Verte ludens: learn to translate with Caesar
In short
Verte ludens means “translate by playing”. In seven exercises you translate sentences based on Caesar – not all at once, but step by step: read about the construction, find its parts, translate the clause, then the whole sentence. Vocabulary, background information and guiding questions help along the way.
Translating in small steps
Faced with a sentence from Caesar, many learners see only a row of unknown words. Verte ludens takes the sentence apart: what is the ablative absolute? Which word belongs to the noun, which to the participle? What is the best translation – temporal, causal, active? Only then does the main clause come in. Every answer is checked, and graded hints help when you get stuck.
Example: His rebus celeriter administratis ipse ad exercitum contendit. – first the ablative absolute, then the main clause. The app is in German: exercises, hints and meanings are German, as in the original.
The seven exercises
- Exercises on cum clauses
- Exercises on ut clauses
- Exercises on the ablative absolute
- Exercises on the gerundive
- Translation exercises on the accusative and infinitive
- Translation exercises on relative clauses in the indicative
- Exercises on relative clauses in the subjunctive
Who Verte ludens is for
For everyone who knows the grammar and is taking the step to reading: pupils about to start reading Caesar, university students before the Latinum and adults who want to read Latin texts again. The constructions you need are practised in Disce ludens II.
Try it
A real exercise from Disce ludens:
Verte ludens · Exercise 3 · Ablative absolute, card 4
His rebus celeriter administratis ipse ad exercitum contendit.
An ablative absolute rarely occurs “bare”. Usually its components, noun and participle, are “dressed”. Which word has been added to the noun? (hic, haec, hoc – this; res – thing; celeriter, adv. – quickly; administrare – here: to carry out; ipse – himself; exercitus – army; contendere – to hurry)
Hint 1: It is a pronoun.
Hint 2: … a demonstrative pronoun
Error points: 0
© Disce ludensWhat Disce ludens does – and what it doesn’t
What Disce ludens does
- Translates sentences based on Caesar step by step.
- Explains each construction first and checks each partial answer.
- Helps with vocabulary, background information and graded hints.
What it doesn’t do
- Is not a complete reading of Caesar.
- Does not teach the grammar from scratch; that is what Disce ludens I and II are for.
- Does not assess free translations of whole chapters.
- Is not in English yet.
Frequently asked questions
What is Verte ludens?
The translation trainer of Disce ludens: seven exercises with sentences based on Caesar, in which you translate step by step.
Which topics does Verte ludens cover?
cum clauses, ut clauses, the ablative absolute, the gerundive, the accusative and infinitive, and relative clauses in the indicative and subjunctive.
What does Verte ludens cost?
€19 per year or a one-time payment of €39; it is included in “Everything”.