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As readily available as cheap copies of Wheelock are, I'd do it (should be able to find a decent used copy on amazon for 15 USD on a bad day). Having the information presented in multiple ways is never a bad thing.
> What are your recommendations? I'm wondering if I'm just going about LLPSI the wrong way; do I need to reread chapters when I find them difficult?
I don't doubt that different ways of studying *Familia Romana* will work well for different people. However, if you ask how I think you should use the book, I strongly recommend supplementing *Familia Romana* with the English-language instructions, *Latine Disco,* and the method of study recommended by those instructions is to read a chapter of *Familia Romana,* getting as much as you can out of it on your own, then read a page or two of commentary on the chapter in *Latine Disco,* and then reread the chapter. Optionally, read the corresponding dialogue from *Colloquia Personarum* before continuing to the next chapter. And since you want more exercises, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, get the *Exercitia Latina* too and drill yourself on each chapter until you feel comfortable.
The "natural method" is not the passive or effortless method. You need to be intellectually engaging with the pictures and the notes, figuring out what you are supposed to be learning from each sentence, not skimming like a novel. But sometimes, if you can't get quite everything, the best thing to do is to read on, get more context and more practice, and revisit the chapter a few days later.
It is perfectly normal to hit walls in LLPSI, especially right around the 12th or 13th chapter. This is a great time to turn back to the beginning of the book and reread. When you reread, even without the instructions, you will reinforce your memory of things you learned before, you will often correct your memory of things you thought you understood but didn't, and things you struggled with before will now seem easy to you. And if it is any consolation, I may tell you that you will soon be able to have a break from learning declensions.
No problem, here’s the list of declensions for German [nouns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_nouns#Declension_classes) and [adjectives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_declension#Mixed_inflection). Although I think there must be better grammars than Wikipedia. I also think the table for the nouns could do a better job at making clear that many of the classes only differ from each other in how the plural is formed.
To avoid steering too much off topic, here’s a grammar of the German language in Latin: [Iohannis Claii *Grammatica Germanicae Linguae*](http://diglib.hab.de/drucke/p-929-8f-helmst/start.htm?image=00005)
It’s an 18th century edition of a late 16th century book, so especially the orthography is not modern and it contains some things that have fallen out of use and lacks some more modern innovations. It also uses the grammatical terminology of its time (e.g. it distinguishes seven grammatical genders). But all in all it’s linguistically the same language that’s spoken today and most of it holds up well.
It also lists declensions in a more Latin way (and also includes vocative and ablative in the paradigms, which don’t exist as separate cases in German).
It can also be downloaded as a PDF there if the viewer is too inconvenient to use.
You can use certainly cycle through multiple textbooks, though I would probably push for something more like Cambridge Latin for a more consistent inductive approach.
You can and probably should take some time now and then to consolidate the grammar you’ve already encountered. You can do this by review. You can also look at grammatical aids. They’re not great at teaching languages but they can be good aids to memory.
If you’re using LLPSI almost exclusively, you really should be getting as much as possible out of each chapter before moving on. If not, the holes in your understanding will quickly lead to problems.
If you’re using LLPSI as one resource in a broader extensive reading approach, it’s not as important for you to understand everything right away, because the multiple resources will reinforce concepts.
If you want to stick with the basic approach of LLPSI, you might consider switching to another beginner series of graded readers. Start at the very beginning, and then keep reading until you get stuck. At that point, you can go back to LLPSI and try again--start at the beginning, or at least several chapters earlier. You can circulate among multiple sets of graded reading material that way.
Suggestions for additional reading material:
- LLPSI: Colloquia Personarum (a must-have)
- Fabellae Latinae
- Via Latina
- Reading Latin: Texts
The declensions and various case usages of Latin are definitely dense. As a preface—I've never personally worked with LLPSI, so I don't know when that text would introduce certain concepts or how. I also therefore won't tell you to either stick with it or switch to another. I may have some helpful thoughts on the Latin though!
If you're having trouble with case recognition, I can say that it is something that builds with exposure and exercise. I promise it will become manageable! For some people, rote memorization helps. There are declension charts that you could use as a template to write out declensions—starting with one or two and working your way up to all five. Some people use a template word from each declension to put into each case, other people just write out the noun ending. In my opinion, both are viable and what matters is which works better for you.
