Latin · D'Ooge · Lessons for beginners

Latin for Beginners

D'Ooge's first-year Latin course, starting from nothing: sounds, cases, declensions and verbs, with sentences and short stories in every lesson. Every lesson has a guide you can follow step by step even if you have never studied Latin, with the right page of the book beside it.

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How to use it

  • A little, often. About 30 to 40 minutes a day, four or five days a week. Many lessons take two days; the guide says so.
  • You can learn alongside. You do not need to know Latin. The guides explain each idea in plain English, and the book gives the meaning of every word.
  • Out loud. Say every form and sentence aloud. The book uses the Roman pronunciation: c and g are always hard, v sounds like w, and a long mark over a vowel means hold it a little longer. The pronunciation section at the front of the book has the details.
  • Cards for words. Each lesson sends you to a special vocabulary near the back of the book. Put each word on an index card and review a few minutes a day. From Lesson XXXI on, learn all the principal parts of every verb.
  • Chant the tables. Declensions and conjugations stick best when chanted, the same way, every day, until they come without thinking.
  • Use the reviews. After Lessons VIII, XVII, XXVI and XXXVI the book points to review sections at the back. Take a review day there whenever you like.

Part 1 First principles

Subject, verb and object, the five cases, and the first endings, with sentences about Diana and Latona. Lessons 1–6.

  1. 1First principles: subject, verb and objectLesson I✓
  2. 2Singular and plural; verbs ending in -t and -ntLesson II✓
  3. 3The five casesLesson III✓
  4. 4Nominative subject, accusative object, genitive ownerLesson IV✓
  5. 5The dative: the indirect objectLesson V✓
  6. 6The ablative, prepositions and adjectivesLesson VI✓

Part 2 Nouns and adjectives of the first two declensions

The a- and o-declensions, adjectives that agree, and the first readings about Germany and Italy. Lessons 7–13.

  1. 7The first declension; genderLesson VII✓
  2. 8Adjectives agree in gender; Latin word orderLesson VIII✓
  3. 9The second declension: dominus and pīlumLesson IX✓
  4. 10Second-declension adjectives; appositionLesson X✓
  5. 11Adjectives of the first and second declensionsLesson XI✓
  6. 12Nouns in -ius and -iumLesson XII✓
  7. 13Second declension: nouns in -er and -irLesson XIII✓

Part 3 Possessives, pronouns and the ablative

My, your and his own; four kinds of "with"; the nine irregular adjectives; is, ea, id. Lessons 14–17.

  1. 14Possessive adjectives: meus, tuus, suus, noster, vesterLesson XIV✓
  2. 15The ablative meaning "with": cause, means, accompaniment, mannerLesson XV✓
  3. 16The nine irregular adjectivesLesson XVI✓
  4. 17The demonstrative is, ea, idLesson XVII✓

Part 4 Verbs: the active voice

The verb sum, then the present, imperfect and future of all four conjugations, and commands. Lessons 18–26.

  1. 18Verbs: tense, mood, person; the verb sumLesson XVIII✓
  2. 19Present tense of amō and moneōLesson XIX✓
  3. 20Imperfect tense of amō and moneōLesson XX✓
  4. 21Future tense of amō and moneōLesson XXI✓
  5. 22Review of verbs; the dative with adjectivesLesson XXII✓
  6. 23Present tense of regō and audiōLesson XXIII✓
  7. 24Imperfect of regō and audiō; the dative with special verbsLesson XXIV✓
  8. 25Future of regō and audiōLesson XXV✓
  9. 26Verbs in -iō of the third conjugation; the imperativeLesson XXVI✓

Part 5 Verbs: the passive voice

Being loved, being ruled: the passive in three tenses, synopses, and the ablative meaning "from", with the story of Perseus. Lessons 27–30.

  1. 27The passive voice: amor and moneorLesson XXVII✓
  2. 28The passive of regō and audiōLesson XXVIII✓
  3. 29Passive of -iō verbs; infinitive and imperativeLesson XXIX✓
  4. 30Synopses; the ablative meaning "from"Lesson XXX✓

Part 6 The perfect tenses

Principal parts, the perfect, pluperfect and future perfect, active and passive, and yes-or-no questions. Lessons 31–36.

  1. 31Principal parts and stems; the perfect tenses of sumLesson XXXI✓
  2. 32The perfect active of all four conjugationsLesson XXXII✓
  3. 33Pluperfect and future perfect active; perfect infinitiveLesson XXXIII✓
  4. 34Review of the active voiceLesson XXXIV✓
  5. 35The passive perfects; perfect passive and future active infinitivesLesson XXXV✓
  6. 36Principal parts review; prepositions; yes-or-no questionsLesson XXXVI✓

Part 7 Possum, relatives and the third declension

I can, who and which, and the first consonant stems of the third declension, with the story of Tarpeia. Lessons 37–40.

