Greetings and everyday phrases
| Latin | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| salve | hello (to one person) | SAHL-weh | Salve, amice!Hello, friend! |
| salvete | hello (to more than one person) | sahl-WEH-teh | Salvete, amici!Hello, friends! |
| vale | goodbye (to one person) | WAH-leh | Vale, in crastinum!Goodbye, until tomorrow! |
| valete | goodbye (to more than one person) | wah-LEH-teh | Valete, omnes!Goodbye, everyone! |
| gratias | thanks | GRAH-tee-ahs | Gratias tibi ago.I give you thanks. |
| quaeso | please | KWY-soh | Veni, quaeso.Come, please. |
| ita | yes | EE-tah | Ita, verum est.Yes, that is true. |
| non | no | nohn | Non, id falsum est.No, that is false. |
| amicus | friend (male) | ah-MEE-koos | Amicus meus venit.My friend is coming. |
| amica | friend (female) | ah-MEE-kah | Amica mea laeta est.My female friend is happy. |
Numbers
| Latin | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| unus | one | OO-noos | Unus liber est in mensa.One book is on the table. |
| duo | two | DOO-oh | Duo amici veniunt.Two friends are coming. |
| tres | three | trehs | Tres libri sunt boni.Three books are good. |
| quattuor | four | KWAHT-too-or | Quattuor anni transierunt.Four years have passed. |
| quinque | five | KWEEN-kweh | Quinque dies habemus.We have five days. |
| sex | six | sex | Sex horas laboravi.I worked six hours. |
| septem | seven | SEP-tem | Septem dies in hebdomada sunt.There are seven days in a week. |
| octo | eight | OK-toh | Octo discipuli adsunt.Eight students are present. |
| novem | nine | NOH-wem | Novem libros legi.I read nine books. |
| decem | ten | DEH-kem | Decem annos hic habito.I have lived here for ten years. |
Family and people
| Latin | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| pater | father | PAH-ter | Pater meus sapiens est.My father is wise. |
| mater | mother | MAH-ter | Mater mea me amat.My mother loves me. |
| filius | son | FEE-lee-oos | Filius eius medicus est.His son is a doctor. |
| filia | daughter | FEE-lee-ah | Filia mea discipula est.My daughter is a student. |
| frater | brother | FRAH-ter | Frater meus altus est.My brother is tall. |
| soror | sister | SOH-ror | Soror mea cantat.My sister sings. |
| vir | man | weer | Vir fortis est.The man is brave. |
| femina | woman | FEH-mee-nah | Femina sapiens est.The woman is wise. |
| puer | boy | POO-er | Puer currit.The boy runs. |
| puella | girl | poo-EL-lah | Puella cantat.The girl sings. |
| familia | family | fah-MEE-lee-ah | Familia mea magna est.My family is big. |
Nature and the world
| Latin | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| aqua | water | AH-kwah | Aqua pura est.The water is pure. |
| terra | earth, land | TEHR-rah | Terra fertilis est.The land is fertile. |
| sol | sun | sohl | Sol lucet.The sun shines. |
| luna | moon | LOO-nah | Luna nocte lucet.The moon shines at night. |
| ignis | fire | EEG-nees | Ignis calidus est.The fire is hot. |
| ventus | wind | WEN-toos | Ventus fortis est.The wind is strong. |
| arbor | tree | AR-bor | Arbor alta est.The tree is tall. |
| via | road, way | WEE-ah | Via longa est.The road is long. |
| domus | house | DOH-moos | Domus mea parva est.My house is small. |
| urbs | city | oorps | Urbs magna est.The city is big. |
Colors
| Latin | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ruber | red | ROO-ber | Rosa rubra est.The rose is red. |
| caeruleus | blue | kai-ROO-leh-oos | Caelum caeruleum est.The sky is blue. |
| viridis | green | WEE-ree-dees | Herba viridis est.The grass is green. |
| albus | white | AHL-boos | Nix alba est.The snow is white. |
| niger | black | NEE-ger | Feles nigra est.The cat is black. |
| flavus | yellow | FLAH-voos | Sol flavus videtur.The sun looks yellow. |
| purpureus | purple | poor-POO-reh-oos | Vestis purpurea pulchra est.The purple garment is beautiful. |
| aureus | golden | OW-reh-oos | Anulus aureus est.The ring is golden. |
| griseus | grey | GREE-seh-oos | Caelum griseum est.The sky is grey. |
Common verbs
| Latin | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| amo | I love | AH-moh | Te amo.I love you. |
| sum | I am | soom | Ego sum discipulus.I am a student. |
| habeo | I have | HAH-beh-oh | Librum habeo.I have a book. |
| video | I see | WEE-deh-oh | Te video.I see you. |
| dico | I say | DEE-koh | Verum dico.I say the truth. |
| facio | I do, I make | FAH-kee-oh | Bonum facio.I do good. |
| venio | I come | WEH-nee-oh | Cras venio.I come tomorrow. |
| eo | I go | EH-oh | Domum eo.I go home. |
| lego | I read | LEH-goh | Librum lego.I read a book. |
| scribo | I write | SKREE-boh | Epistulam scribo.I write a letter. |
| audio | I hear | OW-dee-oh | Musicam audio.I hear music. |
Common adjectives
| Latin | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| magnus | big | MAHG-noos | Mons magnus est.The mountain is big. |
