Fascinated with the timeless elegance of Latin? Intrigued by the thought of exploring Latin’s classical intricacies?
Discover the language that shaped the minds of Cicero, Caesar, and countless others, and unveil the secrets of classical literature, philosophy, and law by learning the Latin language.
Starting to learn a language might be overwhelming for some, especially when choosing the right resources given the abundance of interesting resources available online. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Here at ALR, we’ve meticulously sifted through numerous Latin learning resource options, spending hundreds of hours to come up with a list of the best apps to learn Latin, bringing you our top choice, as well as what courses to avoid.
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Where to Learn Latin: Resources for Learning Latin
From textbooks to YouTube channels and apps to radio shows, there are plenty of resources to help you study Latin – no matter how traditional or modern an approach you’re looking for.
Online Latin Classes and Language Exchanges
A teacher can help you direct your studies, answer queries, and correct your errors. You don’t have to enroll at a university to find a Latin professor, either.
italki has a small selection of Latin teachers, all of whom are publicly reviewed, set their own prices, and publish their availability online. You can also use the platform to find language exchanges, ask questions in the forum, and publish writing for critique and corrections – although you might not always get responses. Want more information? Read our detailed review.
Preply also has a group of tutors who can teach you Latin via 1-on-1 video platform. Its platform is similar to italki, and its user interface is improving noticeably.
If italki or Preply is not to your liking, take a look at Verbling. There are fewer teachers to choose from, but we like the easier payment process that allows you to buy just one class at a time.
HiNative is a Q&A app that allows you to ask the community questions about any language. While there isn’t much about Latin on there, and questions about Latin sometimes attract answers relevant to Spanish, it could be worth a try if you have a query. Alternatively, Reddit has a fairly active Latin community.
For many languages, apps like HelloTalk, Speaky, and Tandem are a great way to connect with native speakers and other students to practice communicating. While language exchanges aren’t most Latin learners’ preferred study method, it could offer you a way to improve your fluency or just find someone who’ll empathize with you when you’re struggling through Ovid.
That being said, these Latin learning apps suffer from the same problem as HiNative. When I looked for language exchange partners on HelloTalk, most of the people on my list of potential matches were from Latin America as opposed to Latin language learners. Despite that, I did find a couple of people studying Latin. If you’re interested in a language exchange, these apps could be worth trying out – you might strike lucky. Want more information? Check out our reviews: HelloTalk, Speaky, Tandem.
While mostly offline, Paideia Institute organizes regular Living Latin events, from multi-day conferences to scavenger hunts. SALVI also organizes in-person weekend and week-long spoken Latin events. Participants try to communicate only in Latin as they socialize, solve puzzles, and attend lectures. Both Paideia Institute and SALVI have occasional online classes and events, too.
Online and App-Based Latin Courses
Ling App has made a mission to learn a hard (or less popular) language learning easy, and it offers Latin. It has a solid vocabulary and grammar sections that will help you learn Latin. It aims to teach all four language skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Ambitious, but they are getting there!
Tabella is a free online Latin course from Trinity College Dublin combining videos and text-based breakdowns. The classes typically begin with a video introducing new vocabulary, followed by a short Latin text that you’re invited to translate using the vocabulary you’ve just learned. There are links to grammar explanations.
These two free Medieval Latin courses are run by the UK National Archive. They’re designed for complete beginners; in fact, the first topic is “what is a verb?” As well as easy-to-understand explanations, it contains checklists, interactive activities, and example sentences.
Latin Online is a 10-class course from The University of Texas at Austin Linguistics Research Center. It has a heavy focus on translation and grammar and could be too challenging for beginner students. However, once you’ve got some familiarity with Latin, it might be a valuable additional resource.
Linney’s Latin Class is a mixture of YouTube-hosted lectures, set texts, and homework with an answer key. It’s designed specifically for self-study.
