Too old to learn Latin?

[pawnraider]

Is 51 too old to learn to read Latin or not? I don't intend to take classes, I would like to buy a couple of books that suppose to teach one how to read it though. Any suggestion and/or comments?

 

[Lillen]

Buy vulgate and dictionary. Thats about all you need to learn latin.

I learnt some german by reading Luther Bibel 1545.

Wahr ich spricht zu dir, du bist nicht zu alt für latin. Ich spricht, sprachen und gymnasitk sind das zwei dinge wir sollst lerne im schule.

 

[Douvie]

Is 51 too old to learn to read Latin or not? I don't intend to take classes, I would like to buy a couple of books that suppose to teach one how to read it though. Any suggestion and/or comments?

NNNNNever too Old or too young to learn.

 

[Kingsdotter]

Is 51 too old to learn to read Latin or not? I don't intend to take classes, I would like to buy a couple of books that suppose to teach one how to read it though. Any suggestion and/or comments?

No it's not too late to learn Latin. I know this post is old, so I hope you learnt it. I am Catholic, so I had to learn a bit of it

 

[westen]

Not too old, IMO.

 

[Andres88]

I don't think so. It might be a little more difficult to do so, but I'm sure you can learn it.

 

[Soyeong]

Is 51 too old to learn to read Latin or not? I don't intend to take classes, I would like to buy a couple of books that suppose to teach one how to read it though. Any suggestion and/or comments?

My mom started learning Hebrew around 60 and then started taking Hebrew classes at the U of M because they allow people 62 and over to audit classes for free. If she can do it, then you can. I would advise finding a study partner if you can.

 

[Amatorreginae]

You're never too old to learn Latin. One book the student might try is Teach Yourself Latin, by Gavin Betts, published by Hodder & Stoughton. I have used that and the Vulgate New Testament. And of course, there's a wealth of material available on the Net.

 

[Offeiriad]

The Vulgate is a bit 'modern' to use alongside texts teaching classical Latin, which flowered a few centuries earlier.
If you are old enough to be in your second childhood, then 'Minimus' is a fun primary school age course, and of course you can read Harry Potter and Winnie the Pooh in Latin as well!

 

[SHETALKSTOANGELS]

No.
I am 55 and studying Egyptian Arabic. I have however skipped the writing, as the menopause fairy ate my brain and I have lost some cognitive ability, so learning the language and being conversational is good enough for me.

Give it a shot.

 

[archer75]

You're never too old. Never. Contact people at textkit.com or somewhere and tell them what your goals are, if you aren't familiar with how to do this sort of thing. Find a textbook and work through it carefully. Work some every day. Ask questions if you have them.

 

[Red Gold]

One is never too old to learn Latin.

 

[jamiec]

Is 51 too old to learn to read Latin or not? I don't intend to take classes, I would like to buy a couple of books that suppose to teach one how to read it though. Any suggestion and/or comments?

No. The thing is, to persevere. I have found it very helpful to read in Latin a book I already know very well in English.

Grammar and vocabulary, and the “habits” of the language, can be picked up only by constant and thorough immersion - to know what words mean, is not knowing Latin; one must get used to thinking in Latin.

My recommendation: any Biblical book you know very well. Psalms might be a good choice, because most Psalms are fairly short.

If you want pure Classical Latin, the three great models for Latin prose are Julius Caesar, Marcus Tullius Cicero, and Livy. I suggest Caesar, De Bello Gallico as probably more straightforward than the others - Cicero’s Latin can be rather involved.

If you want poetry, try a Book of Vergil’s Aeneid - Book 1 or 4 or 6 would probably be best. 10 lines a day thoroughly understood is far better than 20 or 50 or 100 not clearly understand.

There is a vast body of Christian Latin - not all of it RC. The Reformers might be worth a look, like their Catholic opponents. Latin was the international language of learning well into the 19th century.

For some modern Latin, you can read Vicipaedia:Praefatio - Vicipaedia

- this article and the links: Nuntii Latini - Wikipedia

For books in Latin:

www.archive.org

www.books.Google.com

The Latin Library

 

[Red Gold]

One is never too old to learn Latin, as I said before.

 

[Terri Dactyl]

You should use Lingua Latina. you will learn Latin right off the bat--the book is all Latin. Highly recommended by alot of Latin speakers, and lots of help on you tube with it.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

I had Latin in 10th and 11th grade back in the early 70"s.
Since then I have tried to learn it again many times.
This time I have been at it about a month. I got a new Wheelock and I am doing the exercises in the evening. I also have a workbook.
I am determined to catch up with where I left off last time, chapter 22.

I am now on 19. I also got the Great Courses because it was cheap. But that is tedious.

So I think I am doing better, Translating seems easier.

This is a good word for word translation of the Psalms.

The Book of Psalms in Latin and English from the Latin vulgate and the Douai translation A.D. MDCIX : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

334, [5] pages ; 14 cm

archive.org

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Good news. I am on chapter 25 and still going strong. It is actually getting easier and more fun..

I love things like Ablative Absolute and Passive Paraphrastic. Little idioms to look for and identify.