Articles in the Latin cluster
All the in-depth articles — from the fundamentals to advanced constructions. Each one covers a topic in full and links it directly to the exercises in Lapicida.
Grammar fundamentals
Identifying sentence elements in Latin — Subject, predicate, object: once you can identify these three functions reliably, you can structure any Latin sentence — whatever the word order.
Latin declension — all five declensions — The case endings are the heart of Latin grammar. Understand the patterns instead of memorising them, and you’ll recognise forms instantly, even in unfamiliar texts.
Latin nouns — declension and case — Gender, case, number: how Latin nouns work in sentences, and which signals point to the right case.
Conjugating Latin verbs — Person, number, tense, mood, voice — it’s all in the ending. The four conjugations and their patterns, so you can spot a form in a sentence at once.
Key constructions
ACI — Accusativus cum Infinitivo made simple — The ACI is the most common infinitive construction in Latin. Understand the pattern “ACI verb + accusative subject + infinitive” once and you’ll spot it reliably in any text.
NCI — Nominativus cum Infinitivo — The NCI follows passive verbs of saying like dicitur. The subject stands in the nominative — and is at the same time the logical subject of the infinitive.
Ablative absolute — construction and exercises — A participle construction with no link to the subject of the main clause. A central element in Caesar’s prose — present in every exam in the upper years.
The subjunctive in Latin — cum clauses, ut clauses, indirect questions: Latin uses the subjunctive systematically. Identify the type of clause and you know at once how to translate it.
Participles in Latin — PPA, PPP, PFA: three forms with different time relationships to the main verb. Trainable with colour coding in the Lapicida Forms Trainer.
PPP — Participium Perfecti Passivi — The PPP is the basis of the passive and the ablative absolute. Recognise it and you hold one of the most important keys to Latin prose.
Vocabulary and translation
Learning Latin vocabulary — what actually works — Isolation fails, context wins: learn words in a sentence and you’ll remember them twice as long. Why that’s not a trick, but neurology.
Practising Latin verb forms — From the present to the pluperfect: which verb forms are actually exam-relevant, and how to master them through active recall instead of cramming tables.
Goals and method
Preparing for the Latinum — the 3-phase plan — The Latinum without school Latin behind you: what to learn in what order, how long it realistically takes — and why a system matters more than a textbook.
Learning Latin as an adult — Many Lapicida users pick Latin back up for their studies or career. What’s different from school — and what actually makes learning easier.
Learning Latin with dyslexia — When endings won’t stick, it’s rarely about effort. Colour coding, short sessions and spaced repetition don’t just help with dyslexia — they improve the learning experience for everyone. These methods are built into Lapicida.
AI and learning Latin — what ChatGPT can and can’t do — AI explains well, but it doesn’t train. Use ChatGPT to translate and you skip the decisive learning step. Where AI helps and where it hurts.
The Lapicida learning method — Spaced repetition, active recall, colour coding: how Lapicida combines the three research-backed methods into one system — and why it works for every learner.
