Award-Winning Latin Lessons in Albuquerque, NM

Any Latin learner may be able to benefit from Albuquerque Latin lessons, and Varsity Tutors can help you get enrolled. Whether you're a University of New Mexico student considering a future in law or theology, a Volcano Vista High School student trying to fit Latin into a schedule crammed with sports and other extracurricular activities, a student at another area school, or a working professional picking up Latin for business or personal reasons, we can find Latin lessons that can meet your needs and fit your schedule. One of the most crucial barriers that language students face can be getting enough practice time in, and Latin compounds this difficulty, as there are no large communities of Latin speakers. By enrolling in Albuquerque Latin lessons, you'll be inviting more opportunities to use your Latin skills into your life, which may be just the thing to get you learning Latin quickly and effectively.

Latin is sometimes described as a "dead" language, which means that there are no longer wide communities in which Latin is used as a spoken language. This doesn't mean that Latin isn't worth learning, however. Latin is the precursor to all modern Romance languages, like French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, and has also heavily influenced English. This makes Latin very useful for anyone interested in learning these languages as well, or anyone interested in studying Western languages generally. Latin is also still used in the terminology of law, medicine, and the sciences. Latin was spoken in Europe through the Middle Ages and up into the early modern period and has historically been widely used in Western religious circles, remaining the official language of communication in the Roman Catholic Church even today. For these reasons, those who are interested in studying theology or European history can benefit from studying Latin for the access it will give them to source documents.

What material will Albuquerque Latin lessons cover?

Some elements of Latin may be surprisingly easy for English speakers due to the role that Latin has had in English's development. Many Latin words are almost identical to their English cognates, like "persuadeo," with means "I persuade," or "desidero," which means "I desire." This makes picking up a Latin vocabulary relatively simple for learners with a strong English vocabulary. Also, since Latin has no community of speakers in the modern world, there is no such thing as an authentic Latin accent, so you won't have to worry about mastering an accent to the degree that you would with most other languages. You'll still have to work on developing a consistent pronunciation, though, as this can make it easier for you to recognize and learn words, and make reading more fluid.

Grammar is where many learners may begin to struggle with Latin, as the way that sentences are constructed is very different than in English. In Latin, it's the endings of words, known as inflections, that indicate how words relate to other words in a sentence and convey meaning. In English, this is largely done with word order. To give a simple example, "Jack chased Jill" means something different than "Jill chased Jack." In Latin, the subject and the object of this sentence would be determined by the inflections of the words involved, rather than the order the words are in. You won't be able to understand Latin sentences without carefully examining inflections. This can be confusing at first, but it also makes Latin a very concise and precise language once you get the hang of it.

You'll also learn Latin's system of gendered nouns, where all nouns are assigned one of three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. You'll have to memorize the gender of all the nouns you learn. You'll also have to understand how Latin adjectives "agree" with the number and gender of the nouns they reference. Latin lessons will also teach you essential phrases, the Latin alphabet (Classical Latin uses only 23 letters, rather than 26), and even a bit of Latin history. Latin split into two forms, Classical Latin and Vulgar Latin, around the time that the Romans began to develop a literature. Depending on your goals, you may focus on one or both of these forms. Classical Latin is very formal, while Vulgar Latin was the more commonly spoken form, and has less of a focus on inflections and uses word order a bit more.

How will Albuquerque Latin lessons help me learn all this?

You have some options when enrolling in Latin lessons: you can study with other Latin learners in a group class, or opt for private instruction. Many students find they benefit from a mix of both. If you choose to go with a class, you'll be taught entirely online in a collaborative online classroom, where you'll see, hear, and speak with your instructor and classmates. You'll be taught live by a qualified Latin teacher, and you'll participate in group discussions and activities. This can take a lot of the intimidation out of learning a language, and you'll be able to practice your Latin in conversation with other learners at your own level. Group classes like this have been shown to both help students quickly acquire knowledge and retain it in the long term. An online class adds a lot of convenience, too. There are a variety of class times that can accommodate your busy schedule, and you won't have to worry about fitting an extra commute into your day.

Private instruction from an Albuquerque Latin tutor has advantages as well. If you choose this type of lesson, we can help you find an independent tutor who can craft a personalized lesson plan for you that can target your personal goals, and take your learning style into account. If you're interested in studying law, for example, an Albuquerque Latin tutor may be able to focus your instruction on Latin knowledge that will be useful when reading and preparing law documents. You'll have the option of studying with your tutor online over our Live Learning Platform, which will allow you to talk face-to-face over video chat and use a virtual whiteboard in your lessons, or you can choose to meet in person. If you'd prefer in-person instruction, your Albuquerque Latin tutor can arrange to meet you wherever you'd like, whether that's in your home, at the library, or anywhere else.

How can I get enrolled?

If you contact Varsity Tutors today, one of our educational consultants can talk to you about your Latin learning needs and find a solution that works best for you and your schedule. Whether you're a Cibola High School student looking for after-school instruction or a night-shift worker who'd prefer something early in the day, Albuquerque Latin lessons can be a powerful tool in understanding a language that underpins much of modern Western discourse. Give us a call, and we can help you get on track to pursue your Latin learning goals.