First Steps
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LATINUM AUDIOBOOK CATALOGUE
Vestibulum
To start off learning Latin, you need to listen to the English-Latin recording of Comenius' Vestibulum, and then the more comprehensive Orbis Sensualium Pictus.(The Real World in Pictures).
There is a third text on offer in audio, called the Vestibulum Majus, which is a later, augmented edition of the Vestibulum.
The Vestibulum is a simplified version of the Orbis Pictus - without the pictures.
1a. Audio Vestibulum available on DVD or as a digital download
1b. Text (Latin-Hungarian!)
Orbis Sensualium Pictus
The Orbis Sensualium Pictus is also a simple text, that is available for free as a pdf on Google Books. It is suitable for both beginning adults, and children. You will need to listen to it a few times in English and Latin, until you feel comfortable with it.
2a. Audio Orbis Sensualium Pictus. available on DVD or as a digital download
2b Text (Latin-English) (For other languages, see the Comenius Project page on the sidebar)
If English is not your first language, the text of the Orbis also exists in a variety of other languages, alongside the Latin.
In that case, you may not want to listen to the English: The Latin-only reading of the Orbis Sensualim Pictus can be listened to here, while you look at a multi-language edition for the translation.
Once you are familiar with the dual language reading of the Orbis Pictus, you will need to listen to it in Latin only. You will keep revising this text over the next 5 years, with decreasing frequency - even as you advance, you still need to revisit the basics, to ensure the foundation is well constructed.
Vocabulary Building:
Most of the material on this page is, one way or another, connected to vocabulary building, and getting you used to simple natural language patterns. Vocabulary study will accompany your entire journey through this course. You can either make flashcards, or listen. Listening will help you gain an ear for correct quantity (vowel length) which is an important part of Latin. Some beginners texts have these marked. Advanced texts do not. These vocabulary files are NOT easy to listen to, and require multiple revisions. They will seem very fast to you in the beginning, and your head will start to spin. Persevere.
Audio Vocabulary Building Audio files.
(Swallowing the Dictionary)
Note: Ripman's Classified Vocabulary is not available online.
Simple Illustrated Books
The second part of your beginning experience, will be reading very simple illustrated children's readers in Latin, which are provided on the Tar Heel Reader website. Many of these readers have been developed by Latinum (such as this series of Comenius readers). You will not understand everything you read in these readers, however, this is not necessary:
The first set of readers will be in English and Latin, and are also by Comenius: You will read these first, to build up your vocabulary: these readers are an adjunct to the Orbis Sensualium Pictus and Vestibulum. You will also begin your first studies in grammar using these illustrated books.
Please follow this link, for the Comenius material on Tar Heel reader.
The Latin declensions explained with illustrations.
Other readers can be found on the Tar Heel site, simply by clicking on the word 'Latin' in the list of languages.
IMPORTANT NOTE:Only the booklets with a little gold badge in the top left have been proof-read by the Latin editor.
The red dot with the exclamation mark informs you that you might want to check the story or pictures first, before using it with a young child.
Part Three
You can also start to listen to the Adler course (more details in 'Second Steps')