Getting Started with Latin is a beginner-friendly Latin curriculum by William Linney featuring 134 short lessons that introduce classical Latin grammar through incremental, self-paced instruction.
What is Getting Started with Latin?
Getting Started with Latin is exactly what its title promises: a gentle introduction to classical Latin designed for learners with no prior experience. Author William Linney, who holds master's degrees in both music and classics, created the program when asked to teach Latin to relatives' children and couldn't find an accessible beginner resource. The result is 134 short, single-page lessons that introduce one concept at a time, followed immediately by ten practice sentences. It's deliberately non-threatening, self-paced, and designed for anyone—children through adults—to work through independently.
Key Takeaways
- 134 short lessons introducing one concept per page
- Uses only 90-100 Latin words throughout entire text
- Free audio files and mobile app available for practice
- Designed for independent self-study without teacher required
- Best used as gateway program before comprehensive Latin curricula
How the Method Works
Linney's approach prioritizes gentleness over speed. Each lesson introduces one grammatical concept or vocabulary word, immediately followed by ten Latin-to-English translation sentences that apply it. The limited vocabulary (under 100 words total) means students encounter familiar words repeatedly, building confidence through recognition rather than overwhelming with new terms. The book covers first and second declension nouns, present tense verbs, basic gender concepts, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions. Audio files provide pronunciation guidance in both classical and ecclesiastical styles.
What This Curriculum Is (and Isn't)
Getting Started with Latin is a foundation, not a complete Latin education. Linney himself acknowledges that covering everything using his gentle method would result in an impractically long book. Think of it as the on-ramp: students develop basic Latin reading skills, build vocabulary, and gain confidence before transitioning to comprehensive programs like Latin for Children, Prima Latina, or eventually Wheelock's Latin. Reviewers consistently praise how "effortless" learning feels—an important quality for hesitant students or families testing whether Latin fits their curriculum.
Resources and Support
The Bottom Line
Getting Started with Latin earned its reputation—and multiple Practical Homeschooling awards—by doing one thing exceptionally well: making Latin accessible to absolute beginners. If your family wants to explore Latin without committing to intensive study, or if you have a student intimidated by foreign languages, this program provides the gentlest possible introduction. Just understand its limits: this is a starting point. Students who catch the Latin bug will need additional curriculum to achieve fluency.
