Award-Winning Latin Courses & Classes in Portland, OR

If you are a high school student studying Latin at David Douglas High School or Lincoln High School, or you're studying college-level Latin at the University of Portland or Reed College, or you just have a fascination with learning Latin, Varsity Tutors can help you out with a Portland Latin course. Whether you are brand new to the language or you have some skills that need refreshing, a course that provides the building blocks of the language, as well as access to an experienced Latin teacher, could be just the thing you're looking for.

If you feel like you don't learn enough in a traditional classroom, you are looking for a way to avoid a long commute, or you just want to try something new, then enrolling in this class could go a long way towards helping you build up your ability to use Latin, whether you are speaking it or writing it down.

If you are a native English speaker, you'll find a lot of similar words in Latin, as English is one of the Germanic languages most heavily influenced by the language. Latin can also provide you with the foundation to learn the Romance languages, as many evolved from it, including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and French.

Though it is still the official language of Vatican City and the Roman Catholic Church, Latin is now considered a dead language. It was a living language all throughout the Middle Ages and into the beginning of the modern era. By the seventeenth century, many people had tried to make classical Latin a popular and much-used language again, but these attempts were unsuccessful as the vernacular languages such as French, Italian, and English rose in usage. By the time the nineteenth century had arrived, the vernacular languages had become more widespread and had taken over.

However, the Roman alphabet is still used today and is the alphabet that English and several other languages throughout the world use. In classical times, the Latin alphabet only had 23 letters, instead of the 26 used by native English speakers. It lacked the j, w, and v.

By enrolling in a Portland Latin class, you will learn that Latin not only provides a foundation for learning other languages, but also is still used in many professions, such as scientific research, law, medicine, and theology.

What types of material will I learn in a Portland Latin course?

When speaking Latin, the endings of words, or inflections, are key to comprehending how the words will interact with each other in the sentence. It is important to understand these inflections if you want to make sense out of a sentence. This can be somewhat hard for those who are native English speakers because English does not make much use out of inflected word forms. Instead, English relies more strictly on word order.

For example, if a sentence reads "the bear eats a trout", an English speaker would know which animal was consuming the other based purely off the order the words are written in. In Latin, it is not so clear cut and relies more on the way the verb ends. When learning Latin, vocabulary is important, but the way a word ends is just as important. Latin is a language that has concise expressions that are highly inflected.

Another thing you will learn is about the types of nouns there are in Latin. Latin has three forms for nouns, including the neuter form, the feminine form, and the masculine form. It is important to know which form a noun takes as the adjective will relate to it, in both gender and number. It can take some practice and memorization on your part to remember which form a noun comes in. Some are more obvious, such as "regina" for "queen" which is feminine, or "vir" for "man" which is masculine. Neuter nouns can be somewhat more difficult and can include words like "consilium" for "plan" or "nomen" for "name".

If you are a native English speaker, you will learn that a lot of English words actually come from Latin, which can make picking up the vocabulary somewhat easier. Some examples of familiar words can include "finis" for "finish or end" and "adulescen" for "a youth or adolescent".

Don't worry if this sounds like a lot of memorization for nouns and complex rules for verbs and grammar. Your Latin instructor will be there through all of the stages of your learning and there will be plenty of opportunities to discuss the different intricacies of Latin.

How can a Portland Latin course teach me Latin skills?

A Portland Latin class combines the convenience of a virtual classroom with the interaction you'd get from studying with other people. This is because you will have access not only to an experienced Latin teacher but your classmates as well. When you start having problems, you can talk to your instructor or you can ask another student for help. If you talk with another student, it gives both of you the chance to learn more about the Latin language. Additionally, if you find that learning Latin is difficult in some areas, a Portland Latin course will offer the opportunity for you to request some one-on-one time with your instructor.

The classes start on a rolling monthly basis, so getting started can be quick and efficient. Being fully online provides a few advantages, including the fact that you do not have to go anywhere to learn. You can talk to your instructor and classmates as if they were there with you. Night classes, weekend classes, and daytime classes can be chosen depending on your individual needs.

How can I get started?

If you are ready to start learning Latin, you simply need to contact Varsity Tutors to get started with the enrollment process. We can give you some extra information on what you may learn in a Portland Latin class, as well as provide you with details on when and how you can begin. We will also let you know what classes are currently being offered. Soon, with the aid of your professional Latin expert, the support of your classmates, and the various activities designed to encourage learning, you can either begin learning Latin from the basics or brush up on what you already know.