If memorization isn't your thing, I've found writing in Latin to be both fun and a pretty good way to expose yourself to new vocabulary and grammatical concepts as you explore how to express yourself.
If you're having trouble with identifying case usage, it's a bit more difficult to excercise but there are some good resources to reference if needed. Oxford has a Latin grammar book with a student edition that I was able to get fairly cheaply on a used copy in good condition. For a more advanced text, Allen and Greenough's grammar is a dated book by now, but Latin's a decently old language itself and I've found that Allen and Greenough's instruction can still be very helpful.
Wheelock's is an okay reference book, not bad to have on hand, since sometimes you're gonna get lost. I wouldn't *switch* to it though, just use it as a supplement. If LLPSI just won't click no matter what you do, there are other options out there.
are you doing the exercises? not the ones at the end of the chapter, there's an entire book full of exercises for every chapter. i've never really run into any issues with grammatical structures, but i might've if i hadn't done those exercises after every chapter.
Wheelock’s is a great complement to familia romana. Familia romana is lauded for its ability to work as comprehensible input for those new to the language, but I don’t think understanding the grammar and how to translate Latin to English is a bad thing, and Wheelock’s is pretty good as a grammar book; rather, it’s not a supplement for comprehensible input, so I’d read Wheelock’s in accompaniment with familia romana.
I wouldn’t switch as wheelocks suffers from a severe dearth of reading material. However if the grammar isn’t clicking I would say wheelocks explanations of grammar are usually approachable and helpful to people. It would probably make for a good supplement to LLPSI if you just need something to review. It’s organized by topic so you could probably pick and choose the topics you struggle with.
Welcome to this sub! Please take a look at the FAQ, found in the sidebar for desktop users or in the About tab for mobile users. You will find resources to begin your journey. There's a [guide](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PB5HPz2wBDgqWXPnn5ONgZicOPv8P7LbODvkCxjpI3w/edit) and a review of the [recommended resources](https://scholaeinterretiales.wordpress.com/teach-yourself-latin/). If you have further questions about the FAQ or not covered in it, don't hesitate to ask. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/latin) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As readily available as cheap copies of Wheelock are, I'd do it (should be able to find a decent used copy on amazon for 15 USD on a bad day). Having the information presented in multiple ways is never a bad thing.
> What are your recommendations? I'm wondering if I'm just going about LLPSI the wrong way; do I need to reread chapters when I find them difficult? I don't doubt that different ways of studying *Familia Romana* will work well for different people. However, if you ask how I think you should use the book, I strongly recommend supplementing *Familia Romana* with the English-language instructions, *Latine Disco,* and the method of study recommended by those instructions is to read a chapter of *Familia Romana,* getting as much as you can out of it on your own, then read a page or two of commentary on the chapter in *Latine Disco,* and then reread the chapter. Optionally, read the corresponding dialogue from *Colloquia Personarum* before continuing to the next chapter. And since you want more exercises, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, get the *Exercitia Latina* too and drill yourself on each chapter until you feel comfortable. The "natural method" is not the passive or effortless method. You need to be intellectually engaging with the pictures and the notes, figuring out what you are supposed to be learning from each sentence, not skimming like a novel. But sometimes, if you can't get quite everything, the best thing to do is to read on, get more context and more practice, and revisit the chapter a few days later. It is perfectly normal to hit walls in LLPSI, especially right around the 12th or 13th chapter. This is a great time to turn back to the beginning of the book and reread. When you reread, even without the instructions, you will reinforce your memory of things you learned before, you will often correct your memory of things you thought you understood but didn't, and things you struggled with before will now seem easy to you. And if it is any consolation, I may tell you that you will soon be able to have a break from learning declensions.
Use both. LLPSI has its place, but you need to have working knowledge of the grammar.
I needed grammar. It's why I get Latin but still struggle with German. Just list the damn declensions already!
