How To Make Latin Flashcards Step by Step

Wondering what to write on your Latin flashcards? Look no further. This post will explain exactly how to make effective Latin flashcards for all different parts of speech.

You might be thinking, how hard can it possibly be? Don’t I just throw words onto a card? Nope. That might work to a certain extent, but wouldn’t you rather maximize your learning?

When you are first studying Latin, it’s hard to know what material to include on your vocab flashcards. You don’t yet have a conception of the entirety of Latin grammar, so you don’t know what will prove crucial later on.

That’s where I come in. Latin has been part of my life for almost 20 years at this point, and during my time as a graduate student at Harvard I have taught Latin from beginning to advanced. So trust me, I know exactly what you ought to put on your flashcards.

In this post, I will teach you how to design your Latin flashcards in a way that will make your studies easier later on. These smart, effective flashcards will pave the way for a glorious Latin future.

This post may contain affiliate links and I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. See my disclosures for more details.

I have divided this post into sections based on the parts of speech. None of this information is revolutionary. In fact, I am explaining how to put words on flashcards in their dictionary form.

The dictionary form is the standard way that words appear in Latin dictionaries and in most textbooks. As a general rule, you should put all the information your textbook gives you about a vocabulary word onto your flashcard.

If this sounds vague, don’t worry. That’s why I wrote the rest of the post: I walk you through each part of speech step by step.

IMPORTANT: When you make your Latin vocab cards, be sure to include macrons over the appropriate vowels. These little lines are crucial for knowing how to pronounce Latin.

How To Make Latin Noun Flashcards

PROCESS

The front of a Latin noun flashcard should include

• the nominative singular of the noun
• the genitive singular of the noun
• any irregular case forms (this is rare)

The back of a Latin noun flashcard should include

• the definition (in English or your native language)
• the gender of the noun (if it is irregular)

Here is an example:

FRONT: dēns, dentis

BACK: tooth (m.)

M. stands for “masculine”, while we typically use F. for feminine and N. for neuter.

That’s all you need to do for nouns. You can scroll down to the verbs section now, or you can read my explanation of why you should put these things on your Latin vocabulary cards.

EXPLANATION

In Latin, nouns are declined (i.e. they change their endings based on case and number). So it isn’t enough to know the nominative form of a noun.

You also need to know the genitive singular, because the genitive singular tells you a) what declension the noun belongs to and b) what the noun’s base or stem is.

Since the genitive singular gives you this information, you don’t need to add the noun’s declension and stem to the card separately.

Note that on the back of the flashcard, it is only necessary to include gender if the noun’s gender is irregular or unpredictable (basically, if the noun is 3rd declension). For most nouns, you can determine the gender based either on their meaning or on their declension.

But if it makes you feel better, by all means include the gender on every noun flashcard!

How To Make Latin Verb Flashcards

PROCESS

The front of a Latin verb flashcard should include

• all principal parts of the verb (usually four, but sometimes three)
• any special cases that the verb takes (or any specific prepositions that always follow this verb)

The back of the card should include

• the verb’s definition

EXPLANATION

Every Latin verb has principal parts. These are forms of the verb that allow you to form all possible tenses. If you know a verb’s principal parts, you can tell what conjugation it belongs to and you are equipped to use it in any context.

If you are just beginning to learn Latin, you won’t know what to do with all the principal parts yet. But believe me, it is much less hassle to memorize them for each verb as you go, instead of trying to go back and memorize them all at once.

I also said to include any special cases that the verb requires. Most verbs take a direct object in the accusative case, but some verbs must be followed by an object in the ablative or the dative.

For example, noceō “harm” takes an object in the dative case. So you should make the card as follows:

FRONT: noceō, nocēre, nocuī, nocitus (+ dat.)

BACK: harm, do harm to

If the verb is a deponent, you can also indicate that on your flashcard. But this information will also be obvious from the verb’s principal parts.

How To Make Latin Pronoun Flashcards

Pronoun flashcards are pretty simple. On the front, you list

• the masculine nominative singular
• the feminine nominative singular (if it is different from the masculine)
• the neuter nominative singular

On the back, you put

• the definition

Pronouns are often declined in strange ways, so there will be weird case endings to remember. You can put them on your flashcard, too, or you can memorize them separately.

