Veni Vidi Didici

Have Fun Learning Latin with Songs, Games, Puzzles and Jokes

Jason Talley

• Publisher: Ulysses Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781612437118
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Ancient Languages
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

This engaging Latin guide offers a lively introduction to the so-called "dead language" with basic skills and vocabulary plus jokes, songs, and more. Seize the day with a fun, new guide to the ultimate language. Whether you're looking to show up your teacher or have a laugh with friends, Veni Vidi Didici will give you the knowledge to drop some Latin that's sure to impress, including: • Cool Slang • Lighthearted insults • Funny Jokes • Timeless Games • Famous Sayings • Clever Puzzles Veni Vidi Didici goes beyond basics, offering silly stories and historical factoids that will keep you entertained for hours.

III

BEING SOCIAL IN LATIN

You might think that, barring being trapped in a time warp and finding yourself in ancient Rome, all of your interactions with other Latin speakers will be in a classroom. But the fun doesn’t have to stop in the ivory tower. Believe it or not, you can find a ton of awesome, fun places full of Latin speakers (sometimes small places, but places nonetheless). Groups across the world meet for meals and speak Latin, and even summer camps are conducted in Latin (also available during other seasons). If you can’t find people to meet up with locally, you can check out groups of Latin speakers online (there’s even a World of Warcraft clan).

The goal of this chapter is to get you started speaking Latin actively and help you confidently navigate whatever spoken Latin community you choose to explore. Remember that listening to others speak Latin will be a great way for you to exercise your Latin brain. Make sure to ask others the kinds of questions that will either be understandable to you or help you advance your knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Latin. Listen actively to their answers, and most of all, have fun and rejoice in the fact that you are speaking to a fellow human in a language that is more than 2,000 years old. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to say hello, make new friends, order a meal, and even have some virtual adventures—in Latin! This section also gives basic information about Latin grammar with practical applications. The grammatical information presented here is the most basic. If you are interested in further explanation of Latin grammar, see the resources listed at the end of the book.

GREETING AND LEAVING

One of the first things to realize about some Latin words is that they change their forms depending on their meaning. For example, different forms of verbs depend on the “number” of subjects associated with the action indicated.

salvē!

Hello! (to one person)

salvēte!

Hello! (to two or more people)

avē! hail!

Hello! (to one person)

avēte! hail!

Hello! (to two or more people)

bonum mātūtīnum!

Good morning!

bonum diem!

Good day!

bonum vesperum!

Good evening!

quid agis?

How are you doing?/What’s up?

NB

quid agis? can also mean “what are you doing?,” but I use quid facis? for that question. It can be abbreviated as qu’agis?

optimē!

Very well!

bene!

Well!

variē!

So-so!

male!

Badly!

pessimē!

Very badly!

valē!/valēte!

Goodbye!

bonum noctem!

Good night!

habē/habēte bonum diem/bonam noctem/bonum biduum!

Have a good day/good night/good weekend!

GETTING BY: SURVIVAL PHRASES

The followi...