Most adult native English speakers have a vocabulary range of about 20,000 to 35,000 words. However, to understand 75% of everyday conversation, knowing just 800 to 1,000 of the most frequently used words is sufficient.
The average Latin speaker likely used less than four thousand words in general, and you can obtain a basic vocabulary for understanding Latin literature with around 1,500 words.
Latin is within your grasp! 1,500 works is not *that* much effort. The following are a list of Latin words and their definitions.
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A: From
Actus: Actuator; Act; Deed
Ad: To; for
Advocatus: Advocate
Agnus: Lamb
Alea: Gambling
Alis: wings
Amor: Love
Anima: Soul
Animus: Mind
Anno: Year
Aquila: Eagle
Arma: Weapons
Audentes: Venturing; fortune
Audemus: Dare
Aut: Or else
Ave: Hail
Bona: Goods
Cano: I sing (first person, present tense)
Capit: Captures
Colligenda: Collecting
Consulendo: Counseling; consulting; deliberating
Defendere: Defend
Dei: God
Diaboli: Devil
Domini: Lord
Ea: She
Ego: I
Est: Exists; is
Faciam: Make; do
Fati: Fate
Fontes: Fountains, Source
Fortuna: Luck; Fortune
Gloriam: Glory
Hoc: hereinto; this
Hominem: the person; the man
Iacta: Cast; tossed
Id: It
Imperator: Emperor
In: In
Initio: The beginning
Inveniam: Find; invent
Is: He
Iuvat: Assists; favors
Jura: Rights
Liber: Free; book
Maiorem: Greater
Mare/mari: The sea
Morituri: Doomed;
Muscas: Flies
Non: Non; not
Nos: We
Nostra: Our
Occasum: Sunset
Ortu: Rising
Paratus: Ready; prepared
Posteriori: the later
Priori: the earlier
Propriis: Specialties
Reus: Guilty
Salutant: Salute
Solis: Sunset
Tū/ Te: You
Usque: All the way; Up
viamUtrumque: Both
Viam: A way; a road
Virumque: Husband; man
Volat: Flies
Vos: You all
Colors
| Latin | English | Audio (Classical) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| āter, ātra, ātrum | black (like a coal, not glossy); dark, gloomy | ||
| niger, nigra, nigrum | black (glossy); dark | ||
| albus, a, um | white (dead white, not shining) | Duration: 2 seconds.0:02 | |
| candidus, a, um | white (shining, dazzling) | ||
| ruber, rubra, rubrum | red | ||
| rūfus, a, um | ruddy, red-haired | ||
| aurantius, a, um | orange | Not often used in classical Latin | |
| aureus, a, um | golden, gold | ||
| flāvus, a, um | yellow, blond/e-haired | ||
| lūteus, a, um | yellow | used less frequently | |
| viridis, e | green | This is a 3rd declension adjective: all other color names in this lesson are 1st/2nd declension | |
| caeruleus, a, um | blue | ||
| purpureus, a, um | purple | ||
| roseus, a, um | pink, rose | ||
| fuscus, a, um | brown | ||
| cānus, a, um | gray, gray-haired |
Numbers
| Number | Roman numeral | Cardinal | Ordinal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | nihil | ||
| 1 | I | ūnus (m), ūna (f), ūnum (n) | prīmus |
| 2 | II | duo (m), duae (f), duo (n) | secundus |
| 3 | III | trēs (m), tres (f), tria (n) | tertius |
| 4 | IV | quattuor | quārtus |
| 5 | V | quīnque | quīntus |
| 6 | VI | sex | sextus |
| 7 | VII | septem | septimus |
| 8 | VIII | octō | octāvus |
| 9 | IX | novem | nōnus |
| 10 | X | decem | decimus |
| 11 | XI | ūndecim | ūndecimus |
| 12 | XII | duodēcim | duodecimus |
| 13 | XIII | trēdecim | tertius decimus |
| 14 | XIV | quattuordecim | quārtus decimus |
| 15 | XV | quīndecim | quīntus decimus |
| 16 | XVI | sēdecim | sextus decimus |