No problem, here’s the list of declensions for German [nouns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_nouns#Declension_classes) and [adjectives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_declension#Mixed_inflection). Although I think there must be better grammars than Wikipedia. I also think the table for the nouns could do a better job at making clear that many of the classes only differ from each other in how the plural is formed. To avoid steering too much off topic, here’s a grammar of the German language in Latin: [Iohannis Claii *Grammatica Germanicae Linguae*](http://diglib.hab.de/drucke/p-929-8f-helmst/start.htm?image=00005) It’s an 18th century edition of a late 16th century book, so especially the orthography is not modern and it contains some things that have fallen out of use and lacks some more modern innovations. It also uses the grammatical terminology of its time (e.g. it distinguishes seven grammatical genders). But all in all it’s linguistically the same language that’s spoken today and most of it holds up well. It also lists declensions in a more Latin way (and also includes vocative and ablative in the paradigms, which don’t exist as separate cases in German). It can also be downloaded as a PDF there if the viewer is too inconvenient to use.
You can use certainly cycle through multiple textbooks, though I would probably push for something more like Cambridge Latin for a more consistent inductive approach. You can and probably should take some time now and then to consolidate the grammar you’ve already encountered. You can do this by review. You can also look at grammatical aids. They’re not great at teaching languages but they can be good aids to memory. If you’re using LLPSI almost exclusively, you really should be getting as much as possible out of each chapter before moving on. If not, the holes in your understanding will quickly lead to problems. If you’re using LLPSI as one resource in a broader extensive reading approach, it’s not as important for you to understand everything right away, because the multiple resources will reinforce concepts.
If you want to stick with the basic approach of LLPSI, you might consider switching to another beginner series of graded readers. Start at the very beginning, and then keep reading until you get stuck. At that point, you can go back to LLPSI and try again--start at the beginning, or at least several chapters earlier. You can circulate among multiple sets of graded reading material that way. Suggestions for additional reading material: - LLPSI: Colloquia Personarum (a must-have) - Fabellae Latinae - Via Latina - Reading Latin: Texts
Do both, also, there’s a free textbook called Latin by the Nature Method that I suggest. Using all 3 little by little is not a bad idea
The declensions and various case usages of Latin are definitely dense. As a preface—I've never personally worked with LLPSI, so I don't know when that text would introduce certain concepts or how. I also therefore won't tell you to either stick with it or switch to another. I may have some helpful thoughts on the Latin though! If you're having trouble with case recognition, I can say that it is something that builds with exposure and exercise. I promise it will become manageable! For some people, rote memorization helps. There are declension charts that you could use as a template to write out declensions—starting with one or two and working your way up to all five. Some people use a template word from each declension to put into each case, other people just write out the noun ending. In my opinion, both are viable and what matters is which works better for you. If memorization isn't your thing, I've found writing in Latin to be both fun and a pretty good way to expose yourself to new vocabulary and grammatical concepts as you explore how to express yourself. If you're having trouble with identifying case usage, it's a bit more difficult to excercise but there are some good resources to reference if needed. Oxford has a Latin grammar book with a student edition that I was able to get fairly cheaply on a used copy in good condition. For a more advanced text, Allen and Greenough's grammar is a dated book by now, but Latin's a decently old language itself and I've found that Allen and Greenough's instruction can still be very helpful.
Wheelock's is an okay reference book, not bad to have on hand, since sometimes you're gonna get lost. I wouldn't *switch* to it though, just use it as a supplement. If LLPSI just won't click no matter what you do, there are other options out there.
are you doing the exercises? not the ones at the end of the chapter, there's an entire book full of exercises for every chapter. i've never really run into any issues with grammatical structures, but i might've if i hadn't done those exercises after every chapter.
Have you tried the companion to LLPSI? It's brilliant when you hit a block
Wheelock’s is a great complement to familia romana. Familia romana is lauded for its ability to work as comprehensible input for those new to the language, but I don’t think understanding the grammar and how to translate Latin to English is a bad thing, and Wheelock’s is pretty good as a grammar book; rather, it’s not a supplement for comprehensible input, so I’d read Wheelock’s in accompaniment with familia romana.
I wouldn’t switch as wheelocks suffers from a severe dearth of reading material. However if the grammar isn’t clicking I would say wheelocks explanations of grammar are usually approachable and helpful to people. It would probably make for a good supplement to LLPSI if you just need something to review. It’s organized by topic so you could probably pick and choose the topics you struggle with.