The Duolingo iOS app can now help you learn Latin, a language which hasn’t been widely spoken since the mid-19th century…
Engadget reports that, while it may seem an odd language to offer, it’s not just for history nerds.
Latin is also the root of Portuguese, Spanish, and Romanian — with a strong influence on English too.
There is some method to Duolingo’s seeming madness. This is most useful for history buffs who’d like to read Cicero or Ovid in their original formats, but it could also be helpful for improving language as a whole. Duolingo claims it will help you understand romance languages like French and Italian, and may even help with the intricacies of English.
It’s not an easy language to learn, thanks to five declensions, five noun cases, four conjugations, three persons, six tenses and more. The version taught is Classical Latin.
Duolingo is a free download from the App Store, with optional in-app purchase of a Duolingo Plus subscription. This removes ads and allows you to download lessons for offline use.
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