Level of Latin – Which is Right for You?
Interested in improving your Latin, but not sure which is the correct course for you? The following aims to give guidance only, but please feel free to contact the relevant course tutor if you need to discuss this further.
Beginners
The Intensive Beginners course is suitable for those with very little, or no Latin at all (perhaps a year or two at school).
Post Beginner's
The post-beginner's level is suitable for those who have studied Latin and read some authentic Latin. As a general indication:
· GCSE or A level (however long ago) in the UK
· three or four years at high school/gymnasium
· one year/two semesters at college/university level
In general terms, you should have (in the past, if not currently):
· a basic vocabulary of 500+ words
· covered basic accidence (endings) for the five noun declensions and the verb conjugations (including subjunctives)
· covered syntax (uses of the subjunctive, conditional clauses, indirect statements/discourse: if these terms mean nothing to you in Latin, you should be on the beginner course)
Which class is for me?
The beginner's course is a short, intensive look at Latin. You are expected to cover a part of the material on your own and practice what you learn in class. Every learning session will consist of grammar material and translation exercises, accompanied by some tasks to complete in your own time. By the end of the five days, you will be able to identify grammar structures with the help of a grammar book and navigate a Latin text using a dictionary.
The post-beginners level weekly classes are a more gentle reintroduction to what you have already learned, and offer time to work between sessions to focus on your own weaker areas based on what you have read in each session and consolidate the language. The approach is one of the teacher leading the reading of passages, modelling and explaining the Latin, and giving explanations of grammar as the need emerges. All work between sessions is rereading and consolidating the passage. We advise setting aside around 30 minutes to one hour each day to get the most out of the course.
Diagnostic sentences
The following sentences help you to check your level. Can you translate the following? Or, if not, can you see how the translation came about once you have seen the answers?
1. puellam puer salutat.
2. fideles necaverunt leones.
3. in foro videberis?
4. rex militibus imperavit ut sacerdotem caperent.
5. censeo omnes linguam Latinam discere debere.
6. linguam Graecam quoque legere possem!
Answers to the above questions can be found here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/ren/languages/latin4research/level_of_latin_assessment-answers-final.docx