Welcome to our Lingua Latina

Frequently Asked Questions 

Scroll down to see all of the categories:

Set I /Set II / CD-Rom / Other / Pricing & Purchasing

 

Set I FAQ

How long does it take to get through set I?

 

It mostly depends on the frequency you are studying it, and your learning environment, but it generally takes about 2 years to complete in a school environment, or on your own.

 

I am a homeschool parent, what age group can I start using Lingua Latina with my children?

 

We have seen homeschoolers start their children on it as early as age 8.

 

What books do you recommend I start with?

 

There are several options, and it mostly depends on what your personal preference is regarding how you learn best. 

 

If you prefer physical books, we would recommend you purchase:

o        Part I: Familia Romana (available in hardcover and paperback)

o        Lingua Latina: A College Companion (this book contains, Grammatica Latina & Latin English Vocab for Part I) and has English

o        Part I: Exercitia Latina I (the workbook for the series)

o        *you will also need the Teacher’s Manual & Answer Key if you are homeschooling or self-learning.

 

If you prefer to learn on the computer, we would recommend you purchase:

(CD’s contain the same information as in the texts, there is no additional material on CD)

• Part I: Familia Romana Interactive CD Rom
• Part I: Exercitia Latina I CD Rom
• *you would not necessarily need the Teacher’s Manual & Answer Key because the CD Roms will provide the answer after 3 incorrect attempts.
• (optional) Lingua Latina: A College Companion – not available on CD
• *Attention MAC users, you need only buy 1 CD Rom: Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata CD-ROM for the MAC (87-90696-13-1)

 

If you prefer to learn via an online course, we would recommend you do the following:

(There is a free sampler that allows access to a few chapters and features of the site.

 

• Visit http://courses.pullins.com/
• The course includes the audio files for the first 31 chapters of Familia Romana, all the Pensa that are in the book, and all the Exercitia Latina I exercises.
• The cost for a single user is only $14.95.

 

The online materials can replace the following materials:

• Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata CD-ROM for the MAC
• Familia Romana CD-ROM (87-90696-08-5)
• Exercitia Latina I CD-ROM (87-90696-10-7)

 

Set II FAQ

 

What books are essential for using Set II?

There are several options, and it mostly depends on what your personal preference is regarding how you learn best. 

 

If you prefer to use books, we would recommend you purchase:

• Part II: Roma Aeterna (available in HC or PB)
• Part II: Indices (this is an essential Index of Roma Aeterna)
• Part II: Instructions (in English)
• Part II: Latin-English Vocabulary for Part II (available online as a free download)
• Part II: Exercitia Latina II
• *you will also need the “Teacher’s Manual & Answer Key” if you are homeschooling or self-learning.
• **A College Companion for Set II is forthcoming.

 

If you prefer to learn on the computer, we would recommend you purchase:

(CD’s contain the same information as in the texts, there is no additional material on CD)

• Part II: Roma Aeterna Interactive CD Rom
• Part II: Exercitia Latina II CD Rom
• *you would not necessarily need the “Teacher’s Manual & Answer Key” because the CD Roms will provide the answer after 3 incorrect attempts.
• *Attention MAC users, you need only buy 1 CD Rom:
• Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata CD-ROM for the MAC (87-90696-13-1)

 

If you prefer to learn via an online course, we are in the process of creating a course online for Set II

 

Do I need to have completed set I before moving on to set II?

 

One does not need to complete Lingua Latina Set I Familia Romana to read Roma Aeterna.   It can be used for a survey of Latin in its own right, along with any of the companion ancillaries.

 

Is Set II Roma Aeterna a continuation of the story of Familia Romana?

 

No. Roma Aeterna contains a description of the monuments of Rome, followed by a prose version of Vergil’s Aeneid I-IV, with extracts from the original, and Livy’s Book I, supplemented by extracts from Ovid. At first, Livy’s prose is gently adapted, but most of the book integrates unadapted texts by Livy, Aulus Gellius, Nepos, Sallust, Cicero and Horace with linguistic and historical information in a seamless narrative.

 

CD-Rom FAQ

 

What pronunciation are the audio portions of the CD Rom’s read in?  Do you have an ecclesiastical audio recording of either Familia Romana or Roma Aeterna?

 

The CD’s are read aloud in the Classical pronunciation.  There does not exist an ecclesiastical reading by Hans Orberg.

 

Who reads aloud on the CD Rom’s?

 

The author himself, Hans H. Orberg.

 

Does the Roma Aeterna CD Rom also contain the entire text of the book read aloud?

 

No it does not.  The Exercitia Latina II CD Rom contains the questions read aloud, but there is no audio version of Roma Aeterna.  The author never recorded one.

 

Are the exercises on the Lingua Latina: Exercitia Latina I and II CD Roms  the same as the exercises in the books, Exercitia Latina I and II?

 

Yes, there are no additional materials on the CDs that are not in the books themselves.

 

Am I able to print out anything that I see on the CD’s?

 

You cannot print the material you see on screen, on the CD Rom’s.

 

Will it save my place and remember where I last left off on the CD’s?

 

No, the program is quite simplistic.

 

What program are the audio files on the CD’s in?

 

They are MP3 audio files.

 

What is the difference between the Latine Audio CD and the Familia Romana Interactive CD-Rom?

 

Latine Audio: I – X, ISBN 978-1-58510-192-4 for $24.95: This is the kind of disc you can put in your music/cd player and it will play.  However, it only contains chapters 1 - 10 of "Familia Romana".  It was mostly created as sampler CD for people who just wanted to make sure they were pronouncing things correctly, and act as a sampler for those with MACS, until the MAC CD Rom versions became available.

