Mnemonics for Latin
In short
The best memory aid for Latin vocabulary is hidden in English: hundreds of English words come from Latin. If you think of a porter when you see portare and of a video when you see videre, the meaning sticks more easily. For grammar, short memory aids help. Mnemonics do not replace revision, though – they just make it easier.
English words as a bridge
| Latin | Meaning | Bridge in English |
|---|---|---|
| portare | to carry, to bring | porter, portable, export |
| videre | to see | video, visible |
| audire | to hear | audio, audience |
| scribere | to write | script, manuscript |
| mater, pater | mother, father | maternal, paternal |
| aqua | water | aquarium, aquatic |
| liber | book | library |
| tempus | time | temporary, tempo |
Watch out for words that look the same: as an adjective liber means “free” (cf. liberal), as a noun “book”; liberi means “children”.
Memory aids for grammar
- Prepositions with the ablative: chant “a, ab, e, ex and de, cum and sine, pro and prae” until it runs by itself. Learn the meaning of each one: a/ab from, e/ex out of, de down from / about, cum with, sine without, pro in front of / for, prae before.
- Prepositions with the accusative: almost all the others, such as ad (to, at), ante (before, in front of), per (through), post (after, behind), propter (because of), trans (across).
- in and sub: with the accusative for “where to?” (motion towards or into), with the ablative for “where?” (location, including movement within a place). Think: moving into takes the accusative, being or moving about inside takes the ablative.
- Deponent verbs: “Passive in dress, active in sense” – hortatur means “he urges”.
- Accusative and infinitive: “Find the verb of saying or thinking, then add ‘that’.”
- 4th declension: nouns in -us are mostly masculine; feminine exceptions include manus (hand) and domus (house). Memory aid: “hand and house are feminine”.
Mnemonic plus revision
A memory aid helps you remember a word the first time. For it to stick, it has to come back after a few days, then after weeks. That is what a flashcard box does: the Disce ludens vocabulary trainer brings every word back after 1, 3–4, 7, 14, 30, 90 and 180 days. The vocabulary trainer. The app is in German: exercises, hints and meanings are German, as in the original.
Try it
A real exercise from Disce ludens:
Disce ludens I · Lesson 8 · Sentence elements trainer, card 4
Nam amici diem totum ludunt (play).
Which sentence element is marked?
© Disce ludensWhat Disce ludens does – and what it doesn’t
What Disce ludens does
- Brings back every word at the right interval with a flashcard box.
- Practises prepositions, cases and constructions in dedicated lessons.
- Lets you create your own flashcard boxes, for example for difficult words.
What it doesn’t do
- Does not offer a ready-made mnemonic for every word.
- Does not replace your own revision.
- Does not practise pronunciation.
Frequently asked questions
How can I remember Latin vocabulary better?
With bridges to English derivatives, word families and images – and with revision at growing intervals, for example with a flashcard box.
Which prepositions take the ablative?
Mainly a/ab, e/ex, de, cum, sine, pro and prae; in and sub take the ablative for “where?”.
Do mnemonics really help?
For first remembering, yes. For a word to stick for good, it also needs revision.