the clock to 8:00 and mime eating.
Tempus est... Students: ientāculum sūmere. Change the clock and mime studying.
It's time...
Tempus est... Students: studēre. Change the clock to noon.
It's time...
Merīdiē tempus est... Students: prandium sūmere. Change the clock to 3:00.
At noon it's time...
Postmerīdiē tempus est... Students: lūdere!
In the afternoon it's time...
Bene. Change the clock to 6:00.
Good.
Vesperī tempus est... Mime spreading out a tablecloth, setting the table, and then eating.
[WESS-pay-ree] (You can use the actual items as props if you have them available.)
In the evening it's time...
Cēnāre. Write the word on the board, and have the students repeat it. Then
[kay-NAH-ray] change the clock to 8:00 and draw a moon on the board.
To eat dinner (dine).
Nox est. Lūna lūcet. Point to the moon (lūna) and draw rays coming out of it (lūcet). Next
[nox] draw stars by the moon.
It's night. The moon is shining.
Ecce stellae. Stellae lūcent. Draw rays coming out of the stars and write the words on the board.
[LOO-kent]
Here are stars. The stars are shining.
Nocte lūna et stellae lūcent. Point to the moon and stars as you have students repeat.
[NOK-tay]
At night the moon and stars shine.
Nocte tempus est dentēs Mime brushing your teeth, then write the words on the board and
purgāre. have students repeat. Change the clock to 8:30.
[NOK-tay...DEN-tayss poor-GAH-ray]
At night it's time to brush your teeth.

Nocte tempus est fābulam If possible, have a picture book handy – Goodnight, Moon is perfect –
legere. or mime reading a story aloud. Write the words on the board and have
[FAH-boo-lahm LAY-gay-ray] students repeat. Then turn the clock to 9:00.
At night it's time to read a story.
Nocte tempus est dormītum Mime settling your head on a pillow and going to sleep. (Snoring a
īre. little usually gets a laugh!) Then write the words on the board and
[door-MEE-toom EE-ray] have students repeat them.
At night it's time to go to sleep.

As in the previous lesson, have students make vocabulary cards with complete sentences: (1) Vesperī
tempus est cēnāre. (2) Nocte lūna et stellae lūcent. (3) Nocte tempus est dentēs purgāre. (4) Nocte tempus
est fābulam legere. (5) Nocte tempus est dormītum īre.
Lesson Forty-Four

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, students learn the days of the week and how to express simple past and future tense with
the Latin “to be” verb.

Hodiē est... – Today is...

Herī erat... – Yesterday was...
Crās erit... – Tomorrow will be...

Diēs Sōlis – Sunday

Diēs Lūnae – Monday
Diēs Mārtis – Tuesday
Diēs Mercuriī – Wednesday
Diēs Iovis – Thursday
Diēs Veneris – Friday
Diēs Sāturnī – Saturday

Lesson Plan

Begin by drawing a large calendar page on the board, with the days numbered from 1-31. Draw a large box
around one week. Label the seven boxes inside with the names of the days of the week in Latin, as above.

Warm up by singing the Latin Alphabet Song and counting 1-20. Then point to the calendar on the board.

Say... Do...
Ecce calendarium. Now point to each of the seven boxes in turn as you read the names
[kah-len-DAH-ree-oom] of the days, having the students repeat each one after you.
Here is a calendar.

Diēs Sōlis...Diēs Lūnae...Diēs Repeat the names two or three times with the students. Then point to
Mārtis...Diēs Mercuriī ...Diēs today (Monday).
Iovis...Diēs Veneris...Diēs
Sāturnī.
[DEE-ayss SOH-lees, LOO-neye,
MAHR-tess, mehr-KOO-ree-ee, YOH-
weess, WAY-nay-reess, sah-TOOR-nee]
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
Hodiē est Diēs Lūnae. Write Hodiē est... on the board, then have the students repeat this
[HOH-dee-ay esst DEE-ayss LOO- entire sentence. Now point to the Sunday box.
neye.]
Today is Monday.
Herī erat Diēs Sōlis. Write Herī erat... on the board, then have the students repeat this entire
[HAIR-ee AIR-aht DEE-ayss SOH- sentence. Now point to the Tuesday box.
leess.]
Yesterday was Sunday.
Crās erit Diēs Mārtis. Write Crās erit... on the board, then have the students repeat the entire
[KRAHSS AIR-eet DEE-ayss MAHR- sentence. Now, have them repeat all three sentences in turn, after you.
teess.]
Tomorrow will be Tuesday.
Hodiē est Diēs Lūnae. Herī Now point to the Thursday box.
erat Diēs Sōlis. Crās erit Diēs
Mārtis.
Today is Monday. Yesterday was Sunday.
Tomorrow will be Tuesday.
Hodiē est Diēs Iovis. Herī Student: Diēs Mercuriī.
erat...
Today is Thursday. Yesterday was...
Et crās erit... Student: Diēs Veneris. Continue to drill the days by designating one day
And tomorrow will be... as hodiē (today) and asking Herī erat...? and Crās erit...?

To make cards for the new vocabulary, have students draw seven boxes on each of seven cards. Number
the boxes 1-7 and then draw an arrow over the appropriate number for each day of the week (Diēs
Sōlis=1, Diēs Lūnae=2, etc.).

Explain that the ancient Romans did not observe a seven-day week, but rather oriented each month around
three special days, the Kalends, Nones, and Ides. The Kalends, or first day of the month, gives us our word
calendar. Students may recognize the Ides from the famous line from the story of Julius Caesar, “Beware
the Ides of March!” The Ides fell on either the 13th or 15th day of the month. The Nones fell between the
Kalends and the Ides, on the 5th or 7th day of the month.

See if the students can identify the names of the Roman gods that appear in the day names. Some of our
English day names derive from the Anglo-Saxon names of figures from Norse mythology: Tuesday is Tiw's
Day, Wednesday is Woden's Day, Thursday is Thor's Day, Friday is Frigg's Day. If your students are familiar
with the two mythological traditions, it is interesting to note the correspondences between, say, Mercury
and Woden (Odin), or Tiw (Tyr) and Mars.

You may wish to assign reports on the Roman calendar or on Roman and/or Norse mythology to build on
the information in this lesson.
Lesson Forty-Five

Quid Novī?

In this lesson students will continue to practice the past and future tense forms with words relating to time.
We will also be introducing the months of the year in Latin. Most students will find this lesson easy, as our
English month names come directly from the Latin.

Hic mēnsis est... – This month is...

Mēnsis prior erat... – Last month was...
Mēnsis proximus erit... – Next month will be...

Iānuārius [yah-noo-AH-ree-oos]
Februārius [fay-broo-AH-ree-oos]
Mārtius [MAR-tee-oos]
Aprīlis [ah-PREE-leess]
Māius [MY-oos]
Iūnius [YOO-nee-oos]
Iūlius [YOO-lee-oos]
Augustus [ow-GOOS-toos]
September [sep-TEM-bair]
Octōber [ok-TOH-bair]
November [noh-WEM-bair]
December [day-KEM-bair]

Lesson Plan

Draw twelve boxes on the board to represent the twelve months. Label each with the Latin month names
above. As in the previous lesson, you will indicate the current month and then work back and forward to
drill the other month names. Begin by indicating the calendar as a whole.

Say... Do...
Ecce calendarium. Now point to one of the months.
[kal-en-DAH-ree-oom]
Here is a calendar.
Et ecce ūnus mēnsis. Point to two months at the same time.
[MEN-seess]
And here is one month.
Ūnus mēnsis, duo mēnsēs. Have the students repeat. Now point to the current month. (For our
[MEN-seess...MEN-sayss] purposes, we will assume it is February.)
One month, two months.
Hic mēnsis est Februārius. Write Hic mēnsis est... on the board, and have the students repeat the
This month is February. complete sentence. Now point to January.
Mēnsis prior erat Iānuārius. Write Mēnsis prior erat... on the board and have the students repeat the
[PREE-or] complete sentence. Now point to March.
Last month was January.
Mēnsis proximus erit Mārtius. Write Mēnsis proximus erit... on the board and have the students repeat
[PRAHKS-ee-moos] the complete sentence. Now repeat all three sentences again, with the
Next month will be March. students.
Hic mēnsis est Februārius. Now point to another month, e.g., Iūlius.
Mēnsis prior erat Iānuārius.
Mēnsis proximus erit Mārtius.
This month is February. Last month was
January. Next month will be March.
Hic mēnsis est Iūlius. Mēnsis Student: Iūnius.
prior erat...?
This month is July. Last month was...?
Et mēnsis proximus erit...? Student: Augustus. Continue to drill the month names in this way.
And next month will be...?

To make cards, have the students draw 12 small boxes to represent the calendar, and then number the
appropriate one for each month name (Iānuārius=1, Februārius=2, etc.).

Just as the days of the week have names that refer to various Roman gods, so do some of the months.
Iānuārius, for example, is named for the god Janus who was the god of doorways and new beginnings.
Mārtius is named for Mars, who was in charge of agriculture as well as war, making him a natural choice for
this spring month. March was originally the first month of the Roman year, which explains why the last
four months contain the Latin words for seven, eight, nine, and ten, although they are now months nine
through twelve. Iūlius and Augustus are named for Julius Caesar and the Emperor Augustus, respectively.
Lesson Forty-Six

Quid Novī?
In this lesson we will introduce a number of new verbs as well as the words using to express seasons.

The season words are as follows:

vēre* – in the spring (vēr=spring)

aestāte – in the summer (aestās=summer)
autumnō – in the autumn (autumnus=autumn)
hieme – in the winter (hiems=winter)

These words are in the ablative case, expressing “time when.”

To prepare, draw four boxes on the board with the outline of a tree in each. On the first tree, draw
blossoms; one the second, green leaves; on the third, leaves in autumn colors; on the fourth, snow. You can
add other details (kite, hammock, pumpkin, snowman) as desired. Write the corresponding season words
beneath each picture.