| parvus | small | PAR-woos | Canis parvus est.The dog is small. |
| bonus | good | BOH-noos | Vir bonus est.The man is good. |
| malus | bad | MAH-loos | Tempus malum est.The weather is bad. |
| longus | long | LOHNG-goos | Via longa est.The road is long. |
| novus | new | NOH-voos | Liber novus est.The book is new. |
| vetus | old | WEH-toos | Domus vetus est.The house is old. |
| fortis | strong, brave | FOR-tees | Miles fortis est.The soldier is brave. |
| pulcher | beautiful | POOL-ker | Flos pulcher est.The flower is beautiful. |
| celer | fast | KEH-ler | Currus celer est.The chariot is fast. |
Love, life, and key Latin core words
| Latin | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| amor | love | AH-mor | Amor vincit omnia.Love conquers all. |
| vita | life | WEE-tah | Vita brevis est.Life is short. |
| mors | death | mors | Mors omnibus venit.Death comes to all. |
| pax | peace | pahks | Pax in terra est.There is peace on earth. |
| veritas | truth | WEH-ree-tahs | Veritas semper vincit.Truth always wins. |
| tempus | time | TEM-poos | Tempus fugit.Time flies. |
| spes | hope | spehs | Spes numquam moritur.Hope never dies. |
| animus | mind, spirit | AH-nee-moos | Animus fortis est.The spirit is strong. |
| libertas | freedom | lee-BER-tahs | Libertas magna res est.Freedom is a great thing. |
| virtus | virtue, courage | WEER-toos | Virtus laudanda est.Virtue is to be praised. |
Latin and Greek roots and affixes
| Latin | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| bene | well (as in benefit, benevolent) | BEH-neh | Bene laboras.You work well. |
| male | badly (as in malady, malfunction) | MAH-leh | Male dormivi.I slept badly. |
| multi | many (as in multiply, multitude) | MOOL-tee | Multi homines adsunt.Many people are present. |
| ante | before (as in anterior, antedate) | AHN-teh | Ante bellum pax erat.Before the war there was peace. |
| post | after (as in postpone, posterior) | post | Post cenam ambulamus.After dinner we walk. |
| sub | under (as in submarine, subway) | soob | Liber sub mensa est.The book is under the table. |
| inter | between (as in international, interact) | EEN-ter | Via inter urbes est.The road is between the cities. |
| trans | across (as in transport, transatlantic) | trahns | Trans flumen navigamus.We sail across the river. |
| omnis | all, every (as in omnipotent, omnivore) | OHM-nees | Deus omnia videt.God sees all things. |
| duco | I lead (as in conduct, produce) | DOO-koh | Populum duco.I lead the people. |
Question words and time
| Latin | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| quid | what | kwid | Quid est hoc?What is this? |
| quis | who | kwees | Quis est ille?Who is he? |
| ubi | where | OO-bee | Ubi est domus tua?Where is your house? |
| cur | why | koor | Cur hoc facis?Why are you doing this? |
| quando | when | KWAHN-doh | Quando venies?When will you come? |
| quomodo | how | kwoh-MOH-doh | Quomodo hoc facis?How do you do this? |
| hodie | today | HOH-dee-eh | Hodie laboro.Today I work. |
| cras | tomorrow | krahs | Cras te videbo.Tomorrow I will see you. |
| heri | yesterday | HEH-ree | Heri domi eram.Yesterday I was at home. |
| annus | year | AHN-noos | Annus novus incipit.The new year begins. |
Study tips for Latin
- Latin nouns change ending depending on their role in the sentence, called cases; start by learning the nominative form given here before tackling other cases.
- Focus on recognizing roots like bene, multi, and trans, since they appear in hundreds of English words and make vocabulary building faster.
- Practice reading short phrases such as Amor vincit omnia aloud; Latin pronunciation is very regular once you learn the vowel sounds.
- Group new words by theme, such as family, nature, or verbs, rather than memorizing random lists, since Latin vocabulary is easier to retain in context.
- Remember Latin has no articles for a or the, so a single word like vita can mean life, a life, or the life depending on context.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Latin word for love?
The main Latin word for love is amor, and the verb to love is amo; both appear in the famous phrase amor vincit omnia, love conquers all.
Is this the Dickinson Latin Core vocabulary list?
No, this is an original beginner vocabulary selection covering common nouns, verbs, and roots; it is not an official Dickinson Core Latin Vocabulary list, though it includes many similarly frequent words.
How do Latin and Greek roots help with English vocabulary?
Many English words come from Latin roots such as bene (well), multi (many), and trans (across); recognizing these roots helps you guess the meaning of unfamiliar English words like benefit, multitude, and transport.
Can I use this page as a Latin vocabulary quiz?
This page is a study list rather than an interactive quiz, but you can cover the translations and test yourself on each term and its meaning to practice.