Mastering Latin Vocabulary

3 fool-proof methods for learning Latin vocab

Aug 29, 2024

Have you ever found yourself thinking:

“Latin vocabulary is too hard! I can't learn it!”

Well, this is the article for you. Here are my three fool-proof methods to make learning Latin vocab easier and more enjoyable.

Derivations

One of the most effective ways to learn Latin vocabulary is by understanding derivations. Derivatives link Latin words to their English counterparts, making it easier to remember their meanings. They are the best thing to help these meanings stick in your mind.

See if you can spot any English words that might help you remember what the Latin means.

sinistra

So for example, sinistra means “left”, or “left-handed”. The Romans believed that the left side was associated with bad luck. If they saw a sign from the gods on the left hand side, that was a bad thing.

From sinistra we get the word “sinister” If you think of the left hand as being sinister, the Latin meaning sticks in the mind. That's how I always remembered it.

ambulo, ambulare

Don’t confuse it with "ambulance" – that’s a false friend. Instead, think of the English word "amble," which means to walk leisurely. So, ambulo means "walk," and "amble" in English signifies walking leisurely.

iratus

Another example: if you are "irate" in English, you are angry. This one is usually easy for my students to remember since they can think about someone getting irate at them. iratus therefore is an easy derivative to use.

fero, ferre, tuli, latus

My favourite verb is a complex and irregular one, which people can struggle to remember. Just focus on the first part. Remember that a ferry carries people and cars across a river. Similarly, fero means "I carry."

Using these English derivations can significantly ease your vocabulary learning process.

Look, Cover, Test, Check

Once you've got your derivations down, the next thing to do is take all the others that you're struggling with and do the classic look, cover, test, check.

Here’s how it works:

Take your list of Latin words with their English meanings.
Add two additional columns next to them.
Cover the English meaning column by folding the page or using an object like a ruler.
Test yourself by writing down what you think the Latin words mean. (You will know more than you expect!)
Uncover the English column to check your answers.
For any errors, write the correct meaning in the final column.
Remove the correctly answered ones and repeat the process with the remaining words.

This method helps reinforce your memory by focusing on the words you struggle with, ensuring you don’t waste time on those you already know.

Rhymes and Riddles

For the words that just won't stick, rhymes and riddles can be a fun and effective solution. Here are a few of mine that I've created to help myself remember:

patior means "I suffer." To remember this, you can say, "I suffer on the patio." It’s a quirky way to etch the word in your memory.
I don't know why this one works for me, maybe in childhood I had a traumatic experience on a patio, but that was the first thing I thought in my GCSE lessons when I saw this verb.
For the verb miror, think of the phrase, "I admire myself in the mirror."
miror means "admire" or "notice," making the sentence a helpful mnemonic.
The Latin word for silver is argentum. The element symbol for silver on the periodic table is AG, which can help you link argentum to silver. Similarly, AU stands for gold, and aureus means golden in Latin. Use wider knowledge to help you out with tricky vocab.
I struggled for a long time with nonne and num. They can be confusing because they mean "surely" and "surely not," respectively. Remember that nonne is the longer Latin word, but means "surely," - the shorter English word. In contrast, num means "surely not," which is longer in English but shorter in Latin.

Latin vocabulary might seem daunting at first, but with these fool-proof methods, you can master it more efficiently. I've come up with things that really help me remember, especially if I'm looking through a passage, so that before I freak out about seeing a word I don't know, I can have these rhymes and riddles going through my head.

Using derivations, applying the look, cover, test, check method, and creating memorable rhymes and riddles can make your learning process smoother.

Try them out and let me know in the comments - which works best for you?