You will be introducing verbs in the infinitive form to complete the phrase Tempus est.... You can draw or
mime the actions, or show photos from magazines or books to convey the meanings.

hortum serere [HOHR-toom SAY-ray-ray] – to plant a garden (literally, to sow the garden)
basipilā lūdere [bah-SEE-pee-lah LOO-day-ray] – to play baseball
avēs spectāre [AH-wayss spek-TAH-ray] – to bird-watch

ad actam īre [ahd AK-tahm EE-ray] – to go to the seashore

natāre [nah-TAH-ray] – to swim
navigāre [nah-wee-GAH-ray] – to sail

pedifolle lūdere [ped-ee-FOHL-lay LOO-day-ray] – to play soccer

ad lūdum īre [ahd LOO-doom EE-ray] – to go to school
folia spectāre [FOH-lee-ah spek-TAH-ray] – to leaf-peep, look at the fall foliage

nartāre [nar-TAH-ray] – to ski

patināre [pah-tee-NAH-ray] – to skate
stellās spectāre [STEL-lahss spek-TAH-ray] – to star-gaze

Lesson Plan

Warm up by singing the Latin Alphabet Song and counting 1-20.

Say... Do...
Vēr est. Sōl lūcet. Point to the Spring picture.
[wehr]
It is spring. The sun is shining.

* This word is a good example of the importance of macrons (long marks), not just to indicate grammar forms, but to clarify
meaning. Without a macron on the final E, this word means “in the spring”; with a macron, it means “truly.”
Vēre tempus est hortum serere. Show gardening picture and write words on the board. Have students
[WEH-ray] repeat the entire sentence. Now show the baseball picture.
In the spring, it is time to plant the
garden.
Vēre tempus est basipilā Write, repeat. Then show the bird-watching picture.
lūdere.
In the spring, it is time to play baseball.
Vēre tempus est avēs spectāre. Write, repeat. Now point to the summer picture.
In the spring, it is time to watch birds.
Aestās est. Aestāte tempus Show to seashore picture.
est...
[EYES-tahss...eye-STAH-tay]
It is summer. In the summer it is time...
Ad actam īre. Write, repeat. Show the swimming picture.
...to go to the seashore.
Aestāte tempus est natāre. Write, repeat. Show the sailing picture.
In the summer it's time to swim.
Aestāte tempus est navigāre. Write repeat. Now point to the autumn picture.
In the summer it's time to sail.
Autumnus est. Autumnō Show the soccer picture.
tempus est...
[ow-TOOM-noos...ow-TOOM-noh]
It is autumn. In the autumn it's time...
Pedifolle lūdere. Write, repeat. Next, show the “back to school” picture.
...to play soccer.
Autumnō tempus est ad lūdum Write, repeat. Now show the fall foliage picture.
īre.
In the autumn it's time to go to school.
Autumnō tempus est folia Write, repeat. Now point to the winter picture.
spectāre.
In the autumn it's time to leaf-peep.
Hiems est. Hieme tempus Show the skiing picture.
est...
[HEE-ems...he-AY-may]
It's winter. In winter it's time...
Nartāre. Write, repeat. Next, show the skating picture.
To ski.
Hieme tempus est patināre. Write, repeat. Finally, show the star-gazing picture.
In winter it's time to skate.
Hieme tempus est stellās
spectāre.
In winter it's time to star-gaze.

Students may have difficulties in drawing pictures for some of these activities, so you may want to provide
magazine photos to cut out and stick on the cards. If you do want to draw, here are suggested images:

hortum serere – a sprout with roots

basipilā lūdere – a baseball and bat, or a baseball diamond and a baseball
avēs spectāre – a bird with eyes next to it
ad actam īre – flat area (beach), waves, stick figure under large umbrella
natāre – waves with stick figure head and bent arm
navigāre – sailboat
pedifolle lūdere – a soccer ball with foot kicking
ad lūdum īre – school building, or blackboard with “ABC, 123” written on it
folia spectāre – leaf outlines with eyes next to them
nartāre – stick figure on skis going downhill
patināre – stick figure on skates
stellās spectāre – star shapes with eyes next to them
Lesson Forty-Seven

Quid Novī?

In this lesson we will introduce words to talk about the weather. We will also review some previous
vocabulary and verb forms.

Typically, the adjectives we use to talk about the weather appear in the neuter singular, since they are
modifying the implied neuter noun caelum, sky or heaven.

Quāle est caelum hodiē? – How is the weather today? (lit. What sort of sky is it today?)
Quāle erat caelum herī? – How was the weather yesterday?
Quāle erit caelum crās? – How will the weather be tomorrow?

Serēnum est. – It is fair.

Nūbilōsum est. – It is cloudy.
Calidum est. – It is hot.
Frīgidum est. – It is cold.
Ventōsum est. – It is windy.
Pluvium est. – It is rainy.
Nivāle est. – It is snowy.

Prepare by gathering pictures that show the weather conditions above. You can also draw them, if you
prefer.

Lesson Plan

Begin by writing the following question on the board: Quāle est caelum? Draw or show a picture of a fine,
sunny day.

Say... Do...
Quāle est caelum? Point to the sun.
[KWAH-lay esst KY-loom?]
How is the weather?
Sōl lūcet. Serēnum est. Write the words on the board and have the students repeat. Now draw
[say-RAY-noom] a thermometer with the mercury spurting out the top.
The sun is shining. It is fair.
Quāle est caelum? Fan yourself and pretend to mop your brow.
How is the weather?
Calidum est! Write the phrase on the board and have the students repeat it. Now
[KAHL-ee-doom] draw a thermometer with a very low temperature, perhaps with icicles
It's hot! hanging off of it. Show a picture of a cold day.
Quāle est caelum? Shiver and hug yourself as if very cold. Say “Brrrr.”
How is the weather?
Frīgidum est! Now add snow to the picture, or show a picture of snow.
[FREE-gee-doom]
It's cold.
Nivāle est. Mime snow falling with your fingers, then shiver again. Write the word
[Nee-WAH-lay] on the board and have students repeat. Now show a picture of an
It's snowing. overcast day.

Quāle est caelum? Point to the clouds, or draw clouds covering the sun.
How is the weather?
Nūbilōsum est. Write the words and have students repeat. Now add rain to the picture
[noo-bee-LOH-soom] or show a rainy scene.
It's cloudy.
Quāle est caelum? Mime rain falling from the sky, and pretend to open an umbrella over
How is the weather? your head. (You can use a real umbrella as well.)
Pluvium est! Write the word on the board and have the students repeat. Now show
[PLOO-ee-oom] a picture of a windy day.
It's rainy!
Quāle est caelum? Pretend to be walking against strong winds. (For a memorable effect,
How is the weather? turn on a fan!)
Ventōsum est! Write the word on the board and have the students repeat. Now walk
[wen-TOH-soom] to the window, look out, and ask:
It's windy.
Quāle est caelum hodiē? Student: (Answers will vary depending on current conditions.) When
How is the weather today. you have an accurate answer, repeat it, e.g.,
Bene. Serēnum est hodiē. Et If students do not immediately recall the phrase herī erat (yesterday [it]
herī? Quāle erat caelum herī? was), draw seven boxes on the board and point to the one
Good. It's fair today. And yesterday? representing the current day: Hodiē est...diēs Lūnae. Point to the
How was the weather yesterday? previous day. Et herī erat...diēs Sōlis. Now repeat your question:
Quāle erat caelum herī? Student: (Answers will vary.) Repeat the correct answer.
How was the weather yesterday?
Bene. Ventōsum erat herī. Et If students are confused by erit...crās (will be...tomorrow), point to the
crās? Quāle erit caelum crās? box representing the following day as you say: Hodiē est diēs Lūnae. Crās
Good. It was windy yesterday. And erit diēs Mārtis. Then repeat your question.
tomorrow? How will the weather be
tomorrow?

Quāle erit caelum crās? Student: (Answers will vary.)

How will the weather be tomorrow?

Have students make vocabulary cards for the new words and phrases. Ask them to look at the weather
forecast between today and your next lesson, and be ready to answer questions about the weather.
Lesson Forty-Eight

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, we will introduce the accusative case as used with direct objects in Latin.

In English, direct objects are indicated by word order. “The dog bites the man” and “The man bites the
dog” use exactly the same words; only the order of the words tells us who is doing the biting and who is
bitten.

In Latin, the form of the direct object indicates its function in the sentence. In the sentence Canis mordet
virum (The dog bites the man), the -um ending on virum tells us that he is the direct object. We can change
the order of the words to Virum mordet canis without changing the meaning of the sentence. If we wanted
to say “The man bites the dog,” however, we would change the word canis (dog) to the accusative form
canem to indicate that it is now the direct object: Vir mordet canem.

Most of the nouns we have learned so far form their accusative singular forms with a final -m.

Masculine nouns: discipulus → discipulum; puer → puerum

Feminine nouns: fēmina → fēminam; puella → puellam
Neuter nouns are the same in the nominative (subject) and accusative (direct object) cases:
triangulum → triangulum

In the accusative plural, most of the masculine and feminine nouns we've learned end in -s, while the
neuter nouns end in -a. (Again, neuter nouns have the same form in the nominative and the accusative.)

We will be asking students what clothing they wear in different types of weather. E.g.,

Q. Nivāle est. Quid geris? (It's snowy. What do you wear?)

A. Amicatorium (n.) et pilleum (m.) gerō. (I wear a scarf and hat.)

Q. Calidum est. Quid geris? (It's hot. What do you wear?)

A. Breviōrēs brācas (f. pl.) et tunīculam (f.) gerō. (I wear shorts and a T-shirt.)

To teach this lesson, you will need pictures of the various weather conditions from the previous lesson, as
well as samples of the clothing items introduced in Lessons Thirty-Eight through Forty. If you don't have
these pieces of clothing, draw a figure on the board to represent yourself, and then draw the items on the
figure as per the lesson plan. You can also use a paper doll.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by asking students questions about the weather: Quāle est caelum hodiē? Quāle erat caelum herī? Quāle
erit caelum crās?

Next, review the season words by asking: Quāle est caelum hieme? (Nivāle est. Frīgidum est.) Quāle est caelum
vēre? (Pluvium est. Ventōsum est. Serēnum est.) Quāle est caelum aestāte? (Calidum est. Serēnum est.) Quāle est
caelum autumnō? (Pluvium est. Ventōsum est. Frīgidum est. Nūbilōsum est.)

