HELP FOR TRANSLATING
LATIN INTO ENGLISH
1. Scan sentence and locate any prepositional phrases. Enclose in parentheses.
2. Locate main verb in sentence. (If more than one verb, follow this process for each one)
a. Translate verb by looking at person, tense & number.
b. If verb is in the 3rd person, look for a noun in the Nominative Case acting as the
subject. (SUBJECT AND VERB MUST AGREE IN PERSON AND NUMBER- if verb
is plural, subject must be plural; if verb is singular, subject must be singular).
3. Translate subject (noun or pronoun) and verb together.
4. Determine if verb is action or linking.
a. If the verb is an action verb, look for a noun as a direct object in the
Accusative Case, then translate subject, verb and direct object.
b. If the verb is a linking verb (is, am, was, were), look for a noun or adjective in
the predicate (Predicate Nominative or Predicate Adjective), then translate subject,
linking verb, predicate nominative.
5. Determine the noun function of any other nouns: Indirect objects (with verbs of giving,
showing and telling), direct address, possession.
6. If adjectives are present, they must agree with the nouns they modify in GENDER,
NUMBER & CASE. Assign adjectives to the appropriate nouns.
7. Finally, translate any adverbs and translate prepositional phrases according to their
case.
ENGLISH INTO LATIN
1. Diagram sentence finding subject, verb, direct object OR subject, verb, predicate
nominative (or adjective). Discover adjectives & adverbs and what they modify.
2. Find any prepositional phrases and determine their usage (location, motion, etc.)
3. Assign case & number, and gender to all nouns & adjectives, identify correct
vocabulary words, noun declension, find stem, and assign proper endings.
4. To the main verb assign person (1, 2,3), number (singular or plural), tense, (present,
imperfect, future, perfect, pluperfect, future perfect), voice (active or passive), mood
(indicative, imperative). Determine correct vocabulary word, conjugation, find stem, and
assign proper ending.