| 17 | XVII | septendecim | septimus decimus |
| 18 | XVIII | duodēvīgintī | duodēvīcēsimus |
| 19 | XIX | ūndēvīgintī | ūndēvīcēsimus |
| 20 | XX | vīgintī | vīcēsimus |
| 21 | XXI | vīgintī ūnus | vīcēsimus prīmus |
| 22 | XXII | vīgintī duo | vīcēsimus secundus |
| 23 | XXIII | vīgintī trēs | |
| 24 | XXIV | vīgintī quattuor | |
| 25 | XXV | vīgintī quīnque | |
| 26 | XXVI | vīgintī sex | |
| 27 | XXVII | vīgintī septem | |
| 28 | XXVIII | duodētrīgintā vīgintī octō | |
| 29 | XXIX | ūndētrīgintā vīgintī novem | |
| 30 | XXX | trīgintā | trīcēsimus |
| 31 | XXXI | trīgintā ūnus | |
| 32 | XXXII | trīgintā duo | |
| 33 | XXXIII | trīgintā trēs | |
| 34 | XXXIV | trīgintā quattuor | |
| 35 | XXXV | trīgintā quīnque | |
| 36 | XXXVI | trīgintā sex | |
| 37 | XXXVII | trīgintā septem | |
| 38 | XXXVIII | duodēquadrāgintā trīgintā octō | |
| 39 | XXXIX | ūndēquadrāgintā trīgintā novem | |
| 40 | XL | quadrāgintā | quadrāgēsimus |
| 41 | XLI | quadrāgintā ūnus | |
| 42 | XLII | quadrāgintā duo | |
| 43 | XLIII | quadrāgintā trēs | |
| 44 | XLIV | quadrāgintā quattuor | |
| 45 | XLV | quadrāgintā quīnque | |
| 46 | XLVI | quadrāgintā sex | |
| 47 | XLVII | quadrāgintā septem | |
| 48 | XLVIII | duodēquīnquāgintā quadrāgintā octō | |
| 49 | XLIX | ūndēquīnquāgintā quadrāgintā novem | |
| 50 | L | quīnquāgintā | quīnquāgēsimus |
| 51 | LI | quīnquāgintā ūnus | |
| 52 | LII | quīnquāgintā duo | |
| 53 | LIII | quīnquāgintā trēs | |
| 54 | LIV | quīnquāgintā quattuor | |
| 55 | LV | quīnquāgintā quīnque | |
| 56 | LVI | quīnquāgintā sex | |
| 57 | LVII | quīnquāgintā septem | |
| 58 | LVIII | duodēsexāgintā quīnquāgintā octō | |
| 59 | LIX | ūndēsexāgintā quīnquāgintā novem | |
| 60 | LX | sexāgintā | sexāgēsimus |
| 61 | LXI | sexāgintā ūnus | |
| 62 | LXII | sexāgintā duo | |
| 63 | LXIII | sexāgintā trēs | |
| 64 | LXIV | sexāgintā quattuor | |
| 65 | LXV | sexāgintā quīnque | |
| 66 | LXVI | sexāgintā sex | |
| 67 | LXVII | sexāgintā septem | |
| 68 | LXVIII | duodēseptuāgintā sexāgintā octō | |
| 69 | LXIX | ūndēseptuāgintā sexāgintā novem | |
| 70 | LXX | septuāgintā | septuāgēsimus |
| 71 | LXXI | septuāgintā ūnus | |
| 72 | LXXII | septuāgintā duo | |
| 73 | LXXIII | septuāgintā trēs | |
| 74 | LXXIV | septuāgintā quattuor | |
| 75 | LXXV | septuāgintā quīnque | |
| 76 | LXXVI | septuāgintā sex | |
| 77 | LXXVII | septuāgintā septem | |
| 78 | LXXVIII | duodēoctōgintā septuāgintā octō | |
| 79 | LXXIX | ūndēoctōgintā septuāgintā novem | |
| 80 | LXXX | octōgintā | octōgēsimus |
| 81 | LXXXI | octōgintā ūnus | |
| 82 | LXXXII | octōgintā duo | |
| 83 | LXXXIII | octōgintā trēs | |
| 84 | LXXXIV | octōgintā quattuor | |
| 85 | LXXXV | octōgintā quīnque | |
| 86 | LXXXVI | octōgintā sex | |
| 87 | LXXXVII | octōgintā septem | |
| 88 | LXXXVIII | duodēnōnāgintā octōgintā octo | |
| 89 | LXXXIX | ūndēnōnāgintā octōgintā novem | |
| 90 | XC | nōnāgintā | nōnāgēsimus |
| 91 | XCI | nōnāgintā ūnus | |
| 92 | XCII | nōnāgintā duo | |
| 93 | XCIII | nōnāgintā trēs | |
| 94 | XCIV | nōnāgintā quattuor | |
| 95 | XCV | nōnāgintā quīnque | |
| 96 | XCVI | nōnāgintā sex | |
| 97 | XCVII | nōnāgintā septem | |
| 98 | XCVIII | duodēcentum nōnāgintā octō | |
| 99 | XCIX | ūndēcentum nōnāgintā novem | |
| 100 | C | centum | centēsimus |
| 101 | CI | centum et ūnus | centēsimus prīmus |
| 200 | CC | ducentī (m) ducentae (f) ducenta (n) | ducentēsimus |