The Ancient Language Institute has an extensive Latin syllabus that takes inspiration from modern language studies. It focuses on active learning through live classes and level-appropriate readings that, in theory, shouldn’t require a dictionary. At higher levels, you can choose which type of Latin you wish to specialize in. Unlike most of the resources in this article, the Ancient Language Institute courses are structured like university-level modules and priced accordingly.
The Mango Languages Latin course is a little different: while it takes Latin texts from Caesar, Cicero, and other classical writers as its base, it focuses on helping you build your own Latin sentences and can be a useful tool for learning Latin pronunciation. Beginner students might appreciate the focus on active learning, although the featured texts are very short. It has a 14-day free trial or you can find out more about the features in our detailed review (focused on modern languages).
Petrarch’s Livy, featuring 12th-century annotations by Petrarch and Lorenzo Valla. Public domain.
Duolingo also has a Latin course, although some language learners find it hard due to the lack of in-depth grammatical explanations.
Mondly is another option. It generally wouldn’t be our first choice of language-learning resources as it can be a bit dull. However, it could help you memorize some basic vocabulary and sentence structures.
Meanwhile, Memrise doesn’t have an official Latin course but does host several community-made ones. Most of them are designed to accompany specific textbooks, making them a viable supplementary activity that will help you drill the content.
Generally, we don’t recommend Rosetta Stone. We found it to be expensive, dull, and repetitive. But it is another option if you’re looking to learn Latin in a non-academic way. While we’d suggest trying out some of these other courses first, you may find it worth looking at.
Latin Courses to Avoid
In our experience, Transparent Language can be monotonous. It involves memorizing words and phrases with very little grammatical explanation. On the plus side, it does give some historical context to the phrases – yet without exploring Latin grammar in greater detail, we question how useful it can actually be.
Cudoo is a one-size-fits-all approach to language learning: after all, what other beginner-level Latin course would promise to teach you how to give out your phone number? It doesn’t seem like any attempt to customize the course material has been made.
We don’t guarantee that you’ll learn how to talk about phone numbers, either: in our experience, Cudoo doesn’t always deliver on everything in the course description. Plus it’s dull, devoid of grammatical and cultural explanations, and ineffective at drilling.
Latin Grammar Breakdowns and Guides
The Latin Library contains links to numerous Latin grammar breakdowns organized by function, as well as vocabulary handouts for textbooks, exercises, and readings. These are designed as supplementary materials for Latin courses from George Mason University, but make excellent guides if you want to better your understanding of a particular grammatical point. There’s also a Declension Exerciser.
The University of Ohio has a fairly detailed (but still in progress) guide to Latin grammar. Latdict is another in-progress but helpful option.
Conjuguemos has a series of games and practice activities that will help you drill your Latin verb conjugations and moods.
The Latin Learner app won’t teach you grammar, but it will test you on your declensions and verb tenses, as well as on the vocabulary in Wheelock’s Latin. Plus, it has a dictionary.
You can also buy a series of Latin worksheets here.
Latin Vocabulary Builders and Word Games
Limited vocabulary can be one of the biggest challenges to fluent reading. Time spent drilling relevant words can pay off later on when you’re able to read texts without checking the dictionary quite so often.
Some of these tools are designed specifically for Latin; others cover multiple languages. For the latter kind, it may be worth double-checking the words in the dictionary. For example, “apple” can be translated as mālum or pomum, but these words can also be used to mean fruit and tree-growing fruit respectively.
Minimus Etc has a range of flashcards and self-tests. It also comes with some workbooks and worksheets. While it’s designed to be used by children, it can be a good tool for building up basic vocabulary.
Yuni.com has an extensive list of Latin phrases. We like that all the phrases come from quotes, meaning that they are accurate, and also that you can click on any phrase and see ones that start with the same word. Clicking on ab initio (“from the beginning”) will take you to a page with phrases like ab hinc (“from here on”) and ab origine (“from the origin”). This makes it easier to spot patterns, expand your knowledge, and develop more style when writing and speaking in Latin – if that’s your goal, of course.
