The Kleines Latinum
In short
The Kleines Latinum (“small Latinum”) is a level below the Latinum that only some German states award, such as North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Bremen. It is examined on easier prose, mainly Caesar and Nepos; you translate at least 120 words in 2 hours in North Rhine-Westphalia and about 120 in Bavaria. It is required, for example, for some teacher training degrees.
What the Kleines Latinum is
The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education (KMK) only knows the Latinum. The Kleines Latinum is a rule of individual states for a lower level of Latin. In Bavaria its official name is “Gesicherte Kenntnisse in Latein (Kleines Latinum)” – secure knowledge of Latin. What the rules have in common: simpler prose instead of demanding passages from Cicero.
Exam and texts
- North Rhine-Westphalia: texts from Caesar (De bello Gallico), Nepos and easier letters of Cicero; in writing at least 120 words in 2 hours, the oral part as for the Latinum.
- Bavaria: simpler prose such as Caesar and Nepos; in writing about 120 words in 120 minutes, orally a text of about 50 words.
- Other states such as Lower Saxony, Bremen, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein also award the Kleines Latinum, with their own rules.
Dates, admission and fees are published by the state’s examination office.
Getting it at school
Pupils who take Latin long enough often get the Kleines Latinum before the Latinum. In Bavaria it comes with a pass (“ausreichend”) in year 9; in Lower Saxony, for pupils who started Latin in year 7, with a pass on moving up to the introductory phase of the upper school; in Bremen, for pupils who started Latin in year 6, at the end of lower secondary school.
Who needs it
The Kleines Latinum is required above all in teacher training degrees. The University of Regensburg, for example, lists it for grammar-school teaching in German, English, French, History, Italian and Spanish; in North Rhine-Westphalia the regulations on access to the teaching profession require it for History at grammar schools and comprehensive schools. The rules differ by university and examination regulations – what counts is always your own.
Preparation
University courses for the Kleines Latinum often take one semester: at the University of Göttingen, for example, 10 SWS (weekly teaching hours of 45 minutes), every morning from Monday to Friday. For Caesar you need a secure command of the forms, the cases and their functions, the main sentence constructions such as the accusative and infinitive and the ablative absolute, and a solid core vocabulary.
That is exactly where Disce ludens comes in: Disce ludens I and II practise forms and syntax, the vocabulary trainer covers vocabulary, and Verte ludens guides you through sentences based on Caesar. Reading whole chapters and translating with a dictionary under time pressure follow afterwards in the course. The app is in German: exercises, hints and meanings are German, as in the original.
Try it
A real exercise from Disce ludens:
Verte ludens · Exercise 1 · cum clauses, sentence 1, step 5
Cum Caesar in Galliam venisset, undique legati Gallorum ad eum convenerunt.
Which mood is used in the subordinate clause? Two statements are linked by the conjunction cum. Caesar had come to Gaul. From all sides the envoys of the Gauls came to him.
© Disce ludensWhat Disce ludens does – and what it doesn’t
What Disce ludens does
- Practises the foundations for Caesar: forms, cases, sentence constructions, vocabulary.
- Guides you step by step through sentences based on Caesar in Verte ludens.
- Works alongside any course, also for brushing up after school.
What it doesn’t do
- No reading of whole chapters of Caesar or Nepos.
- No exam simulation with a dictionary and a time limit.
- No certificate: the Kleines Latinum is only awarded through school or an exam.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Kleines Latinum?
A level below the Latinum awarded by individual German states, such as North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria. It is examined on easier prose such as Caesar and Nepos.
How does the Kleines Latinum exam work?
In writing you translate at least 120 words in 2 hours in North Rhine-Westphalia and about 120 in Bavaria; an oral part follows. Each state sets the details.
Who needs the Kleines Latinum?
Mainly student teachers of certain subjects, such as History or modern foreign languages. The exact requirements are in your own university’s examination regulations.
How long does preparation take?
University courses often take one semester with daily classes; the University of Göttingen, for example, offers the Kleines Latinum with 10 SWS (weekly teaching hours of 45 minutes). Independent work comes on top.