To begin teaching the new material, display the Nivāle est (it's snowy) card. Point to the card and ask:
Say... Do...
Quāle est caelum? Student: Nivāle est.
How is the weather?
Bene. Now display one of the clothing items, e.g., the hat (pilleus).
Good.
Et quid est? Student: Pilleus est.
And what is this?
Bene. Pilleus est. Write the words Pilleus est on the board and emphasize the -us ending
Good. It's a hat. as you say it. Now put on the hat.
Pilleum gerō. After the words Pilleus est, draw an arrow and the words pilleum gerō.
I'm wearing the hat. Underline the -us and -um endings. Now pick up a sweater.
Quid est? Student: Tunica lānea est. Put on the sweater.
What is it?
Bene. Tunica lānea est. Write the two forms on the board: tunica lānea → tunicam lāneam. Now
Tunicam lāneam gerō. pick up a scarf.
Good. It's a sweater. I'm wearing the
sweater.
Quid est? Student: Amictorium.
What is it?
Bene. Amictorium est, et Write the words on the board in the same way: amictorium →
amictorium gerō. amictorium. (Both forms are the same.) Now pick up a pair of boots.
Good. It's a scarf, and I'm wearing the
scarf.
Sunt...? Student: Caligae. Put on the boots.
They are...?
Bene. Caligae sunt. Caligās Write the words on the board: caligae → caligās. Then pick up the
gerō. gloves.
Good. They are boots. I'm wearing the
boots.
Sunt...? Student: Digitālia. Now put on the gloves.
They are...?
Bene. Digitālia sunt, et Write the words on the board (both are the same): digitālia → digitālia.
digitālia gerō.
Good. They are gloves, and I'm wearing
gloves.

Stop to explain the grammar concept to the students (in English). Use the explanation in the Quid Novī?
section, then give examples of how nouns change from the nominative to the accusative forms:

masculine singular: pilleus → pilleum

masculine plural: calceī → calceōs

feminine singular: tunīcula → tunīculam

feminine plural: brācae → brācās

neuter singular: amictorium → amictorium (no change)

neuter plural: digitālia → digitālia (no change)

Students should write these forms down as models.

Then give the following assignment to be done in class or for homework. (Possible answers appear in
parentheses.)

Complete the following sentences using the accusative:

1. Calidum est. _________________________________ gerō. (Breviōrēs brācas, tunīculam,

sandalia)
2. Ventōsum est. ________________________________ gerō. (Tunicam lāneam, iaccam)
3. Frīgidum est. ______________________gerō. (Pilleum, digitālia, tunicam lāneam, paenulam, etc.)
4. Pluvium est. __________________ gerō. (Iaccam, pilleum...)
5. Serēnum est. _________________ gerō. (Indūsium, brācas...)
6. Hieme ___________________ gerō. (Same answers as #3)
7. Aestāte ________________ gerō. (Same answers as #1)
Lesson Forty-Nine

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the key family vocabulary (māter, pater, frāter, soror) in the accusative
case. These words belong to a different declension (noun class) than the other words we've learned so far.
Happily for us, their accusative forms are quite simple:

singular:

pater → patrem
māter → mātrem
frāter → frātrem
soror → sororem

The plural forms are even easier; there is no change from the nominative to the accusative in the plural.

patrēs → patrēs
mātrēs → mātrēs
frātrēs → frātrēs
sorōrēs → sorōrēs

Students will be using these words with the verb habeō (I have), which regularly takes a direct object.
Students will also learn the accusative form of the numbers ūnus and duo. (There is no change from
nominative to accusative with trēs/tria or other numbers up through 19.)

Singular:

(m.) ūnus → ūnum

(f.) ūna → ūnam
(n.) ūnum → ūnum (no change)

Plural:

(m.) duo → duōs

(f.) duae → duās
(n.) duo → duo (no change)

E.g., Ūnam mātrem, ūnum patrem, et duās sorōrēs habeō: I have one mother, one father, and two sisters.

Prepare by reviewing Lesson Fifteen, which provides the basis for this lesson.

Lesson Plan

Invite a student to draw a picture of his or her family on the board.

Say... Do...
Ecce familia. Point to each member of the family in turn.
Here is a family.
Ecce māter...et pater...et These words should be very familiar by now, but if the students need
frāter...et soror. Et ecce a refresher, write the words on the board under the each picture. Point
frāterculus...et sorōrcula. to the mother.
Here is a mother...and a father...and a
brother...and a sister. And here is a little
brother...and a little sister.
Est māter tibi? Student: Māter est mihi. Write this response on the board.
Do you have a mother?
Bene. Māter est tibi. Mātrem Write an equals sign (=) on the board after Māter est mihi and add the
habēs. sentence: Mātrem habeō. Have the class repeat: Mātrem habeō.
Good. You have a mother. You have a
mother.
Quot mātrēs habēs? Ūnam? Student: Ūnam.* Expect errors here: the most common answer is ūna.
Duās? Correct this verbally by repeating:
[OO-nam? DOO-ahss?]
How many mothers do you have?
Ah, ūnam mātrem habēs. Write the words ūnam mātrem habeō on the board, underlining the -m
Ah, you have one mother. endings. Then point to the father in the picture.
Est pater tibi? Patrem habēs? Student: Patrem habeō. Again, expect errors here. Write the correct
Do you have a father? Do you have a response on the board, repeat it, and have the class repeat the
father? sentence: Patrem habeō.
Quot patrēs? Ūnum? Duōs? Student: Ūnum. Add the word Ūnum in front of patrem habeō. Now
How many fathers? One? Two? point to the siblings.
Est soror tibi? Sororem habēs? Student: Sororem habeō. Verbally correct the forms as necessary, and
Do you have a sister? Do you have a write this response on the board.
sister?
Quot sorōrēs? Ūnam? Duās? Student: Duās sorōrēs habeō. Point to a brother.
Trēs? …
How many sisters? One? Two? Three? ...
Et frātrēs? Habēsne frātrēs? Point to a brother. Student: Frātrēs habeō.
And brothers? Do you have brothers?
Quot frātrēs habēs? Ūnum? Student: Duōs frātrēs habeō.
Duōs? Trēs? ...
How many brothers do you have? One?
Two? Three? ...

Continue by asking the other students about their families. In each case, make sure that the answers include
the correct form of the verb “to have” – habeō (I have) – with direct objects in the accusative case:

Ūnam mātrem (duās mātrēs) habeō. Mātrem nōn habeō.

Ūnum patrem (duōs patrēs) habeō. Patrem nōn habeō.
Ūnum frāter (duōs frātrēs) habeō. Frātrem nōn habeō.
Ūnam soror (duās sorōrēs) habeō. Sororem nōn habeō.

To say “I am an only child” use fīlius ūnicus sum (male) or fīlia ūnica sum (female).

* See below for alternative answers.

Finish by using the grammar explanation in the Quid Novī? section of this lesson to summarize and clarify
the grammar. Remind the students that, just as they learned to use the accusative with gerō, they are now
using it with habeō. Both of these verbs routinely appear with a direct object, so when students encounter
them, they should look for an accusative form nearby.

There are no new vocabulary cards to be made for this lesson, but students should write down the
accusative forms – singular and plural – of māter, pater, frāter, and soror on their existing cards.
Lesson Fifty

Quid Novī?
In this lesson students will continue practicing the accusative with the verb habeō, this time will the names
of common pets. We will also be introducing a new form of habeō: habet (he/she/it has). The teacher's
question pattern is the same as in the last lesson:

Habēsne + [acc. noun]?

[Acc. Noun] + habēs?
Quot [pl. acc. noun] habēs?
Quis habet [acc. noun]? (Who has a...)

For example, if you want to ask whether a student has a pet rabbit, say:

Habēsne cunīculum? or Cunīculum habēs?

The student will answer Cunīculum habeō or Cunīculum nōn habeō.

To ask how many rabbits:

Quot cunīculī habēs?

The student will answer: ūnum cunīculum, duōs cunīculōs, trēs cunīculōs...

To see if anyone in the class has a rabbit, ask:

Quis habet cunīculum?

The new vocabulary for this chapter includes a number of nouns from the same declension (noun class) as
māter, pater, frāter, and soror. Note the forms carefully:

Nominative Singular Accusative Singular Nominative Plural Accusative Plural

fēlis* – cat (f.) fēlem fēlēs fēlēs
canis – dog (m.) canem canēs canēs
avis – bird (f.) avem avēs avēs
piscis – fish (m.) piscem piscēs piscēs
cunīculus – rabbit (m.) cunīculum cunīculī cunīculōs

Prepare for the lesson by collecting or drawing pictures of the animals above.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by playing Simon Dīcit (Simon Says), using both singular and plural commands. Then begin

* This word sometimes also appears as fēlēs in the singular. There is another word for a tom cat (male animal) – cattus – but
for our purposes, fēlis will be used for cats of both sexes. Likewise canis can refer to either a male or female dog, but we
will treat all dogs as males for now.
teaching the new material by showing a picture of a cat.

Say... Do...
Ecce fēlis. Quis habet fēlem? If the students don't immediately understand the question, call on one
[EK-kay FAY-leess. Kweess HAH-bet student and ask, while pointing at the picture:
FAY-lem?]
Here is a cat. Who has a cat?
Habēsne fēlem? Student: Fēlem habeō. Write the words fēlis → fēlem on the board.
Do you have a cat?
Quot fēlēs habēs? Ūnam? Student: Duās fēlēs habeō. Write the words fēlēs → fēlēs on the board.
Duās? Now show a picture of a dog.
[FAY-layss]
How many cats do you have? One? Two?
Ecce canis. Quis habet canem? Student: Canem habeō. Write the words canis → canem on the board.
[KAH-neess...KAH-nem]
Here is a dog. Who has a dog?
Quot canēs habēs? Ūnum? Student: Ūnum canem habeō. Write the words canēs → canēs on the board.
Duōs? Now show a picture of a bird.
[KAH-nayss]
How many dogs do you have? One?
Two?
Ecce avis. Quis habet avem? Student: Avem habeō. Write the words avis → avem on the board.
[AH-weess...AH-wem]
Here is a bird. Who has a bird?
Quot avēs habēs? Ūnam? Student: Duās avēs habeō. Write the words avēs → avēs on the board.
Duās? Now show a picture of a fish.
[AH-wayss]
How many birds do you have? One?
Two?
Ecce piscis. Quis habet Student: Piscem habeō. Write the words piscis → piscem on the board.
piscem?
[PIS-kees...PIS-kem]
Here is a fish. Who has a fish?
Quot piscēs habēs? Ūnum? Student: Decem piscēs habeō! You might reply: Multōs piscēs habēs! You
Duōs? have many fish! Write the words piscēs → piscēs on the board. Then
[PIS-kayss] show a picture of a rabbit.
How many fish do you have? One? Two?
Ecce cunīculus. Quis habet Student: Cunīculum habeō. Write the words cunīculus → cunīculum on the
cunīculum? board.
[koo-NEE-koo-loos...koo-NEE-koo-
loom]
Here is a rabbit. Who has a rabbit?
Quot cunīculōs habēs? Ūnum? Student: Duōs cunīculōs habeō.
Duōs?
[koo-NEE-koo-lohss]
How many rabbits do you have? One?
Two?