| 300 | CCC | trecentī (m) trecentae (f) trecenta (n) | trecentēsimus |
| 400 | CD | quadrigentī (m) quadrigentae (f) quadrigenta (n) | quadringentēsimus |
| 500 | D | quīngentī (m) quīngentae (f) quīngenta (n) | quīngentēsimus |
| 600 | DC | sescentī (m) sescentae (f) sescenta (n) | sescentēsimus |
| 700 | DCC | septingentī (m) septingentae (f) septingenta (n) | septingentēsimus |
| 800 | DCCC | octingentī (m) octingentae (f) octingenta (n) | octingentēsimus |
| 900 | CM | nōngentī (m) nōngentae (f) nōngenta (n) | nōngentēsimus |
| 1,000 | M | mīlle | mīllēsimus |
| 2,000 | MM | duo mīlia | |
| 10,000 | X̅ | decem mīlia | |
| 100,000 | C̅ | centum mīlia | |
| 1,000,000 | M̅ | decies centena mīlia | |
Prepositions
| a / ab | from, by | |
| ad | to, toward, at, near | ad urbem— to the city |
|---|---|---|
| adversus | against, toward, opposite | adversus hostem— against the enemy |
| ante | before, in front of | ante portam— before the gate |
| apud | among, at the house of, with | apud Romanos— among the Romans |
| circa / circum | around, about | circum urbem— around the city |
| cis / citra | on this side of | cis Alpes— on this side of the Alps |
| contra | against, opposite to | contra nos— against us |
| erga | toward (metaphorical) | erga patrem— toward father (affectionately) |
| extra | outside of, beyond | extra muros— outside the walls |
| infra | below, beneath | infra terram— below the earth |
| inter | between, among | inter amicos— among friends |
| intra | within, inside of | intra moenia— within the walls |
| iuxta | next to, near | iuxta viam— next to the road |
| ob | on account of, because of, toward | ob hoc— on account of this |
| per | through, by means of | per silvam— through the forest |
| post | after, behind | post bellum— after the war |
| praeter | except, beyond, past | praeter me— except me |
| prope | near | prope templum— near the temple |
| propter | on account of, because of | propter amorem— on account of love |
| secundum | following, according to, along | secundum naturam— according to nature |
| supra | above, beyond | supra caelum— above the heavens |
| trans | across, over | trans flumen— across the river |
| ultra | beyond, on the far side of | ultra mare— beyond the sea |
Pronouns:
In English personal pronouns are (I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they), and (me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them), In Latin, the personal pronouns are:
ego… (I), tū… (you), is… (he), ea… (she), id… (it),
nōs… (we), vōs … (you all), eī or iī … (they masc.), eae… (they fem.), ea… (they neuter)
Examples: ego amo (I love), tū amās (you love), is amat (he loves),
nōs amāmus (we love), vōsamātis (you all love), eae amant (they love)
Note: Since the verb’s ending also indicates the number and person of the subject, you typically will not see ego, tu, etc.
Other forms:
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Ego, I | Tū, You |
| Nom. | is | ea | id | ego | tū |
| Gen. | eius | eius | eius | meī | tuī |
| Dat. | eī | eī | eī | mihi | tibi |
| Acc. | eum | eam | id | mē | tē |
| Abl. | eō | eā | eō | mē | tē |
| Plural | |||||
| Nom. | eī or iī | eae | ea | nōs | vōs |
| Gen. | eōrum | eārum | eōrum | nostrum or nostrī | vestrum or vestrī |
| Dat. | eīs or iīs | eīs or iīs | eīs or iīs | nōbīs | vōbīs |
| Acc. | eōs | eās | ea | nōs | vōs |
| Abl. | eīs | eīs | eīs | nōbīs | vōbīs |