Teach yourself Latin: a plan without a course
In short
You can teach yourself Latin well if three things come together: a fixed order of topics, daily practice in short sessions and a check that your own forms are right. A grammar, a dictionary and a practice app are enough for that. For translating longer texts, a course or a teacher helps later on.
The material
- A grammar to look up the rules – this website has the most important ones, with tables.
- A dictionary for texts; for the beginning the core vocabulary is enough.
- Practice with a check: Disce ludens checks every answer and helps with hints.
- Texts for later: a textbook or easy original texts.
A study plan
| Phase | Content | In Disce ludens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parts of speech, sentence elements, first words | Disce ludens I, lessons 1–4 |
| 2 | The cases, sentence patterns, accusative and infinitive | Disce ludens I, lessons 5–16 |
| 3 | Verb forms in active and passive, pronouns, declension, principal parts | Disce ludens I, lessons 17–30 |
| 4 | Subjunctive, participles, gerundive | Disce ludens II |
| 5 | Translating sentences based on Caesar | Verte ludens |
15 to 20 minutes every day, plus a few minutes of vocabulary. If you are learning alongside work or university, plan five short sessions a week rather than one long one.
Homeschooling: the app works at home without a teacher – it checks every answer, gives hints and plans vocabulary review, so a parent does not need to know Latin. It does not replace a full curriculum: there are no reading texts, no pronunciation practice and no assessment of free translations. The app is in German: exercises, hints and meanings are German, as in the original.
Where self-study reaches its limits
- Explaining in conversation: if a rule stays unclear despite reading, a teacher or a forum helps.
- Free translations: an app cannot judge whether a translation of a whole text is good.
- Qualification: in Germany, self-learners can only gain the Latinum certificate through a state exam, the supplementary Latinum exam. Getting the Latinum later.
Try it
A real exercise from Disce ludens:
Disce ludens I · Lesson 21 · Parts of speech trainer, card 1
Romani scholam puerorum parvorum ludum appellabant.
Which part of speech is marked?
© Disce ludensWhat Disce ludens does – and what it doesn’t
What Disce ludens does
- Gives self-study a fixed order in 62 lessons.
- Checks every answer and helps with graded hints.
- Plans vocabulary review with a box.
What it doesn’t do
- Does not explain in conversation.
- Does not assess free translations of whole texts.
- Does not lead to a qualification; in self-study the Latinum is only available by exam.
Frequently asked questions
Can you learn Latin on your own?
Yes, the basics work well. What matters is a fixed order, short daily practice and a check of your own answers. For texts and exams, a course helps later on.
What material do I need to learn Latin?
A grammar, a dictionary, a way to practise with a check and, for later, texts.
How long does it take to teach yourself Latin?
For the basics a few months at 15 to 20 minutes a day; considerably longer until you can read original texts.