Latin classes · Los Angeles · Since 2006
Latin Classes in Los Angeles. Salve.
Private lessons with native-speaking instructors. Matched to your goals, your schedule, and your life. Start any time.
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Why Latin?
Four reasons to take Latin classes
The Foundation of Law and Medicine
Legal maxims, medical terminology, and scientific nomenclature are overwhelmingly Latin. Fluency gives law students, doctors, and scientists a built-in advantage.
Supercharge Your Vocabulary in Any Romance Language
Latin is the mother of French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian. Learning it makes acquiring any of these languages dramatically faster and deeper.
Read 2,000 Years of Western Literature
From Virgil's Aeneid to Newton's Principia, Latin was the language of Western thought for two millennia. Translations are interpretations — the original is the source.
Sharpen Your Analytical Thinking
Latin's case system, subjunctive moods, and periodic sentence structure train logical reasoning in ways that transfer to programming, legal analysis, and critical thinking.
Since 2006
Latin in Los Angeles
Latin has no native speakers and hasn’t for centuries, but it refuses to die. It is the ancestor of Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian, and its vocabulary runs through English like rebar — an estimated 60% of English words have Latin roots. Latin is still used in law, medicine, science, theology, and academic writing. The Vatican conducts official business in Latin. And for anyone who wants to understand how Romance languages work, or why English words mean what they mean, Latin is the skeleton key.
In Los Angeles, Latin tends to come up in two contexts. The first is students — high schoolers and college students who need Latin for AP exams, pre-med prerequisites, or graduate school reading requirements. UCLA, USC, Loyola Marymount, and a number of Catholic high schools in the LA area require or offer Latin, and many students need supplementary tutoring to keep up. The second group is adults who come to Latin by choice: lawyers who want to actually understand the phrases they use daily, writers interested in etymology, classicists, Catholics who want to follow the Tridentine Mass, or people who just find the language beautiful and want to read Virgil or Cicero in the original.
Strommen has offered Latin instruction since 2014 with tutors who specialize in classical languages. Unlike most language classes at Strommen, Latin is primarily a reading and translation language — we do not typically teach conversational Latin, though some students enjoy practicing spoken Latin as part of their study. Our tutors focus on grammar, translation, and close reading of original texts, tailored to your level. Whether you are a high school student struggling with ablative absolutes, a pre-law student who wants a real foundation, or a hobbyist working through the Aeneid, we match you with someone who fits.
No public Latin group classes right now — but we can set up a semi-private class for your family, friends, or company with as few as two people. Get in touch.
Latin class FAQ
What is the best way to learn Latin?
With a tutor who can walk you through grammar systematically and help you read real Latin texts as early as possible. Latin has five declensions, four conjugations, six cases, and a syntax that allows word order to shift in ways English does not. Self-study is possible but slow — having someone explain why a sentence is constructed the way it is saves enormous time. The best approach combines structured grammar lessons with progressive reading of adapted and then original Latin texts.
How long does it take to learn Latin?
It depends on your goal. If you need to pass an AP exam or read basic ecclesiastical Latin, 6 to 12 months of regular study is usually enough. Reading classical authors like Cicero, Virgil, or Ovid with real comprehension takes 2 to 3 years. Latin is not harder than other inflected languages — it is comparable to German or Russian in grammatical complexity — but the lack of native speakers means you cannot immerse yourself the way you can with a living language. Consistency and structured lessons matter more here than with most other subjects.
Is Latin hard for English speakers?
The grammar is the challenge. Latin has noun cases, verb conjugations that encode tense, mood, voice, and person, and a flexible word order that relies on endings rather than position to signal meaning. English speakers are not used to any of this. However, Latin vocabulary is surprisingly familiar — so many English words come from Latin that you already know more than you think. And Latin is extremely regular in its rules. There are exceptions, but far fewer than in a language like English or French.
Can I take Latin classes online?
Yes. Latin is arguably the best language to learn online since it is primarily a reading and translation language. Screen sharing works perfectly for going through texts together, and there is no pronunciation or conversation pressure the way there is with spoken languages. Our Latin tutors work with students across LA and beyond via video call.
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Since 2006 · Los Angeles
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