If you are teaching at home, or if your students do not have many pets, you can hand out index cards with
pictures of various types and numbers of pets to the students. These become the basis for their answers.

Now underline the accusative forms that you have written on the board (the second form in each pair) and
remind the students that they must use these forms with the verb habeō.

Finish the lesson by having students make vocabulary cards for each of the new words. Have them write all
of the forms of the noun on the back, and ask them to underline the nominative singular, since this is the
most important form to know.
Lesson Fifty-One

Quid Novī?

In this lesson, we will play a game to review the use of the accusative with habeō.

Lesson Plan

This game is called Plūs Plūsque: More and More. It is the Latin version of the American memory game
“I'm Going on a Picnic.”

For the first round, use pets. Begin by saying, for example, Fēlem habeō. The next person adds the word of
their choice to the list: Fēlem et canem habeō. The next continues Fēlem, canem, et avem habeō. The game
continues as long as the players can recite the whole list correctly and add another word.

For the second round, use family words, and for the third, clothing. To make the game more challenging,
add number and/or color adjectives: Ūnum avem rubrum habeō... I have one red bird.

If you have a large class, you may want to have the students break into groups to keep the game
manageable.
Lesson Fifty-Two

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, we will review the commands that the students have already learned and will then introduce
the first person singular (I) forms of the same verbs. Students have already begin to use this form: gerō and
habeō are first person singular forms. This lesson will allow them to expand their ability to describe their
own activities.

The key question you will be asking is Quid facis? What are you doing? The student will respond with a first
person singular form (“I'm...”) and you will confirm the answer using the second person singular form
(“You're...”).

Here are the verbs you will be using in this lesson:

Singular First Person Singular Second Person English

Command (“I do, I am doing”) Singular (“You do,
(“Do!) you are doing”)
surge surgō surgis rise, stand up
cōnsīde cōnsīdō cōnsīdis sit down
ī eō īs go
venī veniō venīs come
ambulā ambulō ambulās walk
curre currō curris run
salī saliō salīs jump
saltā saltō saltās dance

To prepare for the lesson, put the verb forms above on index cards for your own reference.

Lesson Plan

Begin by playing Simon Dīcit in the usual way, using only singular commands. Be sure that the students can
accurately respond to each command before proceeding. Begin by calling on one student and giving a
command:

Say... Do...
Discipula, saltā! Student dances.
Student, dance!
Bene! Quid facis? Student: ??
[FAH-keess]
Good! What are you doing?
Quid facis? Saltās? Student: ?? Use a stage whisper:
What are you doing? Are you dancing?
Dīc: Saltō! Student: Saltō.
Say: I'm dancing!
Bene: Saltās. Write the forms on the board: Saltā! Saltō. Saltās. Now call on another
Good: You're dancing. student.
Discipule, curre! Student runs.
Student, run!
Bene. Quid facis? Curris? Student: ?? In a stage whisper:
[KOOR-reess]
Good. What are you doing? Are you
running?
Dīc: Currō! Student: Currō.
[KOOR-roh]
Say: I'm running!
Bene. Curris. Write the three forms on the board, then call on another student.
Good. You're running.
Discipula, salī! Student jumps.
Student, jump!
Quid facis? Salīs? Student: ?? Stage whisper:
[SAH-leess]
What are you doing? Are you jumping?
Dīc: Salīo. Student: Salīo.
Say: I'm jumping.
Bene.
Good.

Continue in this manner until you have gone through all of the verbs at least three times with different
students. (If working with one student, continue until the student shows comprehension of the pattern.)

Now explain, in English, the forms you have been using. Make sure that students understand the difference
between first and second person (I vs. you) and between the command form (Do!) and the second person
(You do, you are doing).

There are no new cards to make for this lesson, but students should copy down the verb forms you have
written on the board for reference.
Lesson Fifty-Three

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, students will learn the first and second person plural forms of the verbs from the last lesson.
The procedure is the same, except that students work in pairs. If you are working with only one student,
have the student hold a doll, puppet, or stuffed animal when performing the actions.

As you will see in the chart below, the first person plural (we) forms end in -mus, and the second person
plural (you, “y'all,” “you guys”) forms end in -tis. The vowel that comes before the ending is determined by
the conjugation, or verb class, the verb belongs to, just as noun endings are determined by the
declension, or noun class, of a given noun. As they continue on with the formal study of Latin grammar,
students will learn that there are four conjugations, plus a number of irregular verbs (e.g., sum, I am, and eō,
I go).

Plural Command First Person Plural Second Person Plural English

(“Do!) (“we do, we are doing”) (“You do, you are
doing”)
surgite surgimus surgitis rise, stand up
cōnsīdite cōnsīdimus cōnsīditis sit down
īte īmus ītis go
venīte venīmus venītis come
ambulāte ambulāmus ambulātis walk
currite currimus curritis run
salīte salīmus salītis jump
saltāte saltāmus saltātis dance

Prepare by putting the forms above on index cards for your own reference.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by playing Simon Dīcit, using only plural commands. Be sure that the students can respond
correctly to each form before proceeding. Students should work in pairs throughout the lesson.

Begin by calling on one pair and giving a command:

Say... Do...
Discipulī, saltāte! Students dance.
Students, dance!
Bene! Quid facitis? Students: ??
[FAH-kee-teess]
Good! What are you doing?
Quid facitis? Saltātis? Students: ?? Use a stage whisper:
[sahl-TAH-teess]
What are you doing? Are you dancing?
Dīcite: Saltāmus! Students: Saltāmus.
[DEEK-ee-tay: sahl-TAH-mooss]
Say: We are dancing!
Bene: Saltātis. Write the forms on the board: Saltāte! Saltāmus. Saltātis. Now call on
Good: You're dancing. another pair.
Discipulī, currite! Students run.
[KOOR-ee-tay]
Students, run!
Bene. Quid facitis? Curritis? Student: ?? In a stage whisper:
[KOOR-ee-teess]
Good. What are you doing? Are you
running?
Dīcite: Currimus! Student: Currimus.
[KOOR-ee-mooss]
Say: We're running!
Bene. Curritis. Write the three forms on the board, then call on another pair.
Good. You're running.
Discipulī, salīte! Students jump.
[sah-LEE-tay]
Students, jump!
Quid facitis? Salītis? Student: ?? Stage whisper:
[sah-LEE-teess]
What are you roing? Are you jumping?
Dīcite: Salīmus. Student: Salīmus. Write the forms on the board.
[sah-LEE-mooss]
Say: We're jumping.
Bene.
Good.

Continue in this manner until you have gone through all of the verbs at least three times with different
pairs. (If working with one student, continue until the student shows comprehension of the pattern.)

Now explain, in English, the forms you have been using. Make sure that students understand the difference
between first person singular and plural (I vs. we) and between the second person singular and plural
forms. In standard written English we do not distinguish between the singular and plural “you,” but in
colloquial usage, we may employ forms like “y'all” or “you guys” to indicate the plural.

If the students have a hard time distinguishing between the singular and plural forms, you can use the
following hand gestures as cues:

• For singular you, point to one person and then put your index finger up to indicate “one.”
• For the plural point first to one person, then to the other(s) in turn, then put up two fingers to
indicate “two or more.”

There are no new cards to make for this lesson, but students should copy down the new verb forms from
the board.
Lesson Fifty-Four

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, we will introduce the third person verb forms, corresponding to “he/she/it does” (singular)
and “they do” (plural) in English. The third person singular forms end in -t, and the plural forms end in -nt.
The vowel that precedes the ending is detemined by which conjugation (verb class) the verb belongs to.

Singular Third Person Plural Command Third Person English

Command Singular (“[You all] do!”) Plural (“They do,
(“Do!”) (“He/She/It are doing”)
does, is
doing”)
surge surgit surgite surgunt rise, stand up
cōnsīde cōnsīdit cōnsīdite cōnsīdunt sit down
ī it īte eunt go
venī venit venīte veniunt come
ambulā ambulat ambulāte ambulant walk
curre currit currite currunt run
salī salit salīte saliunt jump
saltā saltat saltāte saltant dance

The lesson plan assumes that you have at least two students. If you are working with only one student, you
will display or draw pictures of the various activities, performed first by one and then my more than one
person. The questions you will ask remain the same: Quid facit? (What is he/she doing?) and Quid faciunt?
(What are they doing?).

Prepare for the lesson by putting the forms above on an index card for your reference.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by playing Simon Dīcit, using both singular and plural commands. Be sure that the students can
respond correctly to each form before proceeding.