 

Familia Romana Interactive CD Rom for PC, ISBN 978-87-90696-08-5 for $29.95: This is the type of CD you put in your PC and it installs the interactive software onto your computer, giving you the full text of the book, and audio of the book up to chapter 31 (out of 35) and interactive pensa questions.  The beauty of purchasing this CD over the other, is that you can actually move the mp3 files of the audio for the book, into your itunes or ipod etc. (if you know what you’re doing) and benefit from the interactive component as well. 

 

And if you only have a MAC, there is only 1 CD you can buy: ISBN: 978-87-90696-13-9 $50.00 (and it also contains the mp3 files of the first 31 chapters in Familia Romana).

 

Are the CD’s compatible with Vista?

 

The CD’s should be able to be used on Vista PC’s.  We have had a handful of people try this, and had it be successful.  If you experience any issues, please let us know.

 

I bought my CD some time ago, and I would like to see if there are any updates to the version I have, where would I go to check that out?

 

You can visit the author’s web-site.  He is constantly updating anything to do with the CD’s.

Here is the link: http://www.lingua-latina.dk/upgrade.htm

 

 I can’t get my CD Rom to work right, who can I contact for technical support?

 

You can email your issue to Kerri Wetherbee and she will forward your email on to Hans Orberg, who will then inquire with the programmer.  The CD’s are manufactured in Denmark, and were not created by Focus, so it is hard for us to troubleshoot issues.

 

I would like to see a sample of the CD before committing to purchase it, where can I do that?

 

You can download a sample of it by visiting http://www.pullins.com/programs/LLPSI-demo-setup.exe

Other FAQ

Where is Hans Orberg?

 

Hans Henning Ørberg, retired teacher, 1920-2010. After his retirement he started a publishing house called Domus Latina, which his children now run in Denmark.

You can read more about him at his Wikipedia page here.

Below is a picture of Hans,
next to his son Anders Orberg

 

How do you pronounce Lingua Latina?

 

ling'-gwa   la-te'-na

 

Where can I go for some helpful suggestions on how to teach Orberg’s Lingua Latina series?

 

Focus would highly recommend that you become part of the Orberg listserve.

The link to join is: http://nxport.com/mailman/listinfo/oerberg .  It’s the perfect place for people all over to converse about Latin, and the Lingua Latina series and its benefits.

 

Do you have a Lingua Latina catalog I can receive in the mail?

 

Yes we do, feel free to email us your mailing address to us to receive one.

 

Which supplemental reader would you most recommend I use in conjunction with the Lingua Latina materials?

 

Colloquia Personarum. It is designed to be used with Book I and it has all sorts of fun things to like dialogues and little plays you can do with the vocabulary that is in the book.

 

My child has used other Latin programs in the past, do you think he/she would like Lingua Latina?

 

Lingua Latina would be very different from any approach they have been exposed to.  It focuses much less on grammar, and much more on reading, learning and thinking in Latin.  Some people use it in conjunction with other Latin programs, like Focus’ New First Steps in Latin Series.  Other programs that do focus on grammar would be great to use with it.

 

Is there a direct translation of Familia Romana?

 

No, an English translation of the text does not exist.  The point of this method is submersion, and to get the Latin learner familiar with reading and thinking and comprehending in Latin, not to literally translate it into English.

Pricing & Purchasing FAQ

Do I get a discount if I purchase all of the books in each Set, or if I buy in bulk?

 

There are no price breaks in purchasing the books.  Each book is sold separately to meet the needs of all individuals looking to purchase 1 book, to all of the books.

 

If don’t live in the U.S., who would I purchase the Lingua Latina books from?

 

Please see our Int’l buying chart http://www.pullins.com/programs/LL%20Int%27l%20Distributor%20List.pdf

to locate the company that sells in your territory.

 

I live in Canada, can I buy the books from Focus Publishing?

 

Yes, we do not currently have a Canadian distributor, but you may purchase the books from us directly, by using this order form and faxing or mailing it to us, or by emailing us the information as your order. We do not currently offer online ordering for those outside the U.S.

 

How can I preview the Lingua Latina titles before purchasing them?

 

You may visit us at any one of the many conferences we will be attending in 2009 just visit http://www.pullins.com/txt/conferences.htm  to see our Google Calendar for a list of conferences we will be at this year. 

 

Can I order the books through my local bookstore?

 

In most cases yes. Borders will place a special order for any one of our titles, and have them shipped to the store of your choosing.  Barnes & Noble stores may also do the same.  Because all of our books are currently distributed by Ingram and Baker & Taylor, this makes it easy for most local bookstores to obtain our books. You may want to bring your ISBN’s and our Phone # with you, when placing a special order through your local bookstore.  Bookstores do not typically require that you purchase the book(s) have placed on special order, nor do they charge you shipping and handling.  Inquire with your favorite store to be sure before placing your order.

 

Can I buy these books directly through Focus Publishing?

 

You may phone, fax, email or order online directly from us.  Please note that Focus sells to individuals for the published List Price plus Shipping and Handling.  Visit www.focusbookstore.com to compile your shopping cart and get quotes.

 

I heard you have online Flash Cards to use with Lingua Latina, where would I find those? Is there a charge for them?

 

Our On-line Vocabulary Flash Cards can be found here.  Currently, they are being offered free of charge.