Are you looking at a Latin text and can’t remember what an ablative absolute is? Or do you want to know what spaced repetition has to do with Latin? This glossary lists all the terms from our blog in alphabetical order—with a brief explanation and a direct link to the full article.

Grammar from A to Z

The first section covers all grammar terms—from ACI to the vocative case.

A

• ACI (Accusativus cum Infinitivo) — infinitive construction: subject in the accusative, verb as an infinitive. Used with verbs of action, perception, and volition. → ACI in Latin explained
• Ablativus absolutus — independent participial construction consisting of a noun/pronoun + a participle in the ablative. → Ablativus absolutus explained
• Adjectives (Latin) — Agreement with the referent; a/o- or consonantal declension; degrees of comparison: comparative, superlative. → Latin Adjectives Explained
• Accusative — 4th case; direct object, indications of place and time.
• Active — The action is performed by the subject (opposite: passive).

D

• Dative — 3rd case; dative object, dativus commodi, dativus possessivus.
• Deponents — Verbs with a passive form but an active meaning (loquor, sequor). → Deponents in Latin Explained
• Declension — Inflection according to case and number; 5 declensions. → Latin declensions explained

G

• Genitive — 2nd case; possession, quality, partitive (genitivus possessivus, partitivus, qualitatis).
• Gerund — verbal noun (declined verb, only singular oblique cases). → Latin gerund explained
• Gerundive — verbal adjective, expresses necessity. → Gerundive explained

I

• Indicative — Real mode (opposite: subjunctive).
• Infinitive — 6 forms (present/perfect/future × active/passive); basis of the ACI. → Latin infinitive explained

K

• Case — 6 cases: nom., gen., dat., acc., abl., voc. → Case functions explained
• Conjugation — 4 conjugations; inflection according to person, number, tense, and mood.
• Mottos & Phrases — short Latin phrases and mottos (tattoos, crests, life mottos), honestly labelled as classical, Neo-Latin or modern. → Latin mottos & phrases
• Subjunctive — Modus of possibility; in main and subordinate clauses. → Latin subjunctive explained
• Subjunctive in Subordinate Clauses — cum-clauses, final clauses (ut/ne), indirect interrogative clauses. → Latin Subjunctive in Subordinate Clauses Explained

N

• NCI (Nominativus cum Infinitivo) — with passive “sentiendi” verbs (videor, dicitur): subject in the nominative. → NCI in Latin explained
• Nominative — 1st case; subject and predicate.

P

• Participle — PPA (present active), PPP (perfect passive), PFA (future active). → Latin participles explained
• Passive — the subject is the recipient of the action; formation: PPP + esse (perfect). → Passive in Latin Explained
• PPA — Present Active Participle; consonantal stem (amans, amantis).
• PPP — Perfect Passive Participle; a/o-declension (amatus, -a, -um). → Latin Participles Explained
• PFA — Future Active Participle; expresses intention (amaturus).
• Predicate — the conjugated verb in the sentence. → Identifying sentence elements

R

• Relative clause — a subordinate clause with *qui*/*quae*/*quod*; gender and number follow the relative pronoun, case follows its function in the main clause. → Relative Clauses in Latin Explained

S

• Sentence elements — subject, predicate, object, adverbial, attribute. → Identifying Latin sentence elements
• Subject — Nominative element; the agent of the action.

T

• Tense — Present, Imperfect, Perfect, Pluperfect, Future I and II.

V

• Vocative — Case used for addressing someone; o-declension, masculine singular: -e.

Learning Methods & Guides from A to W

The second part covers topics related to learning Latin: learning methods, learning strategies, the Latinum, app modules, and accessibility.

If you want to work through all the constructions in a structured learning sequence, the Latin Grammar Overview is a good place to start.

A

• Active Recall — Learning Strategy: Actively retrieving knowledge instead of passively reading; creates a stronger memory trace than rereading. → Active Recall Explained
• Audio & Pronunciation — over 28,000 words, forms and sentences narrated; multisensory learning (hear + see + type).
• Attention & Dyslexia — Lapicida supports learners with dyslexia through color coding, customizable letter spacing, and Dark Mode.

D

• Duolingo Latin — Duolingo has a Latin course, but for beginners only — with no syntax or sentence-analysis training for school Latin or the Latinum. Comparison of alternatives: → Duolingo Latin Alternatives
• Desirable Difficulty — learning principle (Robert Bjork): the productive effort of recall anchors knowledge more durably than effortless rereading.

F

• Form Trainer — Interactive module for declension forms and conjugation endings; 4 query modes (classic, MC, chunks, typing). → Latin Form Trainer

K

• Cognitive Load — the lower the cognitive load during learning, the more capacity there is for comprehension. Practical tips for Latin. → Learning Latin Effectively

L

• Learning Latin as an Adult — Study plan, time commitment, best methods for self-study without classes. → Learning Latin as an Adult
• Getting Started with Latin — Where to begin? Which grammar topics first? A structured introduction for beginners. → Getting Started with Latin
• Learn Latin for Free — Free Resources and Tools. → Learn Latin for Free
• Motivation for Learning Latin — Why do students lose motivation, and how can they regain it? → Motivation for Learning Latin
• Learning Latin on Your Own — Self-Study Plan; Dictionary, Grammar, App. → Learning Latin on Your Own
• Catching Up on the Latinum — Earning the Latinum as an Adult; Exam Requirements. → Catching Up on the Latinum
• Latinum Online — Latinum course and preparation online. → Latinum Online
• Latinum preparation — Study plan, exam material, schedule for the Major and Minor Latinum. → Latinum preparation
• Reading (Latin Texts) — Original texts by Cicero, Caesar, Sallust, and others, with vocabulary help and sentence analysis. → Latin Texts
• Learning Profiles — Individual learning progress for students in the teacher dashboard. → Learning Profiles at a Glance
• Leitner System (7-box) — spaced-repetition card box: a correct answer moves the card up a box, a wrong one back; box 7 = learned for good.

S

• Sentence Quiz — Identify sentence components and constructions in the original text; over 3,100 practice sentences. → Latin Sentence Quiz
• Sensus — polysemy trainer: work out the right meaning of an ambiguous word (res, ius) from the sentence context, not from vocabulary equations.
• Spaced Repetition — Learning algorithm: Review at the optimal time, just before forgetting; scientifically proven. → Spaced Repetition Explained

V

• Vocabulary Trainer — 10 practice modes, over 11,000 vocabulary words, custom lists. → Latin Vocabulary Trainer

W

• Why Learn Latin? — Reasons to Learn Latin: Language Skills, Logic, Cultural Understanding. → Why Learn Latin