h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Glad you're learning something, vamster.

Athena, the best website I can suggest for learning Latin *anything* is http://www.textkit.com . If you go to the vocabulary section ( http://www.textkit.com/vocabulary/ ) you can elect to receive vocabulary words in your email every day - or just peruse the copius lists they have onsite.

Thanks, or gratias.

Question -

If it's mihi nohmen est... for my name is

is it tibi nohmen est... for your name is?

I haven't thought about that before, but good point, you're right that it would be. But it's 'nomen', not 'nohmen'. But that was quite observant. You know your personal pronouns, then?

Oh, but you'd have to change the form of 'est' since you would be asking a question. 'Tibi nomen estne...?' Adding -ne onto the end of the verb changes the sentence into a question.

This just occurred to me and it will again probably show my ignorance but you can use ? mark in latin questions, right?

There's absolutely nothing that's too ignorant for it to be asked! That's a good question!

Yes, you do use the '?' in Latin questions. We don't really know what sort of punctuation the Romans used, or if they used any at all, so when writing in Latin today we just use modern English conventions, such as quotation marks, English punctuation, etc. Presumably, for example, French students of Latin use the << >> for Latin quotations where we would use ' ' or " ". You get to pretty much use your mother tongue's conventions.

Thanks.

Ah yes I remembered the last year I opened Le Petit Prince and was at the <<>> until I realised they were simply ""

I don't really know the personal pronouns, but I got a book out of my local library and it has tables for nouns/verbs/other strange things.
The way I understand it at the moment:

if I have
agricola (farmer)
taurus (bull)
and fugat (chases)

then I can make argicola taurum fugat (the farmer chases the bull) because as the object, taurus changes to taurum 'cos that's it's accusative case ending

or I can make argicolam taurus fugat (the bull chases the farmer) because as the object agricola changes to agricolam cos that's it's accusative case ending

Is this right or am I talking absolute rubbish?

That's exactly right, Athena! I couldn't have said it better myself!

More declensions will go up on the tutorials tomorrow, and a start will be made on the first lesson - 'What Is Latin?', which I still haven't done.

I've read Le Petit Prince! It's an achievement for me, lol, even though i still didn't understand all of it- I refused to use a dictionary, as it would slow down reading and I'd never get anywhere. Perhaps I'll read it again with one.
French speech is pretty irritating, as sometimes they use <<>> and they they forget it entirely, just relying on commas and common sense.

some aspects of Latin seem a lot easier than other languages, if only I had time to learn the stuff properly...

O Magistra, I'm sure it doesn't matter what order they come in

Oh, but since the tutorials are actually written in *English* (not Latin) sequence and lesson order play a huge part in syntax and comprehension!

Excellent point, o magistra. Audio te!- I hear you!

that's not right is it? Damn.

Perfectly right, vamster! Have faith in your ability!

I liked Le Petit Prince, with a dictionary and my french teacher!
Oh and thanks, I signed up for vocabulary on textkit website!

I enjoyed it too, i particularly like the drawing at the start, of the boa constrictor eating an elephant.

I like Le Roi the best

Yes he's funny. I feel a bit sorry for him though

i think next time someone asks me to draw something, i'll draw a box, just like the lamb

soo, latin...

Vale!

I would rather draw the leash to the lamb, but each to her/his own I suppose I did use the dictionary a lot.

Now boys and girls, let's remain on task!















Oh, bugger that.