What's a good method to translate a sentence from Latin into English?

(1) Underline the endings of all the words in the sentence, so that you can identify what each word is; (2) Identify verb, subject (nominative), and object (accusative), if there is one; (3) Order these according to English word order (subject - verb - object). Then move on to order the rest of the sentence; (4) If there are adverbs linked with the verb, place them before the verb; (5) If there are nouns in the genitive, identify which noun they are linked with (Latin word order and common sense will help you work it out), then place them next to the noun; (6) If there are nouns in the dative or ablative, place them after the object ; (7) If there are adjectives linked with one or more nouns, check their case, gender and number to make sure they agree, then place them before the noun(s); (8) If there are prepositions linked with other words, place them before those words and after the object; (9) Once everything is in order, translate the sentence into English. Remember that Latin has no articles, so make sure to add English articles before words as appropriate; (10) Congratulations! You have successfully translated a sentence from Latin into English!

DS
Answered by Davide S. Latin tutor

1794 Views

See similar Latin GCSE tutors

Related Latin GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How does Pliny make the ghost scene a dramatic and shocking climax to the story?


Why are different cases of the personal pronoun use in the two parts of the sentence "si enim amici me in caelo videbunt, omnes tandem mihi credent" and what do they mean?


What is the gerund?


How do I begin tackling an unseen passage of Latin for translation into English?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences