Award-Winning Latin Courses & Classes in Austin, TX

Whether you are studying the Latin language at the University of Texas in Austin, attending Bowie High School or Lake Travis High School, or you just want to study the language for your own personal reasons, Varsity Tutors can help set you up with an Austin Latin course to meet your needs. A course can provide you with the necessary foundation for learning Latin with discussions, activities, and access to a Latin teacher.

Learning to speak another language can prove tricky even to the most studious of people. Perhaps you've found that a conventional classroom isn't right for you or you're trying to find a supplement to help you with your studies. Either way, an Austin Latin course could be just the thing you're looking for. You can learn to communicate with others, which is a necessary skill for any language, whether you are using the written word or are speaking it out loud.

Out of the Germanic languages, English has proved itself to be the one most affected by Latin, and therefore if you are a native speaker of English, you might find a lot of similarities in the words. The Roman alphabet is still being used today by English speakers and for several other languages across the globe. The main difference between the classical Roman alphabet and the English alphabet is that Latin only had 23 letters, omitting the w, v, and j.

Latin also shares a special bond with Spanish, French, Romanian, Portuguese, and Italian, as it was the precursor to these Romance languages. Therefore, if you are looking to learn a Romance language, having a solid Latin foundation can provide you with an advantage.

When the Romans first developed literature, a divide happened with Latin. There was classical Latin, known for being an elegant and formal tongue; classical Latin got much of its influence from Greek in terms of style, vocabulary, and grammar. The other type of Latin is called vulgar Latin, and it was the more popular form spoken by soldiers and colonists. Vulgar Latin differed from its classical side by using fewer prepositions and relying less on word inflections and more on sentence structure and word order.

By the seventeenth century, despite many attempts to revive classical Latin, the language had become less popular in comparison to the vernacular languages that were being used. By the nineteenth century, these vernacular languages had mostly taken over and Latin had become all but unnecessary to speak.

Despite the fall in popularity and the fact that many people refer to Latin as a dead language, it is still the language used in the Roman Catholic Church for communication and is the official tongue of Vatican City. Learning Latin through an Austin Latin class will provide you with many opportunities, whether you are trying to further your expertise in reading Latin literature, taking a Latin class, or even if you are diving into the medical, legal, or theological professions.

What types of material will be covered in an Austin Latin course?

In your class, you will be taught common Latin phrases, Latin reading comprehension, and essential Latin vocabulary. You will also learn about pronunciation, which many students find easier than some other languages, as the need for an authentic Latin accent is unnecessary.

For native English speakers, a lot of vocabulary can be easily absorbed, since Latin and English share quite a few words in common. Some examples of Latin words that resemble their English counterparts include "desidero", which means "I desire", "persuadeo", which means "I persuade", and "rapidus", which means "swift or rapid". There are many more examples which your Latin instructor may review.

Despite the similarities in vocabulary, something that can be hard for a native English speaker to understand is how word order in Latin matters less than the way a word is ended, although these inflections are just as important as the vocabulary itself. You will be taught how English uses inflections very rarely, whereas Latin relies on the word endings to explain how the words within a sentence will relate to each other. The connection between the subject of a sentence and the verb usage is a key component to understanding and mastering Latin. For example, if you were to use the sentence "the monkey scratches the fleas", it will be the ending of the verb that tells you which animal is scratching, as opposed to knowing it based on which order the words are in.

If this sounds complex, don't worry. Your instructor will provide you with many opportunities to discuss Latin sentence structure and the grammatical complexities of the language. You will also learn all about nouns and how they take on either a feminine, masculine, or neuter form. Adjectives relate to these nouns, both in number and in their gender.

How will an Austin Latin course help me learn these things?

By combining the use of an online classroom with the interaction of other students and access to an experienced Latin teacher, an Austin Latin class could be just the thing you're looking for if you don't want a long commute and if you want to be able to study during the day, during the weekend, or at night.

Being able to help out a classmate as if you were sitting right next to each other studying is beneficial as it can help both of you learn more about the Latin language. You can communicate with everyone, including the other students and the instructor during your class time.

An Austin Latin class will also give you the perk of being able to reserve some extra one-on-one study time with your instructor. This advantage allows you to clarify some of the harder subjects on a more individualized basis.

The classes begin on a rolling monthly basis, so the wait time for starting Latin is quick and efficient.

How does a student get started?

Ready to begin learning Latin through an Austin Latin class? Just let Varsity Tutors know. No matter what your skill level is, and no matter what goals you want to achieve, we can help you get started. We will provide information on how and when to enroll, a schedule of what classes are being offered, and additional details on what kind of information will be taught during your class. By making use of the virtual classroom activities, the numerous discussions being had, and the aid of your instructor and the other students, you can begin taking the necessary steps to learn Latin.