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

Welcome Pink!

O Magistra, "pluperfect"? Sure thou jest! Or spelt wrong... There, *despairs* there is such a word, a tense?

*joins in * I'm behind too!

Don't cry, don't cry! Don't worry about the pluperfect, it's not even one of the three basic tenses! It is, I think, what is called the 'past perfect' in English: I had done this or you had done that.

If I get some time today I will do something constructive, as I feel very guilty about being so unconstructive. If not, I'm sorry but it will have to wait until Tuesday, at which point it will be definitely happening, whatever it is.

It's the pluperfect in my French lessons; the past perfect is I did this, as opposed to I had done this, which is pluperfect, no?

I'll be back breifly on tuesday, but I'm off on a bio trip this weekend

Okay then, past perfect is what we just call the perfect in Latin.

Did I mention I've started French? I'm on chapter 4 of the textbook. I've got till the end of summer to finish chapter 6.

Have a good trip.

thanks! i don't know if I will, because it's work..work and more..work in a 2* hotel, but it should be a good laugh.

Come and visit the French thread! there's a couple of fluent speakers on there now, along with we mere mortals, so you'll get along fine there

Yea, good for you on the French thingy...

It is at a good pace!

I am about to finish my third and final year of learning french. Yay!!!!! Just *does quick mental calculation* 12 lessons to go!

Is imperfect the ones like 'I was eating' or 'they were talking' but perfect is the ones like 'I ate' or 'they talked'? Right?

That's exactly correct, Athena. You could also translate perfect as 'I did eat' or 'They did talk,' as silly as that may seem. My first Latin teacher insisted on us doing that, though as soon as I moved on beyond the first year of study I was thankful to abandon that rather stilted manner of speech.

A lot of teachers try to be as literal as possible so that you can learn the grammar, but my theory is that you might as well gain practice translating properly, as that's all that Latinists really do.

New tutorial stuff tomorrow, and that's a promise!

Erm...is there room for a newcomer? I stumbled across this site whilst looking for help learning Latin. I have read all the past stuff thats been posted and hope I am not too behind to join in... I think I have signed up at the main Language Thing page.. the computer has been a bit tempermental....

Hi LFC!

I didn't see your post at the main Language Thing page - be sure to go to A1145477 and mention in the relevant box that you're interested in learning Latin, and any other languages that come to mind.

You will also want to check out my series of rather non-existent tutorials, which can be found at A4103010. I keep promising I will update them... and it's my hope that this will happen today, perhaps after lunch (I'm on Pacific Daylight Savings Time; it's about 11:30am right now).

In the meantime, welcome, but please do make sure you sign up @ Language Thing headquarters, because although I'm a Head of Department I still bow to the wishes of Kat and Joe C, Language Thing eds extraordinaire.

Have you any previous experience with Latin? That way I know where to start. If not, have a browse through the tutorials, and if you're interested in any outside resources, I recommend the website http://www.textkit.com as a perfect resources for anyone learning Latin. I avail myself of it quite frequently.

Salve Lilfairycake! Can we call you lil?

You will all be pleased to know that Lesson I of the tutorials is finally completed! The nouns will also be finished today, given time. They're on my to do list, so that means they will actually get done! (I wonder why I didn't think of that before.) Anyway, happy tutorialing.

A4304819 (Tutorials Home)

Salve! Yes, feel free to call me lil!

Hmm, ok guess I should let you know where I'm at Latin wise... I have read all the previous posts, and am going to take a look at the tutorials very soon...

I only really know a few Latin phrases, which aren't particully useful!! I think these are right, feel free to correct me if not.

Nil Desperandum - Never say die

Suum cuique pulchrum - Literally: To everyone their own is beautiful. I guess it means love is blind.

De duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum - Choose the lesser of the two evils

And I think that's about all my Latin knowledge... not very useful I know....

Yeah, I think I've seen those ones before. That's cool, though... you can start at the beginning!

See that link above for the tutorials main page? You should go there first and read lesson 1, and maybe lesson 2 if you feel like it. Then you'll know about as much as everyone else here, because I *still* haven't got the nouns and verbs together.... (you can roll your eyes at me now if you like).

At the point when I finish the nouns (hopefully today!) and get the verbs up and running, we'll sit down together and start making some sentences. Sound ?

Sounds very

The nouns are done! The nouns are done! Let's see, how long have I been promising these? *s to look through backlog*

Er... a hell of a long time. I don't think I want to think about it.

Anyway, they're at A4132289. Have fun, and the verbs, according to my new to-do list, will happen on Tuesday. Then we can do some sentences!

For now, you can practice declining, if you want.

Salve!

I hope many people will write here...
Multae personae scribabunt (probably wrong, but future tense is SO COMPLICATED!) spero...

I think the thread is dead...

threadus mortuus est credo...

This thread certainly has been dead for a long time. It's really been a year since I've done anything remotely having to do with Latin and have forgotten much of it.

If you can hold on until autumn, though, the Language Thing may possibly see a revival.

O Magistra!