Android users might like to try Beginner Latin and Beginner Latin 2. The apps will show you a series of Latin words, and when you see a new one, add it to a list for you. When reviewing the list, you can choose whether you want to see the definitions and also do a true-or-false quiz about the words’ meanings. While fairly basic, these apps can help you study on the go.
When you’re ready for more challenging vocabulary, you could try ok Latin from the same web developer. The vocabulary is more advanced, and it also functions as a dictionary and word-of-the-day app. However, the quiz is easier. In fact, you might find it too easy and decide to create your own flashcards.
Clozemaster gets you to guess the missing word in Latin sentences, using phrases such as “How much do the carrots cost?” (Quanti constant carotae?) and “The princess was eaten by the shark” (Principissa a squalo devorata est.) It will repeat phrases until it’s satisfied that you’ve “mastered” them. We like that you get to see the words in context, unlike with many vocabulary builders. Use it with a healthy amount of caution, though: some of the phrases appear to have come from Tatoeba, which relies on users adding and translating sentences.
uTalk uses games to drill phrases. It’s effective, but we’re not sure it’s the best method for learning Latin as we would normally recommend it ahead of a short trip. It won’t teach you grammar, and some of the phrases are focused on going shopping and technology. On the other hand, if you’re planning to attend a Living Latin event and feel nervous about switching from Caesar to small talk, this might be a good option for you.
You might also come across the StartFromZero Latin app. Although it’s made by the same developer as Beginner Latin and okLatin, we would use it with caution. We came across several errors.
The Anki app allows you to create your own flashcards or use another student’s shared deck. If you’re already reading Latin and discovering new vocabulary, it will help make sure that you don’t forget it. We like the way it adapts to how challenging you find a word or phrase.
The Magna Carta, an example of Medieval Latin. Public domain.
Audio Courses and Podcasts for Learning Latin
Whether you’re a believer in Living Latin or just learn best aurally, there’s no reason to overlook podcasts and audio courses.
Just like the title suggests, Learning Latin via Agrippina sets out to teach you Latin through reading Agrippina. It contains the original text, the translation, and introduces similar phrases that use the new vocabulary and/or sentence structures.
The Latin Poetry Podcast is an English-language podcast that breaks down the meaning of Latin poems. It’s an accessible and engaging companion to the poems, and the Latin text is included in the podcast description.
Ready to immerse yourself in Latin? We recommend starting off with something like Latinitium. Each episode is the retelling of a short Latin story, and you can read the Latin text at the same time.
Nuntii Latini was a weekly Latin-language news broadcast that, after 30 years, finally went off air in 2019. However, you can listen to nine years’ worth of episodes online.
The three-person podcast Quomodo Dicitur is slowly but regularly updated and has over 160 episodes. Many of these are slightly under 30 minutes long.
Alternatively, you might prefer In Foro Romano, Sermones Raedarii, Philologia Perennis, or Legio XIII. There are plenty of options, so it’s worth trying them all out until you find one that catches your attention.
Latin Videos and Classes on YouTube
LatinTutorial is a must-use resource for anyone studying Latin. There are 22 playlists on topics such as Basic Latin Essentials, 91 Rules of Latin Grammar, and Figures of Speech.
Latinum Institute has a 169-video Latin course appropriate for complete beginners. The appearance is a little dated, but it’s hard to complain when nearly all the videos were published in 2012.
Paideia Media has both Latin-language videos and English-language videos about learning Latin, such as a recorded live seminar on Using Fables to Activate Latin.
Scorpio Martianus has a 67-video playlist to accompany the Lingua Latina textbooks, Disney songs in Latin, and more.
We’ve already mentioned Latinitium’s book and audio clips. They also have a YouTube account with a range of videos for learners, including a short Learn to Speak Latin playlist (not suitable for beginners).
The videos from Divus Magister Craft are a mixture of Latin-language stories, cultural explanations, and challenges.