Begin by calling on one student and giving a command:

Say... Do...
Discipula, saltā! Student dances. Point to the student and address the others:
Student, dance!
Bene! Quid facit? Students: ??
[FAH-keet]
Good. What is she doing?
Quid facit? Saltat? Students: ?? Use a stage whisper:
[SAHL-taht]
What is she doing? Is she dancing?
Dīcite: Saltat! Students: Saltat.
Say: She's dancing!
Bene: Discipula saltat. Write the question Quid facit? on the board, followed by the new verb
Good: The student is dancing. form: saltat. Now call on a pair of students.
Discipulī, saltāte! Students dance. Address the others, while pointing at the dancing pair.
Students, dance!
Bene. Quid faciunt? Saltant? Students: ?? In a stage whisper:
[FAH-kee-oont...SAHL-tahnt]
Good. What are they doing? Are they
dancing?
Dīcite: Saltant. Student: Saltant.
Say: They are dancing.
Bene. Discipulī saltant. Write the question Quid faciunt? on the board, followed by the plural
Good. The students are dancing. form: saltant. Call on an individual student.
Discipule, salī! Student jumps. Point to the jumping student and ask the others:
Student, jump!
Quid facit? Salit? Students: Salit. Nod, then write the word on the board under Quid
[SAH-leet] facit? Now call on a pair of students.
What is he doing? Is he jumping?
Discipulī, salīte! Students jump.
Students, jump!
Quid faciunt? Saliunt? Students: Saliunt.
[SAH-lee-oont]
What are they doing? Are they jumping?
Bene. Discipulī saliunt.
Good. The students are jumping.

Continue in this way, first presenting the singular form and then the plural, until you have gone through all
of the forms at least three times. (With one student, look for comprehension and correct responses before
ending this part of the lesson.)

Explain, in English, that these forms allow us to speak about what others are doing. Point out the singular
forms (“he/she/it”) and plurals (“they”).

Note that, in English, we would need to express the subject of such verbs, either with a noun or with a
pronoun. In Latin, however, the ending indicates the person, so it is not always necessary to express the
subject. For example, saltat can be translated as “he dances” or “she dances”; the gender is determined by
the context. We can also add a noun to make the sentence more specific: Puella saltat (The girl dances).

The same is true for third person plural forms. Unless a subject is specified, we will translate third person
plural verbs as “they [do/are doing].” So, Puellae saltant translates as “The girls dance,” but Saltant alone
means “they dance” or “they are dancing.”

Conclude the lesson by making a chart showing how all the verb forms work together:
saltāre (Infinitive: To dance)
saltā (Imperative [Command] Singular: Dance!)
saltāte (Imperative Plural: Dance!)

singular plural
1st person saltō saltāmus
2 person
nd
saltās saltātis
3rd person saltat saltant

At this stage it is not necessary for the students to write out such charts or try to memorize them. This
example is provided to help students synthesize their knowledge. Also, grammar charts are a regular feature
of most traditional Latin programs, so it is helpful for students to see them and learn what they represent.

There are no new vocabulary cards to make for this lesson, but the students should copy down the new
verb forms.
Lesson Fifty-Five

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, we will introduce some of the parts of the body (corpus, in Latin).

caput (n.) – head

umerus (m., pl. umerī) – shoulder
pectus (n.) – chest
bracchium (n., pl. bracchia) – arm
manus (f., pl. manūs) – hand
crūs (n., pl. crūra) – leg
pēs (m., pl. pedēs) – foot

To prepare for the lesson, draw a large outline of a body on the board. If you are teaching at home and
have enough room, you can use butcher paper and trace one of the students' bodies as a life-size model.

Begin by having all the students stand up (Discipulī, surgite!). Point to the head of your model.

Say... Do...
Ecce caput. Caput. As you repeat the word, touch your own head. Be sure to touch the
[KAH-poot] back or sides of the head, rather than the face. Now call on a student.
Here is the head. Head.
Discipule, ubi est caput tuum? Student points to his head.
Student, where is your head?
Bene. Repeat with all of the students. Draw a line out from the head of the
Good. model and write the word next to it. Now point to the shoulders.
Ecce umerī. Point to one shoulder.
[OO-may-ree]
Here are the shoulders.
Ūnus umerus... Then to both shoulders
[OO-may-rooss]
One shoulder...
Duo umerī. Now call on a student.
Two shoulders.
Discipula, ubi sunt umerī tuī? Student points to her shoulders. Repeat with all of the students. Draw
Student, where are your shoulders? a line our from the shoulders of the model and write umerus, umerī
next to it. Now point to the chest.
Ecce pectus. Call on a student.
[PEK-tooss]
Here is the chest.
Discipule, ubi est pectus Student points to his chest. Write the word on the model as before,
tuum*? then point to the arm.
Student, where is your chest?
Ecce bracchium. Point first to one arm...

* Notice that, despite its -us ending, pectus is neuter.

[BRAH-kee-oom]
Here is an arm.
Ūnum bracchium... Then to both arms...
One arm...
Duo bracchia. Call on a student.
[BRAH-kee-ah]
Two arms.
Discipula, ubi sunt bracchia Student indicates her arms. Repeat with others. Write the words
tua? (singular and plural) on the model as before, then point to the hand.
Student, where are your arms?
Ecce manus. Hold up one hand...
[MAH-nooss]
Here is a hand.
Ūna manus... Then two hands.
One hand...
Duae manūs. Call on a student.
Two hands.
Discipule, ubi sunt manūs Student shows hands. Repeat as before, then write the words on the
tuae? board. Next point to the leg.
Student, where are your hands?
Ecce crūs. Point to one leg...
[krooss]
Here is a leg.
Ūnum crūs... Then to both legs.
One leg...
Duo crūra. Call on a student.
[KROO-rah]
Two legs.
Discipula, ubi sunt crūra tua? Student indicates her legs. Repeat as before, then write the words on
Student, where are your legs? the board. Finally, point to the foot.
Ecce pēs. Point to one foot...
[payss]
Here is a foot.
Ūnus pēs... Then to both feet.
One foot...
Duo pedēs. Call on a student.
[PAY-dayss]
Two feet.
Discipule, ubi sunt pedēs tuī? Student indicates his feet. Repeat as before, then write the words on
Student, where are your feet? the board.

Complete the lesson by having students make vocabulary cards for the new words. Be sure they include
both the singular and plural forms where applicable.
Lesson Fifty-Six

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, we will introduce the parts of the face (facies, f.).

capillus (m.) – hair

frōns (f.) – forehead
oculus (m., pl. oculī) – eye
auris (f., pl. aurēs ) – ears
nāsus (m.) – nose
gena (f., pl. genae) – cheek
ōs (n.) – mouth

Prepare by drawing a large picture of a face on the board, the sillier, the better! As before, you will be
labeling the picture as you go. For the warm up, you will need index cards for yourself with the parts of the
body taught in the last lesson.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by reviewing the vocabulary taught in the previous lesson. Have the students stand up, then call
on them in quick succession, asking Ubi est... or Ubi sunt... filling in parts of the body. (Refer to the script
from the last lesson, if necessary.) When you are finished, have the students sit down (Considite). Begin by
pointing to the picture on the board.

Say... Do...
Ecce caput. Now point to the hair.
Here is the head.
Ecce capillus. Point to your own hair as you repeat.
[kah-PEE-looss]
Here is the hair.
Capillus. Call on a student.
Hair.
Ubi est capillus tuus? Student points to hair. Repeat with others, then write the word on the
Where is your hair? board. Next, point to the forehead.
Ecce frōns. Call on a student.
[frahnss]
Here is the forehead.
Ubi est frōns tua? Student points to forehead. Repeat as before, then write the word on
Where is your forehead? the board. Next, point to the eyes.
Ecce oculī. Point to one eye...
[OH-koo-lee]
Here are the eyes.
Ūnus oculus... Then to both eyes.
[OH-koo-looss]
One eye...
Duo oculī. Call on a student.
Two eyes.
Ubi sunt oculī tuī? Student points to eyes. Repeat as before, then write the words on the
Where are your eyes? board. Now point to the ears.
Ecce aurēs. Point to one ear...
[OW-rayss]
Here are the ears.
Ūna auris... Then to both ears.
[OW-reess]
One ear...
Duae aurēs. Call on a student.
Two ears.
Ubi sunt aurēs tuae? Student points to ears. Repeat as before, then write the words on the
Where are your ears? board. Now point to the nose.
Ecce nāsus. Call on a student.
[NAH-sooss]
Here is the nose.
Ubi est nāsus tuus? Student points to nose. Repeat as before, then write the word on the
Where is your nose? board. Now point to the cheeks.
Ecce genae. Point to one cheek...
[GAY-neye]
Here are the cheeks.
Ūna gena... Then both cheeks.
[GAY-nah]
One cheek...
Duae genae. Call on a student.
Two cheeks.
Ubi sunt genae tuae? Student points to cheeks. Repeat as before, then write the words on
Where are your cheeks? the board. Now point to the mouth.
Ecce ōs. Call on a student.
[ohss]
Here is the mouth.
Ubi est ōs tuum? Student points to mouth. Repeat as before, then write the word on the
Where is your mouth? board. Have the students stand.
Surgite!
Stand up!

You will now teach the class a song to help them remember some of the parts of the body they have
learned. It is sung to the tune of “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”

Caput, um'rī, crūs et pēs, crūs et pēs

Caput, um'rī, crūs et pēs, crūs et pēs
Oculī, frōns, aurēs et ōs
Caput, um'rī, crūs et pēs, crūs et pēs

Head, shoulders, leg and foot, leg and foot

Head, shoulders, leg and foot, leg and foot
Eyes, forehead, ears and mouth
Head, shoulders, leg and foot, leg and foot

Finish the lesson by having students make vocabulary cards for the new words, including both the singular
and plural forms where appropriate.
Lesson Fifty-Seven

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, students learn some action verbs along with nouns that we use to perform the action, e.g., I
write with a pen. We will be using the ablative case, sometimes called the “by, with, from” case.

We have already seen the ablative when talking about living situations: we used it after the preposition in,
e.g., habitō in casā. We saw that the noun after in acquired a macron (long mark) to indicate the ablative. This
same noun form will be used in this lesson, both with and without a preposition.

In this lesson, we will use the ablative with in to mean on (e.g., in chartā, on the paper). We will use it
without a preposition to indicate the means by which an action is accomplished. For example, if we want
to say “I write with a pen,” in Latin, we say calamō scrībō: literally, I write (scrībō) by means of a pen (calamō,
the ablative singular of calamus, pen).

