Learning Latin can be a rewarding endeavor, whether for academic purposes, personal interest, or exploring classical literature. In this post, I’ll share my top recommendations for books that effectively teach Latin, based on my own experience and expertise. You can find each of these books through the affiliate Amazon links provided.
Familia Romana by Hans Ørberg
Hans Ørberg’s Lingua Latina per se Illustrata is the world’s premiere series for learning Latin via the Natural Method. The Natural Method encourages students to learn Latin without resorting to translation, but instead by teaching them to think in the language: students first learn grammar and vocabulary inductively through extended contextual reading and an ingenious system of marginal notes.
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A Companion to Familia Romana
It offers a running exposition, in English, of the Latin grammar covered in Hans H. Ørberg’s Familia Romana, and includes the complete text of the Ørberg ancillaries Grammatica Latina and Latin–English Vocabulary. It also serves as a substitute for Ørberg’s Latine Disco, on which it is based. As it includes no exercises, however, it is not a substitute for the Ørberg ancillary Exercitia Latina I.
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Exercises for Familia Romana
This workbook contains contains supplemental grammatical exercises for each of the 133 lectiones (lessons) in Familia Romana (Lingua Latina Pars I).
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