  1. 37The verb possum; uses of the infinitiveLesson XXXVII✓
  2. 38The relative pronoun quī; interrogative pronounsLesson XXXVIII✓
  3. 39The third declension: consonant stems (Class I)Lesson XXXIX✓
  4. 40The third declension: consonant stems (Class II)Lesson XL✓

Part 8 The third declension completed

Neuter nouns, a review story, i-stem nouns, and the gender rules of the third declension. Lessons 41–44.

  1. 41Third declension: neuter nouns like flūmen and caputLesson XLI✓
  2. 42Review lesson: Terror CimbricusLesson XLII✓
  3. 43Third declension: i-stem nounsLesson XLIII✓
  4. 44vīs and iter; gender in the third declensionLesson XLIV✓

Part 9 Third-declension adjectives, the fourth and fifth declensions

Adjectives like ācer and omnis, nouns in -us/-ū and -ēs, and how Latin says where and when. Lessons 45–48.

  1. 45Adjectives of the third declensionLesson XLV✓
  2. 46The fourth declension: adventus and cornūLesson XLVI✓
  3. 47Place to, from and in; the locative; domusLesson XLVII✓
  4. 48The fifth declension; the ablative of timeLesson XLVIII✓

Part 10 Pronouns

Personal, reflexive, intensive, demonstrative and indefinite pronouns, with the story of Horatius. Lessons 49–52.

  1. 49Personal and reflexive pronounsLesson XLIX✓
  2. 50ipse (self) and īdem (the same)Lesson L✓
  3. 51The demonstratives hic, iste, illeLesson LI✓
  4. 52Indefinite pronouns: someone, anyone, eachLesson LII✓

Part 11 Comparing adjectives and adverbs

Bigger, biggest: regular and irregular comparison, and how adverbs are made and compared. Lessons 53–57.

  1. 53Comparison of adjectivesLesson LIII✓
  2. 54Adjectives in -lis; the ablative after comparativesLesson LIV✓
  3. 55Irregular comparison: good, better, bestLesson LV✓
  4. 56More irregular comparison; the ablative of degree of differenceLesson LVI✓
  5. 57Forming and comparing adverbsLesson LVII✓

Part 12 Numbers and deponent verbs

Counting in Latin, how far and how long, and verbs that look passive but mean active. Lessons 58–60.

  1. 58Numbers; the partitive genitiveLesson LVIII✓
  2. 59Ordinal numbers; how long and how farLesson LIX✓
  3. 60Deponent verbs; prepositions with the accusativeLesson LX✓

Part 13 The subjunctive: forms and purpose clauses

A new mood for wishes and purposes: its four tenses, the sequence of tenses, and verbs of fearing. Lessons 61–65.

  1. 61The subjunctive mood: the present subjunctiveLesson LXI✓
  2. 62The subjunctive of purposeLesson LXII✓
  3. 63The imperfect subjunctive; the sequence of tensesLesson LXIII✓
  4. 64Perfect and pluperfect subjunctive; commands and requestsLesson LXIV✓
  5. 65The subjunctive of possum; verbs of fearingLesson LXV✓

Part 14 Participles, result and description clauses

Participles, volō and its family, the ablative absolute, fīō, result, description and cum clauses. Lessons 66–70.

  1. 66ParticiplesLesson LXVI✓
  2. 67volō, nōlō, mālō; the ablative absoluteLesson LXVII✓
  3. 68The verb fīō; the subjunctive of resultLesson LXVIII✓
  4. 69The subjunctive of characteristic; the predicate accusativeLesson LXIX✓
  5. 70Clauses with cum; the ablative of specificationLesson LXX✓

Part 15 Gerunds, reported speech and special cases

Gerund and gerundive, indirect statements and questions, eō and ferō, and more uses of the cases. Lessons 71–76.

  1. 71Vocabulary review; the gerund and gerundiveLesson LXXI✓
  2. 72The verb eō; indirect statementsLesson LXXII✓
  3. 73The verb ferō; the dative with compound verbsLesson LXXIII✓
  4. 74Vocabulary review; indirect questionsLesson LXXIV✓
  5. 75Vocabulary review; the dative of purposeLesson LXXV✓
  6. 76Vocabulary review; the genitive and ablative of descriptionLesson LXXVI✓

Part 16 Final review of syntax

Three closing lessons that review the uses of every case and of the verb. Lessons 77–79.

  1. 77Review: agreement, genitive, dative, accusativeLesson LXXVII✓
  2. 78Review of the ablativeLesson LXXVIII✓
  3. 79Review of the verb: gerund, infinitive, subjunctiveLesson LXXIX✓

The book itself

D'Ooge's Latin for Beginners

1909 (this copy printed about 1911) · First-year Latin, about ages 11 to 14 and up

79 lessons from the alphabet and pronunciation through the subjunctive, each with vocabulary and exercises, then easy Latin readings, tables of forms and full vocabularies.

🧑‍🏫 Teaching guides ⬇ Download PDF (23.8 MB) Internet Archive ↗

Scanned from a University of California copy.

Lesson numbers match the book's Roman numerals: Lesson 3 is the book's Lesson III. The guides are written for this site; the book is in the public domain.

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