In short, we will use in+ablative to describe where something happens and the ablative alone to name the
object we use to perform an action. This latter use of the ablative is called the ablative of means.

scrībō – I write; scrībis – you (sing.) write

dēlineō – I draw; dēlineās – you (sing.) draw

calamus (m.) – pen; calamō – with a pen

graphium (n.) – pencil; graphiō – with a pencil
cērula (f.) – crayon; cērulā – with a crayon
crēta (f.) – chalk; crētā – with chalk

charta (f.) – paper; in chartā – on paper

Lesson Plan

Warm up by singing “Caput, Um'rī, Crūs et Pēs.”

Gather examples of the classroom items above, or, if necessary, pictures of them. Begin by holding up a
pen.

Say... Do...
Ecce calamus. Write the word on the board and have the students repeat it. Now
[KAH-lah-mooss] write with the pen on a piece of paper.
Here is pen.
Quid faciō? Scrībō. Scrībō. As you repeat the word, mime writing in the air. Then write the word
[FAH-kee-oh...SKREE-boh] on the board.
What am I doing? I'm writing.
Et ubi scrībō? In chartā scrībō. Hold up the piece of paper.
[KAR-tah]
And where am I writing? I'm writing on
paper.
Ecce charta. Write the word on the board. Then write on the paper again.
Here is paper.
In chartā scrībō. Now hold up the pen.
I'm writing on the paper.
In chartā calamō scrībō. Draw an arrow (→) after the word calamus and add the form calamō.
[KAH-lah-moh] Then write the whole sentence on the board: In chartā calamō scrībō.
I'm writing on the paper with a pen. The students probably will not yet understand; don't worry! Now pick
up a pencil.
Ecce graphium. Write the word on the board. Then write on the paper with the pencil.
[GRAH-fee-oom]
Here is a pencil.
Quid faciō? Scrībō. Point to the word scrībō on the board.
What am I doing? I'm writing.
In chartā... Pick up the paper...
On the paper...
Scrībō. Mime writing.
I'm writing.
In chartā graphiō scrībō. Write this sentence directly under In chartā calamō scrībō. Now pick up
[GRAH-fee-oh] the crayon.
I'm writing on the paper with a pencil.
Ecce cērula. Write the word on the board. Then use the crayon to write on the
[KAY-roo-lah] paper.
Here is a crayon.
Quid faciō? Student: Scrībō. The correct answer is Scrībis (you are writing), but
What am I doing? accept this form for now.
Scrībō. In chartā scrībō. In Write the last sentence on the board underneath the previous two.
chartā cērulā scrībō. Then pick up the chalk.
I'm writing. I'm writing on the paper. I'm
writing on the paper with a crayon.
Ecce crēta. Write the word on the board. Then write on the paper with the chalk.
[KRAY-tah]
Here is chalk.
Quid faciō? Student: Scrībō. (Accept this.)
What am I doing?
Scrībō. In chartā scrībō. In Write the last sentence on the board underneath the previous three.
chartā crētā scrībō. Now using the chalk, draw a picture on the board. It can be anything:
I'm writing. I'm writing on the paper. I'm a house with a tree and sun, for example.
writing on the paper with chalk.
Quid faciō? Dēlineō. Write the word dēlineō on the board.
[day-LEE-nee-oh]
What am I doing? I'm drawing.
Crētā dēlineō. Now switch to paper and pen.
I'm drawing with chalk.
Calamō dēlineō... Now switch to paper and pencil.
I'm drawing with a pen...
Graphiō dēlineō... And finally to the crayon.
I'm drawing with a pencil...
Cērulā dēlineō. Now call a student to the board.
I'm drawing with a crayon.
Discipula, dēlineā! Gesture to indicate that the student should draw. While she is drawing,
[day-LEE-nay-ah] ask:
Student, draw!
Quid facis? Student: Dēlineō.
What are you doing?
Bene. Dēlineās. Write this form on the board. Then point to the chalk.
Good. What are you doing?
Et quid est? Student: Crēta est.
And what is it?
Bene. Crētā dēlineās. Now call on another student.
Good. You're drawing with chalk.
Discipule, quid facit? Point to the student who is drawing.
Student, what is she doing?
Quid facit? Student: ??
What is she doing?
Discipula dēlineat. Have the students repeat this sentence: Discipula dēlineat. Now point to
[day-LEE-nah-aht] the chalk.
The student is drawing.

Discipula crētā dēlineat. Have the students repeat. Let the first student take a seat, and call
The student is drawing with chalk. another up. Give this student a piece of paper and a pencil.
Discipule, scrībe! Gesture to the student to write.
[SKREE-bay]
Student, write!
Bene. Quid facis? Student:??
Good. What are you doing?
Dēlineās? Nōn dēlineās. Student: Scrībō.
Scrībis. Dīc: Scrībō.
Are you drawing? You're not drawing.
You're writing. Say: I'm writing.
Crētā scrībis? Point to the chalk and then to the pencil, then repeat:
Are you writing with chalk?
Crētā scrībis? Nōn crētā Call on another student.
scrībis. Graphiō scrībis.
Are you writing with chalk? You're not
writing with chalk. You're writing with a
pencil.
Quid facit discipulus? Student: Scrībit. The student may use another form, such as scrībō or
What is the student doing? scrībis. Simply correct the error verbally by repeating: Scrībit.
Crētā scrībit? Student: Graphiō scrībit.
Is he writing with chalk?

Switch to English at this point to see what the students have understood. It is all right to allow them to
translate some of the sentences on the board. Explain that the new forms are ablative, the same form they
used previously after habitō in.... Point out that the ablative can be used with a preposition or without, and
that without a preposition, it can mean the same as the English phrase “with a...” or “by means of a....”

Finish the lesson by having the students make vocabulary cards for the new verbs and nouns.
Lesson Fifty-Eight

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, we will expand on the ablative of means and review the parts of the body. You will be using
the question Quōmodo...? (How...? By what means...?) to elicit answers in the ablative.

Quōmodo ambulās? Ambulō pedibus. – How do you walk? I walk with my feet.
Quōmodo spectās? Spectō oculīs. – How do you watch? I watch with my eyes.
Quōmodo auscultās? Auscultō auribus. – How do you listen? I listen with my ears.
Quōmodo plaudis? Plaudō manibus. – How do you clap? I clap with my hands.
Quōmodo olfacis? Olfaciō nasō. – How do you smell? I smell with my nose.
Quōmodo cantās? Cantō ōre. – How do you sing? I sing with my mouth.

Lesson Plan

Warm up by reviewing the parts of the body (see Lessons Fifty-Five and Fifty-Six) using the questions Ubi
est... and Ubi sunt... (Where is...?, Where are...?). Begin by writing on the board with chalk.

Say... Do...
Quid faciō? Scrībō. Hold up the chalk.
What am I doing? I'm writing.
Quōmodo scrībō? Crētā scrībō. Write these two sentences on the board. Call on a student.
How am I writing? I'm writing with
chalk.
Discipule, ambulā! The student walks. Point to the student's feet as he walks.
Student, walk!
Quōmodo discipulus ambulat? Point to your foot.
How is the student walking?
Pēs... Point to the walking student's feet.
Foot...
Pedibus ambulat. Write this sentence on the board. Then repeat.
[PED-ee-boos]
He's walking with (by means of) his feet.
Crēta scrībō. Pedibus ambulat. Student sits down. Have all of the students repeat these sentences.
I'm writing with (by means of) chalk. Now shade your eyes as if looking for something in the distance.
He's walking with (by means of ) his
feet.
Quid faciō? Spectō. Call on a student.
[SPEK-toh]
What am I doing? I'm watching.
Discipula, spectā! Invite the student to “watch” using the same gesture.
[SPEK-tah]
Student, watch!
Discipula spectat. Quōmodo Point to your eyes.
spectat? Oculīs.
[SPEK-taht...OH-koo-leess]
The student is watching. How is she
watching? With (by means of) her eyes.
Oculīs spectat. Write the sentence on the board, and have the students repeat it.
She is watching with her eyes. (Student sits down.) Now cup your ears.
Quid faciō? Auscultō. Call on a student.
[ow-SKOOL-toh]
What am I doing? I'm listening.
Discipule, auscultā! Invite the student to “listen” using the same gesture.
Student, listen!

Discipulus auscultat. Pull on your ears.

Quōmodo?
[ow-SKOOL-taht]
The student is listening. How (By what
means)?
Auribus auscultat. Have the student sit down as you write this sentence on the board.
[OW-ree-boos] Have the students repeat the sentence. Now clap your hands.
He's listening with (by means of) his ears.

Quid faciō? Plaudō. Call on a student.

[PLOW-doh]
What am I doing? I'm clapping.
Discipula, plaude! Student claps.
[PLOW-deh]
Student, clap!
Discipula plaudit. Quōmodo? Hold your hands up and shake them (“jazz hands”).
Manibus.
[MAH-nee-booss]
The student is clapping. How (by what
means)? With her hands.
Manibus plaudit. Have the student sit down. Write this sentence on the board and then
She's clapping (with) her hands. have the students repeat it. Now walk around the room sniffing
loudly.
Quid faciō? Olfaciō. Pretend to smell something unpleasant, and pinch your nose.
[ohl-FAH-kee-oh]
What am I doing? I'm smelling.
Quōmodo? Nāsō. You can say this with your nose pinched for a funny effect!
[NAH-soh]
How? With my nose.
Nāsō olfaciō. Write this on the board, and have the students repeat it. Now sing the
I'm smelling with my nose. Latin Alphabet song. Then ask:
Quid faciō? Cantō. Call on a student (preferably a ham!).
[KAHN-toh]
What am I doing? I'm singing.
Discipule, cantā! Student sings.
[KAHN-tah]
Student, sing!
Quid facit? Cantat. Quōmodo? Point to your mouth.
Ore.
[ORH-reh]
What's he doing? He's singing. How (by
what means)? With his mouth.
Ore cantat. Have student sit down. Write the sentence on the board and have the
He's singing with his mouth. students repeat.

Review the lesson in English, explaining that the new sentences are just like the ones from the last lesson:
they express the means by which something is done. The “means” is put into the ablative case.

At the end of the lesson, you will teach a new song, “Si laetaris atque gaudes.” This is sung to the tune “If
you're happy and you know it.”

