25.11.26: follow-up on the previous post; How to say hello to squirrels …

Referring to:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/839862315291705/

When starting out in Latin, it’s very important to note that, even at the most basic levels, different features of the language can be “thrown” at you; that cannot be avoided since, in any everyday statement, a range of language has to be used.

It’s equally important not to be dragged down by that and not to try to understand every point that occurs; it is enough to be aware of them. However, I’ve added some information in case you want to explore any of the points further. The group has posts on all of these.

[1] Magister Andrews appellor: I am called …

appellō: I call / address (somebody) = active verb

appellor: I am called = passive verb

He could equally have said: Nōmen mihi est Magister Andrews │ My name is … [literally: to me there is the name ..]

[2] Ecce via │This is a road / street / path [or: Look, (it's) a road]

Ecce via pulchra │ This is a beautiful path

[3] Ecce sciūrus │ Look, a squirrel

If you say hello, or good-bye, to a squirrel - or to anyone or anything that ends in -us – you change the ending to -e

Salvē sciūre! │ Hello, squirrel.

Valē, sciūre! │ Good-bye, squirrel.

Mārcus > Salvē, Mārce!

Quīntus > Valē, Quīnte!

There are a couple of variations:

[i] meus > mī

Sextus est amīcus meus │ Sextus is my friend

> Salvē, amīce mī! │ Hello, my friend.

[ii] If a person’s name ends in -ius > -ī

Iūlius > Salvē, Iūlī!

The exclamation mark is commonly found in textbooks / grammar books as a marker when addressing people or giving commands; it doesn’t mean, however, that you’re shouting at the squirrel!

Magister Andrews’ video takes us right back to the start of this group:

19.02.24: Addressing people directly

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/394066236537984/

[4] Sciūrus fūgit │ The squirrel is running away

fūgiō: I (am) run(ning) away

fūgit: (s)he / it is running away

tempus fūgit: time flies

18.03.24: 3rd-iō conjugation

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/409226905021917/

[5] His video introduction:

[i] Nēmō nisi ego, ¦ per silvam ambulāns, pelliculamque faciēns dōnec …

Nobody apart from / except me ¦ [who is] walking through the forest and making a film until …

Note: unless you’re speaking Latin in the 15th century, those endings in –(ā/ē)ns cannot be used to express I am doing something i.e. ambulō = I walk or I am walking

[ii] ex(s)pectā paulum: wait a little; a command form, i.e. telling you to do something

The verb is either ‘expectō’ or ‘exspectō’: I (am) wait(ing) [for …]

25.02.24: verbs; first conjugation present tense

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/397175869560354/

That post explains the key principles of how verbs are formed in Latin.

22.11.25: Level 1; review presentations (1):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/838353188775951/

 22.11.25: Level 1; I'm just experimenting a bit with producing some simple presentation videos.

Key information:

1. 1st person singular present tense of ambulō (I walk / am walking), currō (I run), stō (I stand)
2. ego: I
3. when ego is not needed because the verb ending tells you who is performing the action: ambulō
4. negative of verbs: nōn ambulō (I don't walk / I am not walking)
5. via: street > in viā: in the street

 

21.11.25: Group Resources [4] follow-up on the previous post

Referring to:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/836908405587096/

The theme of these ‘group resources’ posts is not only to list what is on file here in the group and links, but to give some guidance to the question Magister Andrews originally posed: there are truckloads of Latin resources online, but how do you find “the diamond in the rough” because, frankly, there are also truckloads of garbage, all of which – and I know from my own experience – will simply be a waste of time and could mislead you to believe that Latin, while no doubt challenging (there’s no getting around that), is simply too high a hill to climb. But it can be climbed; you just need to find your way. However, if you’re a beginner, how do you know what is useful and what is not? Well, that can be a personal decision; what I’ve listed in these recent posts is what I thought would be appropriate for the different levels in this group but I would never say that there is some sort of definitive list.

Videos and listening resources can be a nightmare. I’ve spent more time selecting them – and many of them still had to be edited – than on any other resource. Magister Andrews has done a few of these little videos already, and I hope he does more. Why do I like them?

[1] It isn’t ‘fancy’ – it isn’t full of zappy video effects and “Gladiator” soundtracks which may suggest that a presenter is concentrating more on the look than the content, and there’s ample evidence of that online.

[2] It is short and focussed, it deals with a limited range of vocabulary, and the intentions are clear. He titles his videos ‘Latin from Zero’ i.e. he knows exactly who his ‘target audience’ is and so he doesn’t give you some rambling introduction – in Latin – which, if you’re only starting, will be confusing, nor does he give ‘examples’ using more advanced levels or go off at a tangent talking about something that has nothing to do with the topic in hand.

He does add a ‘side note’ – calceōs foedōs ignosce │ forgive (my) filthy shoes – but that isn’t a key piece of information; he’s already told us what matters in this video.

[3] He never speaks in English, but simply gives you the phrases with a translation as an additional reference. He illustrates the vocabulary by his own physical movements, visual references, and the pace of his voice.

[4] He doesn’t pretend to be a Roman. I have no issues with people who like to think they are, or eat dormice or invade Gaul, but when they talk at full speed using every grammatical structure Latin has on offer, and you’re just starting out, then it can be very intimidating. I really stress the word intimidating; there can be a lot of that online.

[5] He doesn’t make mistakes, nor does his pronunciation sound as if somebody is scraping their nails on a blackboard. He uses standard Classical Latin pronunciation and correct vowel lengths. Occasionally I have worked with videos where there has been some minor error – nobody’s perfect – but it doesn’t detract from the quality of what has been done, and if I can’t edit it, I always note it.

[6] He has a consistent style. We like consistency, and we become comfortable with the style and voice of a presenter. One of the problems in Youtube is that you may come across a video relating to, for example, a particular book, but the presenters don’t follow through and produce videos on all the chapters. My posts on Sonnenschein’s Ora Maritima were a rare find since there are listening resources for the entire book.

Thanks, Magister Andrews – and your filthy shoes are forgiven  – just don’t dress up as a gladiator.