Success Tips for the NLE Beginning Latin Exam

Margarita Papakosta
Sep 17
3 min read

1. Know Your Cases

Nominative = subject / predicate noun. Example: puella est amica (The girl is a friend).
Genitive = “of” / possession. Example: liber puellae (the girl’s book).
Dative = “to/for” / indirect object. Example: puellae librum do (I give the girl a book).
Accusative = direct object or object of many prepositions. Example: puellam amo (I love the girl).
Ablative = “by/with/from” + certain preps. Example: gladio pugnat (he fights with a sword).

2. Prepositions

Accusative prepositions: ad, ante, circum, in (into), inter, per, post, prope, super, trans.
Ablative prepositions: ab, cum, de, ex, in (in/on), pro, sine, sub.Memory: Accusative often = motion toward/into; Ablative often = location/separation.

3. Verbs

Present: amo = I love.
Imperfect: amabam = I was loving.
Perfect: amavi = I loved.
Personal endings: -o, -s, -t / -mus, -tis, -nt.
Irregulars:
- sum, es, est, sumus, estis, sunt.
- possum, potes, potest, possumus, potestis, possunt.

4. Adjectives

Must agree with nouns in gender, number, case.
puella bona (good girl) / puer bonus (good boy).

5. Pronouns

ego, tu, nos, vos = I, you, we, you (pl).
is, ea, id = he, she, it.
qui, quae, quod = who, which.

6. Culture and Mythology

Seven kings of Rome, heroes like Horatius and Cincinnatus.
Gods: Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, Apollo, etc.
Myths: Echo and Narcissus, Arachne and Minerva, Midas.
Key point: they test “who did what,” not obscure details.

7. Roman Life and Geography

Forum, Via Appia, Pantheon, Campus Martius.
Housing: domus, insulae, triclinium.
Clothing: toga, tunica, stola.
Meals: cena, culina.
Geography: Rome, Ostia, Pompeii, Troy, Carthage, Gaul.

8. Derivatives

sedere → sedentary
soror → sorority
puer → puerile

9. Expressions and Mottoes

veni, vidi, vici = I came, I saw, I conquered.
SPQR = Senatus Populusque Romanus.
per annum = per year.
summa cum laude = with highest praise.

10. Exam Strategies

Translate verbs and prepositional phrases first in the passage.
Eliminate clearly wrong answers.
40 questions in 40 minuthttp://English.Dayes = 1 minute per question.
Always guess—no penalties.

2-Week Study Schedule (Day-by-Day)

Week 1: Build Foundations

Day 1: Review 1st and 2nd declension nouns. Drill nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative. Make 10 practice sentences.

Day 2: Review 3rd declension nouns. Compare endings across declensions. Translate 5 short noun/adjective phrases.

Day 3: Drill personal pronouns (ego, tu, nos, vos, is, ea, id). Write 5 sentences using pronouns.

Day 4: Review 1st and 2nd conjugation verbs (present, imperfect, perfect). Conjugate amo and moneo in all three tenses.

Day 5: Review 3rd, 3rd-io, 4th conjugations. Conjugate duco, capio, audio in three tenses.

Day 6: Practice irregular verbs (sum, possum). Create 10 short sentences. Add present imperatives (positive and negative).Day 7: Mock quiz (20 questions language only). Short culture review: Seven kings of Rome + Roman geography.

Week 2: Integration and Exam Prep

Day 8: Review adjectives and agreement. Translate 5 sentences pairing adjectives and nouns.

Day 9: Adverbs and conjunctions. Practice writing simple Latin sentences with et, sed, ubi.

Day 10: Prepositions with accusative vs ablative. Translate 10 prepositional phrases.

Day 11: Derivatives practice: list 10 Latin roots and their English derivatives. Add 10 mottoes/expressions.Day 12: Culture day: Roman gods, myths (Arachne, Echo, Midas). Create flashcards.

Day 13: Roman life: housing, clothing, meals, Forum, roads. Practice matching Latin → English.