Learn Church Latin
Want to learn ecclesiastical Latin? Use our free vocabulary and grammar trainer and get started with reading Cicero, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas in the language of the Church.
- V01: 1000 words
- G01: Cases
- G02: Present, Imperfect, Future
- G03: Perfect and Pluperfect Tenses
- G04: Active and Passive Voice
- G05: Participles and Ablative Absolutes
- G06: Subjunctive Mood: Purpose and Result Clauses
- G07: Indirect Statements and Questions
- G08: Conditional Sentences
- G09: Relative Clauses and Gerundives
- G10: Imperatives, Commands and Prohibitions
- G11: Supines and Passive Periphrastic
This free course offers a simple way to learn ecclesiastical Latin. The course is split into vocabulary tests (V01 - V03) and grammar tests (G1 - G11).
Starting off, you'll memorize the 1000 most common Latin words. You can now already read most prayers in the Divine Office, but you won't truly understand the syntax or how to form your own sentences.
In the beginner lessons (G01 - G05), you will learn fundamental noun cases and declensions, verb conjugations in present, imperfect, and future tenses, and basic sentence structures.
In the intermediate lessons (G02 - Gß6), you will master perfect and pluperfect tenses, active and passive voice, participles, ablative absolutes, and subjunctive clauses. At this point, you can already read excerpts from Cicero and basic Church texts.
In the advanced lessons (G07 - G11), you will work with indirect speech, conditional sentences, gerundives, and passive periphrastic constructions. At this point, you can engage with writings from St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas.
After that, it's back to two more vocabulary lessons to finish the course, so you'll have learned about 5.000 of the 40.000 existing Latin words.
G01: Cases
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!
This section practices various Latin cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, vocative, etc.). In the following story, Gallicus, a Roman soldier, is called by Varus to fight against the Germans. While traveling, he hears news of wars in Persia and among the Franks. In each sentence, fill the <input>
with the correct case form.
Only case forms are tested here; verb tenses and other grammatical points will be covered in future sections. Good luck!
G02: Present, Imperfect, Future
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!
This section practices various Latin verb tenses (present, imperfect, future). In the following story, Gallicus, a Roman soldier, receives orders, prepares for battle, and discusses the future of Rome. In each sentence, fill the <input>
with the correct verb tense.
Only verb tenses are tested here; cases and other grammatical points will be covered in future sections. Good luck!
G03: Perfect and Pluperfect Tenses
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!
This section practices the Latin Perfect System (Perfect, Pluperfect, Future Perfect). In the following war reports, we recount past victories and failures using completed-action tenses. Each sentence focuses on the perfect system. Fill the <input>
with the correct form.
Focus on 3rd & 4th conjugations, differentiating Perfect from Imperfect, and so on. Good luck!
G04: Active and Passive Voice
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!
In this section, you will practice converting between active and passive forms of verbs in the ongoing story of Gallicus and Varus. Some sentences will also include reflexive pronouns or impersonal passives. Pay close attention to agent constructions (a/ab + ablative), and remember that in passive forms the subject is acted upon.
Fill in the <input>
placeholders with the correct verb forms, either active or passive, based on the context. Keep an eye on reflexive constructions (se) and watch out for the impersonal passives (dicitur, pugnatur, etc.). Happy practicing!
G05: Participles and Ablative Absolutes
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!
In these exercises, you will encounter sentences featuring present active, perfect passive, and future active participles, as well as ablative absolute constructions. Your task is to fill in the correct participle form or ablative absolute ending in the <input>
tags.
Watch carefully for agreement in case, number, and gender with the nouns they modify. When you see ablative absolutes, ensure both the noun and participle are in the ablative. Valete ac bonam fortunam!
G06: Subjunctive Mood: Purpose and Result Clauses
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:
Person | Form |
---|---|
1st sg. | pugnarem |
2nd sg. | pugnares |
3rd sg. | pugnaret |
1st pl. | pugnaremus |
2nd pl. | pugnaretis |
3rd pl. | pugnarent |
Practice forming both purpose clauses (using ut or ut ne) and result clauses in sentences that explain the reasons and outcomes of military actions.
In these exercises you will encounter sentences that use the subjunctive mood in purpose and result clauses. Read the examples carefully and fill in the <input>
placeholders with the correct subjunctive forms.
Remember: use ut for both purpose and result clauses, and ut ne when expressing a negative purpose. Ensure that the subjunctive verb agrees with its subject in number and person, and that the tense reflects the time frame of the main clause.
Focus on military and civic contexts in your examples. Avoid any references to Roman pagan gods.
G07: Indirect Statements and Questions
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.
In the exercises below, fill in the <input>
placeholders with the correct forms. For indirect statements, remember that the subject of the reported clause is in the accusative and the verb is in the appropriate infinitive form (often perfect or present, depending on the time reference). For indirect questions, use the subjunctive mood to express uncertainty or inquiry.
Focus on military contexts—messengers reporting the movements of soldiers and generals asking about battle conditions. Ensure that the tense and mood in each subordinate clause match the intended meaning.
G08: Conditional Sentences
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.
In the exercises below, fill in the <input>
placeholders with the correct verb forms to complete the conditional sentences. Use the appropriate tense according to the context: present forms for basic conditions and pluperfect forms for contrary-to-fact conditions.
Remember that the if-clause (protasis) and the result clause (apodosis) must reflect a logical sequence of tenses to accurately express speculations on military outcomes.
G09: Relative Clauses and Gerundives
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.
In the exercises below, you will practice using relative clauses by choosing the correct relative pronoun (qui, quae, quod) to link descriptive clauses to their antecedents. You will also work with gerunds and gerundives by filling in the correct form to express means (gerunds) or obligation (gerundives).
Focus on military contexts where soldiers’ duties and battle orders are described. Ensure that the relative pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender, number, and case. For gerunds, remember that the ablative is used to indicate the means by which an action is performed, while gerundives express that something must be done.
G10: Imperatives, Commands and Prohibitions
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:
Verb | Imperative (Singular) | Imperative (Plural) |
---|---|---|
venire (to come) | veni | venite |
vincere (to conquer) | vince | vincite |
audire (to listen) | audi | audite |
properare (to hurry) | propera | properate |
oppugnare (to attack) | oppugna | oppugnate |
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.
In these exercises, you will practice forming direct commands and prohibitions. Fill in the <input>
placeholders with the correct imperative or infinitive forms.
Direct commands use the imperative form (e.g., Veni!, Vince!, Audi!). Prohibitions are formed with Noli (for one person) or Nolite (for more than one person) followed by the infinitive (e.g., Noli timere!, Nolite morari!).
Focus on the context of military discipline and pre-battle orders to reinforce clarity and brevity in your commands.
G11: Supines and Passive Periphrastic
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.
In the exercises below, you will complete sentences using the correct supine or passive periphrastic form. When a supine is required, choose the form (typically ending in -u) that is used in fixed expressions like 'mirabile dictu.' When a passive periphrastic is needed, select the appropriate gerundive form that agrees in gender and number with its associated noun, along with the necessary construction to express obligation or necessity.
These constructions are common in descriptions of fate and necessity in war, where orders and the inevitability of events are emphasized.