Si laetaris atque gaudes, [see leye-TAH-reess aht-kway GOW-dayss]

salī sic!
Si laetaris atque gaudes,
salī sic!
Si laetaris atque gaudes
et hic cantus est hilaris [eht hik KAHN-toos esst hee-LAH-rees]
Si laetaris atque gaudes,
salī sic!

If you're happy and rejoicing

jump like this.
If you're happy and rejoicing
jump like this.
If you're happy and rejoicing
and this song is cheerful
If you're happy and rejoicing
jump like this.

Substitute the following phrases for salī sic:

plaude sic (clap hands)

saltā sic (dance around)
curre sic (run like this)
cantā sic: “la-la-la” (sing like this: “la-la-la”)
auscultā: sh-sh (listen: sh-sh)
spectā sic (look around)
ambulā (walk around)
clamā sic: Euge! (shout like this: Hooray!)
Lesson Fifty-Nine

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, we will introduce the names of some foods and teach students how to say that they want or
do not want them. In the list below, the first word is the nominative form, and the second is the accusative
form. Only one form is listed for neuter nouns, as the neuter uses the same form for both the nominative
and the accusative.

būbula, būbulam – beef

gallīnācea, gallīnāceam – chicken, fowl
porcīna, porcīnam – pork
piscatus, piscatum – fish, seafood*

panis, panem – bread

collyrae, collyrās – noodles, pasta
oryza, oryzam – rice
pōma (sing., pōmum) terrestre – potatoes

carōta, carōtam – carrot

maīzium – sweet corn
pīsa (sing.,. pisum) – peas
brassica, brassicam – cabbage

mālum – apple
ariena, arienam – banana
mālum aurantium – orange (lit. orange apple)
persicum – peach

The following sentence may come in handy in reference to meat:

Holerarius (m.) sum. Holeraria (f.) sum. – I am a vegetarian.

The question you will be asking is Vīsne...? Do you want...? followed by the accusative case. The student
response will be either volō... (I want...) or nōlō... (I don't want...), again followed by the accusative.

Prepare for the lesson by creating a tabella cibōrum – a menu. Make a handout with pictures (photos or
drawings) of the food items listed above and their Latin names, including the accusative forms, where
applicable.

On the board, write the question Vīsne...? and the two responses. Next to volō put a check mark and next to
nōlō, an X.

You will be playing a forgetful waiter. Wear an apron over your clothes, or dress in a white top and black
pants. Carry a pad of paper and a pencil with you, as well as a copy of the menu for your own reference.
Seat the students at a large table, or arrange their desks into groups, as if they were at individual restaurant
tables. Place a menu handout at each seat. You can even put out paper plates and plastic utensils, although

* Note that, as does English, Latin has different words for living animals and for the meat derived from them. A pig is
porcus, but pork is porcīna.
experience shows that, if you do, you will also need to provide a snack at the end of class!

Lesson Plan

Begin by walking up to one table or group of students.

Say... Do...
Salvēte! Students: Salvē! Turn to one student.
Hello!
Quid vīs? Point to the menu.
[weess]
What do you want?
Vīsne būbulam? Piscatum? Point to the board and in a stage whisper, prompt the student.
[BOO-boo-lahm...pis-KAH-toom]
Do you want beef ? Fish?
Dīc: Volō... Student: Volō...būbulam.
[WOH-loh...]
Say: I want...
Bene. Gallīnāceam vīs. Student: ?? May protest in English.
[gah-lee-NAH-kee-ahm]
Good. You want chicken.
Quid? Gallīnāceam nōn vīs? Student: Būbulam volō.
Quid vīs?
What? You don't want chicken? What do
you want?
Ah. Būbulam. Pretend to write. Turn to the next student.
Ah. Beef.
Et tu? Quid vīs? Pīsa? Student: ?? Point to the student's menu to show the vegetable section.
Carōtam?
[PEE-sah...kah-ROH-tahm]
And you? What do you want? Peas? A
carrot?
Vīsne brassicam? Student: Brassicam nōlō!
Do you want cabbage?
Ah. Brassicam.
Ah. Cabbage.

Continue in this manner, “misunderstanding” each student's order so that the students must correct you
using nōlō. Remember that the accusative must appear in both your questions (Vīsne... + acc.) and the
students' responses (Būbulam volō).

If you have a large class, you can do this activity with only one group, and then pick students to act as
waiters for small groups. Circulate around the class to make sure that students are staying on task and using
the vocabulary.

Have the students use the menu handout to make vocabulary cards for themselves, either in class or as
homework.
Lesson Sixty

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, we will continue to teach food vocabulary. In addition, we will introduce the verb mālō,
which means “I prefer.” The question used to elicit this response is Quid māvīs, X aut Y? (What do you
prefer, X or Y?). In this instance, X and Y will be food items in the accusative case.

caffea, caffeam – coffee

thea, theam – tea

placenta, placentam – cake

crūstulum – cookie

Two other important vocabulary items for this lesson are quaesō (please, literally: I beg) and gratiās tibi agō (I
thank you).

For this lesson, you will play the part of a barista in a neighborhood café. The café has a very limited
menu: two drinks and two desserts. To prepare, create a menu board by drawing or posting pictures of the
available food choices with their Latin names (including the accusative forms, where necessary). Also write
the question Māvīs X aut Y? and the response mālō... as prompts for the students.

Stand behind a desk or table and have the students line up to place their orders. You can use props such as
paper cups, or cards with drawings of the food items on them. Begin by waiting on the first student in line.

Say... Do...
Salvē, quid vīs, quaesō? Point to the menu board.
[KWEYE-soh]
Hello, what do you want, please?
Māvīs caffeam aut theam? Hold both hands out to the sides, as if offering the two choices. If
[MAH-weess KAF-fay-ahm owt TAY- necessary, repeat the question and prompt the student in a stage
ahm?] whisper:
Do you prefer coffee or tea?
Dīc: Mālō... Student: Mālō theam.
[MAH-loh]
Say: I prefer...
Māvīs placentam aut Student: Mālō placentam.
crūstulum?
[plah-KEN-tahm owt KROOS-too-
loom]
Do you prefer cake or a cookie?
Bene. Gratiās tibi agō! Hand the props, cards, or “invisible” food to the student. Now greet
[GRAH-tee-ahss TEE-bee AH-goh] the next student and repeat the dialog above.
Good. Thank you!

When all of the students have had a chance to place an order, take a moment to explain the use of mālō in
English. Then have the students pair off and practice giving and taking food orders. Finally, ask the
students to make vocabulary cards for today's new words.
Lesson Sixty-One

Quid Novī?
In this lesson, students will learn to talk about their preferred leisure activities. Many answers to this
question will include the verb lūdere, to play, plus an activity in the ablative.

Amō... lūdere – I like to play...

basipilā [bah-SEE-pee-lah] – baseball

corbifolle [kor-bee-FOH-leh] – basketball
pedifolle [ped-ee-FOH-leh] – soccer
pedifolle mōre Americānō [ped-ee-FOH-leh MOH-reh ah-may-ree-KAH-noh] – American football
hocceiō [hok-KAY-oh] – hockey
cartulīs [KAR-too-leess] – cards
scacīs [SKAH-keess] – chess
latrunculīs [lah-TRUN-koo-leess] – checkers

Similarly, the verb vehī, to ride, also takes the ablative.*

Amō...vehī [AH-moh WAY-hee] – I like to ride...

birotā [bee-ROH-tah] – a bike

equō [EH-kwoh] - horse

To prepare for this lesson, write the model sentences Amō...lūdere and Amō...vehī on the board, and draw or
display pictures of the activities above with their Latin names. The class will be playing Mīmus (literally,
“Mime”) – Latin charades.

Lesson Plan

Explain the rules in English: Each student gets a chance to act out one of the phrases on the board. When
guessing, the other students must use a complete sentence: Amō basipilā lūdere. The student who guesses
correctly becomes the “mime” for the next round. If you are teaching one student, take turns being the
“mime.”

You can expand the game by allowing students to respond with other activities they have previously
learned: Amō natāre (I like to swim), for example, or dēlineāre (to draw), or saltāre (to dance).

Remember to have students make vocabulary cards for the new words and phrases.

* The verb vehī is a present passive infinitive, meaning “to be borne along,” or “to be transported.” Because it is passive, its
form is different from the other infinitives we've seen.
Lesson Sixty-Two

Quid Novī?
In this lesson we will introduce an impersonal verb, licet, which means “it is permissible/allowed [to do
something].” Licet is related to our English words licit and illicit. This phrase allows students to ask
permission to do something: Mihi licet...? (“May I...?”).

Licet is like tempus est: it requires an infinitive to complete its meaning. The answers will take the form of
licet + infinitive (it is permitted to...) or nōn licet + infinitive (it is not permitted to...).

Lesson Plan

Warm up by singing “Si laetaris atque gaudes” (see Lesson Fifty-Eight).

Today the class will be playing the game Mihi licet?, better known in English as “Mother, May I?”

Explain the rules of the game in English. To begin, the teacher is māter (Mother) and stands on one side of
the room. The students are the children, and stand at the other end in a line facing Mother. Mother calls
out a student's name and then gives a command (use any of the commands from Simon Dīcit, plus the
leisure time activities from the last lesson). The student must ask Mihi licet? and Mother answers either Tibi
licet (Yes, you may) or Tibi nōn licet (No, you may not). Then the student may perform the action while
Mother counts to three (ūnus, duo, trēs). If the student does not ask permission, or performs the wrong
action, he or she must go back to the starting line. The first person to reach Mother becomes the new
Mother and the game starts over.
Lessons Sixty-Three and Sixty-Four

Quid Novī?
You will now have reached the end of your school year or semester, and for the last two lessons, you will
be playing a variety of games to review what the class has learned. Choose two or three of the following
games for each class period. If possible, have students lead the games themselves while you supervise.

Simon Dīcit – Simon Says

Mihi Licet? – Mother, May I?

Carnifex – Hangman

Plūs Plūsque – I'm Going on a Picnic

Mimus - Charades

Quid deest? – What's Missing?

Lay out two or three cards that make a set (e.g., mother, father, brother) and ask what is missing (sister).
Students should not only name the missing item, but give the Latin words for all the items in the set. For a
greater challenge, play this game verbally, without reference to cards.

