Latin grammar: an overview

In short

Latin grammar consists of morphology – how words are inflected – and syntax – how they work together in a sentence. Morphology covers five declensions, four conjugations (plus the 3rd -io group) and the pronouns; syntax covers sentence elements, the uses of the cases and constructions such as indirect statement and the ablative absolute. Disce ludens practises both in 62 lessons.

Morphology (forms)

Declensions: how nouns and adjectives are inflected in five cases (plus the vocative for address) and two numbers.
Conjugations: how verbs are formed by person, tense, mood and voice, with the principal parts.
Pronouns: personal, possessive, demonstrative, relative and interrogative pronouns.
Adjectives and comparison, adverbs, numerals.

Syntax (sentences)

Sentence elements: predicate, subject, objects, adverbials, attributes.
Uses of the cases: what the genitive, the dative and above all the ablative do in a sentence.
Infinitive constructions such as the accusative and infinitive (indirect statement).
Participles and the ablative absolute.
Subordinate clauses: relative clauses, cum clauses, ut and ne clauses, the subjunctive in subordinate clauses.

What Disce ludens practises where

Disce ludens I lays the foundations in 31 lessons: parts of speech and sentence elements, the cases from nominative to ablative, the accusative and infinitive, pronouns, sentence patterns, verb forms in the present, imperfect and perfect, active and passive, declension and principal parts exercises. All lessons at a glance.

Disce ludens II continues in 31 lessons: relative pronoun, subjunctive, participles, infinitives, subordinate clauses and the major constructions such as the ablative absolute and gerunds and gerundives. Verte ludens applies all this to sentences by Caesar. The app is in German: exercises, hints and meanings are German, as in the original.

How to practise grammar

Grammar only sticks once you can apply it. Learning charts by heart is a start; what matters is recognising forms in sentences and producing them yourself. Short, frequent practice with immediate feedback works best – with hints that show the way instead of giving away the answer. How Disce ludens works.

Try it

A real exercise from Disce ludens:

Disce ludens I · Lesson 28 · Declension and agreement exercises, card 3

Put spem novam into the plural (spes nova – the new hope).

What Disce ludens does – and what it doesn’t

What Disce ludens does

Practises morphology and syntax in 62 lessons with graded hints.
Connects grammar with sentences instead of pure chart learning.
Leads up to translating sentences by Caesar in Verte ludens.

What it doesn’t do

Is not a complete school grammar for looking things up.
Does not cover metre and style of Latin poetry.
Does not replace explanations in class.

Frequently asked questions

What does Latin grammar include?

Morphology – declensions, conjugations, pronouns, adjectives – and syntax – sentence elements, uses of the cases, accusative and infinitive, participles, ablative absolute and subordinate clauses.

Where do I start with Latin grammar?

With parts of speech and sentence elements, then the cases and the present tense forms. That is exactly how Disce ludens I begins – the first two lessons even use German sentences.

Is Latin grammar hard?

There is a lot of it, but it is regular. If you know your endings and analyse sentences starting from the predicate, you will make good progress. Short daily practice helps more than cramming before a test.