Learn Church Latin

Latin nouns change their endings depending on their role in the sentence. These different forms are called cases. There are six major cases in Latin:

Latin Declensions

Latin nouns belong to different groups called declensions. The endings change depending on the noun’s case.

Practice Before Moving On

Try to decline the following nouns on your own: gladius, pater, urbs. Once you are comfortable, move on to the exercises!

Latin verbs change their endings depending on the tense and subject. These different forms indicate when an action happens and who is performing the action.

Verb Conjugations

Latin verbs belong to different groups called conjugations. The endings change depending on the verb’s subject and tense.

Practice Before Moving On

Try to conjugate the following verbs: laudare, videre, ducere. Once you are comfortable, move on to the exercises!

The Perfect System in Latin includes three main tenses: Perfect, Pluperfect, and Future Perfect. These tenses describe actions that have been completed (or will be completed) at different points in time. Here, we expand on how different conjugations form these past tenses.

Practice Before Moving On

Try to form the perfect system (Perfect, Pluperfect, Future Perfect) of these verbs: mittere, audire, ducere. Once you are comfortable, move on to the exercises!

In Latin, voice indicates whether the subject performs the action (Active Voice) or receives the action (Passive Voice). Mastering both voices will help you read and write more nuanced Latin texts.

Reflexive Pronouns & Impersonal Passives

Reflexive pronouns like se refer back to the subject: Gallicus se videt (Gallicus sees himself). In the passive voice, we sometimes find impersonal passives, where no specific subject is named: dicitur (it is said), pugnatur (there is fighting), etc.

Practice Before Moving On

Experiment with changing active verbs into the passive forms and vice versa. Notice how the subject and the agent shift. Once you can comfortably recognize and form active/passive verbs, proceed to the exercises below!

Participles are verbal adjectives that describe an action related to the noun they modify. In Latin, there are four main participles:

• Present Active Participle (e.g., amans – loving)
• Perfect Passive Participle (e.g., amatus – loved)
• Future Active Participle (e.g., amaturus – about to love)
• Future Passive Participle (i.e., Gerundive, e.g., amandus – to be loved)

The Ablative Absolute is a construction often made up of a noun/pronoun + a participle in the ablative case, grammatically independent (absolute) from the main clause.

Example: Sole orto, milites processerunt. (With the sun having risen, the soldiers advanced.)

Practice Before Moving On

Notice how participles can replace relative clauses or describe simultaneous/preceding/future actions. Ablative absolutes provide additional context (time, cause, etc.) to the main verb. Practice forming each type of participle and constructing ablative absolutes. Then proceed to the exercises below!

The subjunctive mood in Latin is used to express purpose and result in subordinate clauses. In purpose clauses the conjunction ut (or ut ne for negative purpose) introduces a clause in the subjunctive. For example, veni ut viderem means 'I came in order to see.'

Result clauses follow adjectives or adverbs such as tam, adeo, or sic and use ut with a subjunctive verb to indicate the outcome. For instance, tam fortis erat ut vinceret translates as 'He was so strong that he won.'

When the main clause is in the past, the imperfect subjunctive is typically used; with present main clauses, the present subjunctive is common. This distinction helps to express both the purpose behind an action and its resulting effect.

Below is a table for the imperfect subjunctive of pugnare (to fight), a verb often used in military contexts:

Practice forming both purpose clauses (using ut or ut ne) and result clauses in sentences that explain the reasons and outcomes of military actions.

Indirect statements in Latin are formed by placing the subject of the reported clause in the accusative case, followed by an infinitive. For example, Dicit militem venisse means 'He says that the soldier has come.' This construction is used when relaying information that someone else has stated.

Indirect questions are introduced by interrogative words such as quid, cur, or ubi and require the verb to be in the subjunctive mood. For instance, Nescio quid faciat translates as 'I don’t know what he is doing.' This form is common when military messengers or generals report or inquire about events.

Practice these constructions in military contexts—where messengers relay news and generals discuss strategies—to become comfortable with both the accusative + infinitive structure for indirect statements and the subjunctive mood for indirect questions.

Conditional sentences in Latin allow you to speculate on outcomes—such as victories or losses—by using if-clauses (si clauses). A basic condition uses the present indicative or subjunctive in both the if-clause (protasis) and the result clause (apodosis), as in Si venit, laetus sum ('If he comes, I am happy').

For situations that are speculative or contrary to fact, Latin employs the pluperfect subjunctive in both clauses. For example, Si venisset, laetus fuissem means 'If he had come, I would have been happy.' This structure is particularly useful in military contexts when speculating on possible victories or losses.

Pay close attention to the sequence of tenses: basic conditions typically use present forms, while contrary-to-fact conditions require the pluperfect forms.

Relative clauses in Latin are introduced by relative pronouns such as qui, quae, quod, which agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they refer to. These clauses add descriptive information about a person, thing, or idea. For example, in the sentence Milites, qui in acie pugnant, verba ducis audiunt, the clause qui in acie pugnant describes the soldiers.

Gerunds are verbal nouns that express the idea of an action without showing a subject. They are used in all cases except the nominative. For instance, pugnando discit means 'He learns by fighting,' where pugnando is a gerund in the ablative of means.

Gerundives are verbal adjectives that express necessity or obligation. They often appear in impersonal constructions. For example, Bellum gerendum est translates as 'War must be waged.' Such constructions are common in military orders and descriptions of soldiers’ duties.

The imperative mood is used in Latin for giving direct commands and instructions. In military contexts, clear and forceful commands are essential. For example, the direct command Veni! means 'Come!', and Vince! means 'Conquer!'

Prohibitions are expressed by using noli (singular) or nolite (plural) followed by an infinitive. For example, Noli timere! translates as 'Do not fear!', and Nolite morari! means 'Do not delay!'

Below is a table showing some common imperative forms and their corresponding prohibitions:

Remember that in commands the subject is usually omitted. In prohibitions, the structure is noli (or nolite) followed by the present infinitive. These forms are widely used in military discipline and during pre-battle speeches to ensure orders are clear and effective.

Supines are a unique verbal form in Latin that are used in an adverbial sense, often to express an evaluative remark. A common example is mirabile dictu, which means 'amazing to say.' In this expression, dictu is the supine form of dicere and functions adverbially.

The passive periphrastic is a construction that expresses necessity or obligation. It is formed by combining a gerundive (a future passive participle) with a form of esse and a dative subject. For example, Mihi eundum est translates as 'I must go' (literally, 'to me, it must be gone'). This construction is frequently used in military contexts to indicate that certain actions are required by fate or circumstance.

In this section, you will practice both supines and passive periphrastic constructions. Notice how the supine (often ending in -u) is used in fixed expressions to add an evaluative nuance, while the passive periphrastic conveys obligation or necessity.