Poll (the manual kind)

[benissimus]

What is/was the most confusing thing for you when you are/were at a beginner-intermediate stage of learning Latin? Hopefully, this will stir up ideas for new tutorials

[phil]

For me, the most frustrating thing is that I cannot find enough easy texts to read. After four - five months study, my vocab/grammar is not good enough to read real Latin, so I'm stuck reading the little out-of-context sentences in my study book.<br /><br />There is a huge difference between being able to sit down and write out the verb conjugation and noun declension tables (which I can do), and being able to recognise those forms when written in text (at which I am rubbish). The latter will only come from lots of reading.<br /><br />I would really appreciate having short stories, even of just a few paragraphs, (maybe with a wordlist, and a hint of what grammar you'll need to understand them) so that a beginner can actually enjoy reading, rather than decoding Latin. I suspect that this will also help increase my vocab, as I'm sure it's easier to remember words encountered in context rather than just trying to learn a list of unrelated words.<br /><br />Also, while I'm being greedy, I'd quite like a Ferrari. <br /><br />Phil

[klewlis]

I believe it's the cambridge latin course which starts you off on easy reading and then gradually progresses to more difficult passages. My copy is part of a cdrom called Learn Latin Now! which is excellent for many reasons, that included.<br /><br />the Lingua Latina series by Orberg is also recommended, though I'm not sure of the availability where you are, since it's hard to find. <br /><br />I also managed to pick up some intermediate readers at used bookstores... the kind they used to use for students way back when. :)<br /><br />oh yeah, the poll... I don't really find anything in particular to be confusing... it's just memorizing all the different things, but that comes with any language. It does frustrate me that the third declension adjectives are so widely varied.... but I suppose I will get used to that....<br /><br />

[mingshey]

When you meet the same form in different conjugation table.<br />At first you don't notice it. But trying to translate an example, you find your memory all mixed up and any small bit of confidence blown up . And you have to start over again from the beginning.<br /><br />It's the same with greek.

[benissimus]

[quote author=mingshey link=board=3;threadid=657;start=0#6188 date=1063777573]<br />When you meet the same form in different conjugation table.<br />At first you don't notice it. But trying to translate an example, you find your memory all mixed up and any small bit of confidence blown up . And you have to start over again from the beginning.<br /><br />It's the same with greek.<br />[/quote]<br /><br />What do you mean? Like with third conjugation words like defendo where defendit can mean "he defends" or "he defended"?

[mingshey]

[quote author=benissimus link=board=3;threadid=657;start=0#6189 date=1063780039]<br />What do you mean? Like with third conjugation words like defendo where defendit can mean "he defends" or "he defended"?<br />[/quote]<br /><br />Yes, lol, when the form is firmly placed in memory, it doesn't only gives ambiguity, but also destroys the confidence that I learned it correctly.

[Keesa]

The same as Phil...no easy readers. And figuring out whether "dominae" in any given sentence means the ladies, the lady's, or for the lady... ;D And not having sixteen hours a day to devote to each of my languages. And not being able to remember the ablative. <br /><br />Other than that? Nothing whatsoever.

[Episcopus]

How everyone thinks Iesus to be 2nd Conjugation <br /><br />Only joking. Obviously a subjunctive made simple would help but that is impossible.<br /><br />The D'Ooge book is good also in that there is abundant easy reading matter but stories not out of context are plentiful in addition.

[MDS]

So far I would have to say learning the exceptions to a given rule, but thanks to you guys I can learn those quickly. <br /><br />Lack of easy reading material is definately a problem, I depise having to read sentences that dont link together but know that at this point I do not know enough to hope for anything more complicated.<br /><br />I would recommend 38 stories, or the Cambridge Latin Course for easy reading material.<br /><br />Actually, my immediate problem is that my Latin class moves too slowly to feel you are learning enough to ever be able to read Cicero, Caesar or anyone in the original. But if the class moved any faster my homework would be more out of control than it is now. <br /><br />

[Emma_85]

Well I was 10 when I started and it was a bit stupid, now I look back at it. I only memorised everything, but didn't actually understand what it was I was learning... I only realised this of course when I saw some 5th class kids learning Latin on day. I suddenly remembered I had done the same, just memorised stuff I didn't understand... <br /><br />I had a lot of trouble with declensions. I just didn't understand the need for a dative or ablative. I just thought of them as some other objects and when I translate these I just have to remember to put some little word like 'to', 'for' or 'by' in front of it. <br />Never had too much trouble with conjugations, though I admit I was a bit lost when it came to participles. I thought of knew how to translate them, though I had a hard time deciding if it should be temporal, causal, concessive or whatever...<br />And then the ablative absolutus - a nightmare!

[Alundis]

The number system. The algorithm for writing down the cardinals wasn't clear to me. Then there are ordinals, distributives, adverbs, and even more which don't don't fall in those categories.