Anyone using this now?

[Benedarius]

Once again, this forum seems to have gone months without a post, so since I've been using this textbook for a short while now, I decided to post and see is anyone else using it at present. I've quite enjoyed it so far (although I haven't even reached the first review exercise yet ), but although it's intense and obviously grammar heavy, I've also found that I've made appreciable progress more than any other attempt I've made at learning Latin before this. Despite the fact that I'm quite busy at the moment, I've still found that I'm looking forward to my half an hour or so that I'm managing most days (or at least every second) if not closer to an hour. So, anyone else finding this at the moment, and perhaps we can try to keep track of each other to encourage each other?

[phil96]

Well, I'll come out of the woodwork again. I've been plugging away at M&F for several years (can't possibly imagine completing it usefully in only four weeks!) and am now working on the final passage from Caesar in unit 18. There are likely to be others of us lurking around too, but I think the further you go with it, and particularly if you also follow the other Textkit fora, the more likely it is that you can eventually nut out most problems yourself using all the online resources. You see how the experts have tackled other questions, what tools they have used, and you build up a collection of useful references (not to mention a bit more confidence). So you tend to disappear into the woodwork and only emerge when you're completely stumped. It's a bit like achieving critical mass. While it still can be very hard work to understand a passage you have a good idea how you might approach it and where to go for answers.

As for M&F itself, I've thoroughly enjoyed it and, pace Laura (whose stories I enjoy also), haven't found it at all boring. But it's horses for courses; M&F happens to suit my learning style. When I've finished the book I'll probably do a quick run through again to relearn the things I've forgotten. Chapter 1 was such a long time ago. I for one am always happy to discuss issues with the exercises and our progress.

Phil

[Benedarius]

I also cannot imagine what you could learn from doing a unit a day. I just get the feeling that you'd come out brimming with knowledge, mixed up, and lost! It would be ridiculous to know basically how to conjugate most Latin verbs by the third day! You need some time to practice that and make it at least a bit natural!

Anyway, it's nice to hear from others. I'm getting a much greater sense of satisfaction from M&F that I have from any other Latin course, because of the detailed explanations, and because the exercises actually start to get complicated nice and early. They are worthwhile!

[Jeremy123]

Hi Benedarius,

I've been working through the book for about 6 months now and I am about half way through. I really like the text for the same reasons that you stated. It is certainly tough at times but all the more enjoyable for that reason.

[teddy2005]

Hey,

So I actually did the first two weeks of the Latin program and it was just too insane. I was doing/studying Latin like 16-18 hours a day (I wish that was an exaggeration!!).

Anyway now I'm just trying to get through the rest on my own. Right now I'm up to chapter 8. I still translate pretty slow, but it's pretty awesome to be able to read short passages of real Latin.
(Benedarius: it is totally crazy to know almost all verb conjugations by day 3 - and I hoping all that info won't start falling out of my head)

When you all go through M&F's exercises - how do you check your translations? I think this is the only real downside to dropping the class - I have no way of finding out the answers now. So what do you guys do? Thanks!

-D

[phil96]

Hi Teddy2005

When you all go through M&F's exercises - how do you check your translations? I think this is the only real downside to dropping the class - I have no way of finding out the answers now. So what do you guys do? Thanks!

Look at tempoclavis' post Answer Key for M&F. There seem to be occasional discrepancies between what is translated and what is in my copy; the key might be for the earlier edition of M&F, but it's still very useful. Congratulations for surviving the course!

Regards
Phil

[Amiros]

I'm also (almost) a survivor of M&F. What an experience! It's definitely intense, and I've taken it really slowly. I think it took about a year, but hey, I'm still a full-time student.

These days I'm reading the last Caesar chapters of unit 18, and still have the last review ahead of me. Yes, this book is tough, but if you manage you way through it you would probably have a good foundation to go on with texts and deepen your command of Latin. For me, some of the last Caesar chapters were weird to understand but some were surprisingly easy, which made me happy. The satisfaction of completing this book is wonderful.

I must say though that I wasn't a complete beginner when began so I didn't really have to study all the conjugation in three days (and it wasn't three days anyway...). But I knew nothing of the subjunctive, and I agree that this book does a great job throwing you into this scary water. Today hypothetical things are my second nature (actually they always were).