Best App to Learn Latin – A Worthy Choice
Storylearning’s Latin Uncovered by Olly Richard is a great option for learning Latin. The program takes a unique approach by using an ongoing narrative to keep you engaged as you learn the basics of Latin.
The Storylearning program offers two Latin courses. The first course, called Latin Uncovered, covers beginner-level Latin, or levels A1 and A2 if you prefer to use the metrics of the CEFR proficiency scale. The second course covers pre-intermediate Latin.
Special Features
Joining the Storylearning community gives you access to several special features besides the actual coursework.
First, you have the option to join the private Latin uncovered community. This is an online forum just for people who have registered for this course, as well as the teachers and program managers. This forum lets you reach out with any questions or comments, and even find potential conversation or study partners online.
Second, you learn about the course tutors and their qualifications. Throughout each chapter, you will find videos presented by the tutors to help you grasp grammar rules or to demonstrate pronunciation.
Next, you get a quick tutorial in Latin Grammar and terminology before you begin the program. This is simply an overview to help you understand the terms used throughout the course, but it uses clear terms and offers a solid foundation that many app-based language learning courses lack.
What the Course Contains
When you sign up for Latin Uncovered, you gain access to 20 chapters of the program. Each chapter consists of the next section of the ongoing story followed by seven lessons and a review.
Before you get into the nitty-gritty of Latin grammar or word cases, you get hooked on a fun story. The program recommends that you listen to the story, read the transcript in Latin, and then read the transcript in English. As a special feature, you can choose to work with either classical or ecclesiastical Latin!
This is a nice option that you won’t find in many Latin programs. If you really want to go all-in, you could even do the work in both Classical and Ecclesiastical Latin–you do not have to pick between them.
The story itself follows the discovery of a lost antiquity and the process of interpreting its meaning. While it may not keep you on the edge of your seat like the latest James Patterson novel, it does have an engaging plot and enough drama to make the translation process interesting.
The lessons in every chapter always come in the same order but consist of a variety of different activities, as well as videos presented by professional tutors.
The first lesson always focuses on cognates, the second hits vocabulary, the third dives into grammar, and the fourth touches on synthesis. This is not a topic covered in many Storylearning programs–it focuses on case endings and how Latin words can change within a sentence.
Next, you head into a lesson on pronunciation, and then a lesson on culture. In this case, the “culture” is history and literature, like learning about the famous Herculaneum Papyri. Finally, lesson seven always focuses on speaking activities.
Latin Uncovered Cost and Payment Options
Latin Uncovered is an online course that has a one-time registration fee of $297. This is a pretty high fee compared to many other language-learning courses, but Storylearning offers a unique program.
You have the option of a seven-day free trial when you sign up, so you can decide if the program is right for you or not. (Though if you decide to cancel after your free trial, there is no easy out—you have to email the course providers).
You also get the option of a discount on the pre-intermediate Latin course if you sign up for that at the same time as the basic Latin Uncovered course.
Latin Uncovered: Pros and Cons
Latin Uncovered has two really great features that set it apart from many Latin-learning courses and programs.
First, it uses a narrative to help you learn. This is fun but also practical. Humans typically communicate in stories. We do this to talk about what happened at work or school, to teach kids, and even to sell something! Our brains work best in narrative mode, so it makes sense to learn a new language in this way, too.
Second, the program really hits all aspects of the language, including culture and deep dive into grammar. This is not like Duolingo, where you might get a tiny popup note touching on a grammar rule here and there. You get solid explanations in both text and video form to help you build a strong foundation in the way Latin works.
Of course, no program is perfect. Latin Uncovered does not use any type of direct speaking software to let you receive feedback on your pronunciation. The speaking activities depend on your own ability to listen to audio recordings and parrot them back.
It also has a much higher cost than many language-earning programs. But if you can afford the one-time payment, you will get a lot more out of this in-depth course than you will from many free apps or programs.