salvete eos qui linguam latinam discunt!

(greetings to those who learn the latin language)

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I have recently started trying to learn latin again, and I am using this page as a resource to both myself and others. I was inspired by the release of the EP Roman Songs by John Linnell, which reminded me of when I took Latin in high school and how much I enjoyed it. This meant I wasn’t completely unfamiliar going in, but I was definitely way out of practice. Currently I’m making my way through the duolingo latin course which has its positives and negatives like all things do:

- Positives: the “gamified” aspect does keep me engaged and coming back everyday. More so than if I had picked up a book as my reintroduction and just planned out time to read it. Honestly I probably would’ve given up or just forgot. On the app I have an over 300 day streak, so at least at this point I’ve definitely established a habit which will make my eventual transfer from the app to a book a lot easier. However, it’s important to note that I pay for the premium version of duo, I tried the free one but I found the ads and limited features made me not want to use it at all. You might be able to handle it, do with that information what you will.

- Negatives: it's so SHORT! way too short for the root of language - especially compared to their courses for languages that are fictional. Also, duolingo is styled to memorize phrases, but not exactly teach the language in a way where you can string your own sentence together. Something like that might be more apparent in an academic text or class. There you’ll most likely go over grammar, longer readings, and be able to form conversations more explicitly.

Review aside, I'm using this page as a resource dump for myself, but also for anyone who's looking for resources of their own and happen to stumble here.

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looking for where to start? Let's breakdown a greeting together!

english latin (singular) latin (plural)
hello salve salvete
my mihi (mea/ meus*) mea/ meus*
name nomen text
is est n/a
*let's talk about "my" - here the mihi option is favored and translates as "to me", whereas meus or mea mean “my” and are typically a possessive. Use of meus involves a definite subject, and mihi is associated with exitenstial construction - as in you cannot own a name.

"hello, my name is ..." translates to "Salve, mihi nomen est ..."

or mihi nomen ... est
or nomen mihi ... est
or nomen mihi est ...

then salvete is used over salve if you are adressing more than one person!

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Resources

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Awesome! Now you know how to introduce yourself to someone in latin. If you felt the rush of language learning go through you, please feel free to check out my resources below to keep going! Like I said these are just as much for me as they are for you.