Videō aliquid... – I Spy

Choose one person to be “it.” It finds something in the room of a particular color and says Videō aliquid
[WEE-day-oh AH-lee-kwid] plus the color (in the neuter). The other players take turns guessing what the item
is. Be sure to remind the students to stick to items they know the words for. Clothing and food words are
best for this game.

Quōmodo scribitur? – Latin Spelling Bee

All players begin standing up. The teacher or game leader gives Latin words to each player to spell. If the
player spells the word correctly, he remains standing; if not, he sits down. The last player standing wins.

Latin Math Rally

Students solve math problems written in Roman numerals.

Flash Card War

Begin with a deck of vocabulary cards, picture side up. The student who calls out the correct Latin word or
phrase first wins the card. The person with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

Descriptiō

This is a quiet game. Give students pictures of people and ask them to write a description in Latin. Is the
person a man, woman, boy, or girl? What is the person wearing? Does the person have other items (pet,
food...)? What is the person doing?

Weather Forecast

One or more students write and deliver a weather forecast. If possible, video the performance!

Bingo

Create bingo cards with pictures. Call out words; students place a token on the corresponding picture. The
first student to get five in a row and call out “bingo!” wins.

Percontator (Percontatrix) – Interviewer

Students interview each other about their families, pets, favorite activities, foods, etc., then report on what
they have learned.

Saccus Musicus – The Musical Bag

Place picture cards in bag. Students sit or stand in a circle. Play music as the students pass the bag around
the circle. Whoever is holding the bag when the music stops must pull out a card and give the correct Latin
word. If the person succeeds, play continues. If the person fails, he leaves the circle and play continues
until only one player is left.

Pictionary

Divide students into teams. One player draws a Latin word from a hat. She must draw a picture while her
team mates try to guess the word within 60 seconds. If they succeed, the team gets a point. If they fail, the
other team gets one chance to guess correctly and gain the point for themselves. Teams alternate until
everyone has had a chance to draw. The team with the most points wins.

Jeopardy

Divide the students into teams. Make labels for various categories - family, food, pets, clothing, colors, etc.
- and place five picture cards (no words) face down under each category. Give each row a value: I, II, III,
IV, V. Teams take turns requesting cards (“Pets for IV”). In order to win the points, the team must give the
correct Latin word in question form: Quis est māter? Quid est canis? The team with the most points wins.
Latin-English Glossary
acta: seashore capillus: hair
ad: to, toward caput: head
aestās: summer carōta: carrot
aestāte: in summertime cartulīs lūdere: to play cards
age: come on! casa: cottage
albus, alba, album: white cenaculum: dining room
ambulā, ambulāte: walk! cēnāre: to dine, to eat dinner
amīca: friend (f.), girlfriend centum: one hundred
amicatorium: scarf, wrap cērula: crayon
amīcus: friend (m.), boyfriend charta: paper
amita: paternal aunt circulus: circle
amō: I love, I like cito: quickly
Aprīlis: April collyrae: noodles, pasta
arcisellium: armchair color: color
ariena: banana cōnsīdō (cōnsīde, cōnsīdite, etc.): I sit down
armārium: dresser, bureau cōnsōbrīna: maternal cousin (f.)
āter, ātra, ātrum: black cōnsōbrīnus: maternal cousin (m.)
Augustus: August corbifolle: basketball
aurantius, aurantia, aurantium: orange crās: tomorrow
auris: ear crēta: chalk
auscultāre: to listen crūs: leg
aut: or crūstulum: cookie
autumnō: in autumn cubiculum: room, bedroom
autumnus: autumn culīna: kitchen
avia: grandmother cunīculus: rabbit
avis: bird curre, currite: run!
avunculus: maternal uncle decem: ten
avus: grandfather December: December
balneōlum: bathroom dēlineō: I draw
basipila: baseball (game) dentēs: teeth
bene: good (lit. well) dīc, dīcite: say!
birotā: on a bicycle dīcit: says
brācae: pants, trousers diēs Iovis: Thursday
bracchium: arm diēs Lūnae: Monday
brassica: cabbage diēs Mārtis: Tuesday
breviōrēs brācae: shorts diēs Mercuriī: Wednesday
būbula: beef diēs Sāturnī: Saturday
caelum: sky, heaven, weather diēs Sōlis: Sunday
caeruleus, caerulea, caeruleum: blue diēs Veneris: Friday
caffea: coffee digitālia: gloves
calamus: pen discipula: student, pupil (f.)
calceī gymnicī: athletic shoes, sneakers discipulus: student, pupil (m.)
calceī: shoes domus (f.): home
calendarium: calendar dormītum īre: to go to sleep
calidum: hot (weather) duo, duae: two
caligae: boots duodecim: twelve
canis: dog duodēvīgintī: eighteen
cantāre: to sing ecce: behold, here is...
ego: I hortus: garden
eī: his/her (lit. to him/her) ī: see eō
eius: his/her (lit. of him/her) iacca: jacket
elephantus: elephant Iānuārius: January
eō (ī, ite, etc.): I go ientāculum: breakfast
equō: on a horse impīlia: socks
erat: (he/she/it) was in: in, on, into
erit: (he/she/it) will be indūsium: shirt
es: you are (sing.) īnsula: island, apartment building
est: (he/she/it) is Iūlius: July
et: and Iūnius: June
fābula: story labellum: bathroom sink
familia: family lātrīna: toilet
Februārius: February latrunculīs lūdere: to play checkers
fēlis: cat lectulus: sofa, couch
fēmina: woman lectus: bed
fīlia frātris: neice (lit. brother's daughter) legere: to read
fīlia sorōris: neice (lit. sister's daughter) lentē: slowly
fīlia ūnica: only child (f.) licet: is permitted, is allowed
fīlius frātris: nephew (lit. brother's son) lūcent: (they) shine
fīlius sorōris: nephew (lit. sister's son) lucerna: light, lamp
fīlius ūnicus: only child (m.) lūcet: (it) shines
flāvus, flāva, flāvum: yellow lūdere: to play
foculum: stove lūdus: school (elementary)
folia: leaves lūna: moon
fōrma: shape magister: teacher (m.)
frāter: brother magistra: teacher (f.)
frāterculus: little brother magnus, magna, magnum: big, large
frīgidārium: refrigerator Māius: May
frīgidum: cold (weather) maīzium: sweet corn
frōns: forehead male: poorly
furnus: oven mālō: I prefer
fusōrium: kitchen sink mālum aurantium: orange (fruit)
gallīnācea: chicken (as food) mālum: apple
gena: cheek māne: morning, in the morning
gerō: I wear manus (f.): hand
graphium: pencil Mārtius: March
gunna: skirt māter: mother
habeō: I have mātertera: maternal aunt
habēs: you have (sing.) mē: me
habet: he/she/it has mediānum: living room
habitō: I live mēnsa: table
herī: yesterday mēnsis: month
hic: this (m.) merīdiē: at noon
hieme: in wintertime meus, mea, meum: my
hiems: winter mihi: my (lit. to me)
hocceio: hockey mille: one thousand
hodiē: today mus: mouse
holeraria: vegetarian (f.) nartāre: to ski
holerarius: vegetarian (m.) nāsus: nose
natāre: to swim puella: girl
navigāre: to sail puer: boy
-ne: question particle purgāre: to clean
nivalis: snowy (weather) purpureus, purpurea, purpureum: purple
nocte: at night quaesō: please (lit. I beg)
nōlō: I don't want quāle: what kind of ? (n.)
nōmen: name quattuor: four
nōn: not quattuordecim: fourteen
novem: nine quid: what?
November: November quīndecim: fifteen
noverca: stepmother quīnque: five
nox: night quis: who?
nūbilōsum: cloudy, overcast (weather) quōmodo: how? by what means? in what way?
nunc: now quoque: also
octō: eight quot: how many?
Octōber: October roseus, rosea, roseum: pink
oculus: eye ruber, rubra, rubrum: red
olfaciō: to smell salī, salīte: jump!
optimē: great, very well saltā, saltāte: dance!
oryza: rice salvē, salvēte: hello
ōs: mouth sandalia: sandals
ōtium: leisure, free time satis bene: OK, all right, good enough
paenula: coat scacīs lūdere: to play chess
panis: bread scrībō: I write
parvus, parva, parvum: little, small sēdecim: sixteen
pater: father sella: chair
patināre: to skate septem: seven
patruēlis: paternal cousin (m./f.) September: September
patruus: paternal uncles septendecim: seventeen
pectus: chest serēnum: fair, fine (weather)
pedifolle mōre Americānō: American football serere: to sow, to plant (a garden)
pedifolle: soccer sex: six
pēlūsia: blouse sōl: sun
persicum: peach solium: bathtub
pēs: foot soror: sister
pessimē: terribly, very poorly sorōrcula: little sister
pilleus: hat, cap stella: star
pīsa: peas stereophōnium: stereo
piscatus: fish (as food), seafood studēre: to study
piscis: fish subūcula: underwear
placenta: cake sum: I am
plaudere: to clap sūmere: to take, to eat (a meal)
pluvium: rainy (weather) sunt: they are, there are
pōma terrestre: potatoes surge, surgite: rise! stand up!
porcīna: pork surgere: to get up, to rise
postmerīdiē: in the afternoon tapētum: carpet, rug
prandium: lunch tē: you (acc. sing.)
prasinus, prasina, prasinum: green tēlevīsiōrium: television set
prior: last, before, prior thea: tea
proximus: next, after, following tibi: your (lit. to you)
trēdecim: thirteen venī, venīte: come!
trēs, tria: three ventōsum: windy (weather)
triangulum: triangle vēr: spring (season)
tunica lānea: sweater vēre: in springtime
tunīcula: T-shirt vesperī: in the evening
tuus, tua, tuum: your (sing.) vestiārium: closet, wardrobe
ubi: where? vestīmenta: clothing
umerus: shoulder vīgintī: twenty
ūndecim: eleven vīlla: villa, country estate
ūndēvīgintī: nineteen vir: man
ūnus, ūna, ūnum: one vītricus: stepfather
valē, valēte: goodbye volō: I want
vehī: to ride