I usually don’t put the case forms on the card, and I just use the flashcard to focus on memorizing the basic meaning.

Here is an example of a flashcard for the pronoun is, ea, id:

FRONT: is, ea, id

BACK: 1. this, that 2. he, she, it

How To Make Latin Adjective Flashcards

PROCESS

When we are dealing with Latin adjectives, things are a little more complicated. But at least the back of the flashcard is smooth sailing. You just need

• the definition

It’s the front of the card that makes things confusing. In general, just write down the adjective in whatever form it is given to you in your textbook.

This will be some combination of nominatives and genitives. Basically, the textbook will give you whatever forms are necessary to ensure that you a) know what kind of adjective it is and b) know what its stem is.

1st and 2nd Declension Adjectives

For a first and second declension adjective (also called 2-1-2 adjectives), on the front of your flashcard, put

• the masculine nominative singular
• the feminine nominative singular
• the neuter nominative singular
• any special constructions used after the adjective

Example:

FRONT: plēnus, a, um (+ gen.)

BACK: full (of)

The a, um after plēnus stands for plēna, plēnum, which are the feminine and neuter forms of the adjective. Such abbreviations are quite common.

The “+ gen.” tells us that the adjective plēnus takes the genitive case. In other words, if you want to say a lake is full of fish, “fish” would be in the genitive in Latin.

3rd Declension Adjectives

For a third declension adjective, on the front of your flashcard, put

• the nominative singular masculine/feminine (it’s the same form)
• the nominative singular neuter
• any special constructions used after the adjective

Here’s an example:

FRONT: fortis, e

BACK: brave, bold, strong

The e after fortis stands for forte, which is the neuter singular form.

Some third declension adjectives have only one form for the nominative singular. For such adjectives, on the front of your flashcard write

• the nominative singular
• the genitive singular
• any special construction used after the adjective

Example:

FRONT: ingēns, gen. ingentis

BACK: huge, enormous

Ingēns is the nominative singular form for all three genders. For this reason, we should write the genitive singular ingentis on the front of the card.

Confused? I don’t blame you. As I mentioned above, for adjectives I would pretty much rely on the way the adjective is presented in your textbook or dictionary.

EXPLANATION

Are you wondering what on earth was happening in that previous section? Basically, you want to include whatever information is needed to find the stem of the adjective AND tell you what declension it belongs to.

If the nominative has different forms for masculine, feminine, and neuter, you can remove the feminine or neuter ending to find the adjective’s stem.

But if the masculine, feminine, and neuter forms of the nominative are all the same, you need to give the genitive singular. Then you can find the stem by removing the genitive singular endings.

(Curious? Read more about Latin adjective types!)

How To Make Latin Preposition Flashcards

Prepositions are thankfully simple. On the front of the flashcard, list

• the preposition (in Latin)

On the back of the flashcard, list

• the definition
• the case that follows the preposition

Prepositions are followed by a noun in a specific case, so it is important to know what that case is. Sometimes a preposition can take different cases depending on the context. In such a situation, just make sure the various contexts are clear on your card.

Example:

FRONT: in

BACK: 1. in, on (+ abl.) 2. into, against (+ acc.)

In this instance, the preposition in can be followed by the ablative in certain context and by the accusative in other contexts. My flashcard design makes it clear when each case is necessary.

If you would like more information, then I recommend that you read my post all about Latin prepositions.

How To Make Latin Flashcards for other parts of speech

If you are making flashcards for adverbs, interjections, or particles, simply put the Latin on one side and the English on the other. Very straightforward!

Go Make Your Latin Vocabulary Flashcards!

And there you go. Now you know what information needs to go on a Latin vocabulary flashcard. This means that it is time for you to make those flashcards . . . and review them!

Remember to always include macrons so you will know how to pronounce your new vocab words. If you are using digital flashcards, don’t worry: there are easy ways to type macrons in Windows and macOS.

Speaking of digital flashcards . . . if you aren’t sure what kind of cards to use, check out my post on the pros and cons of digital vs. paper flashcards.

Finally, don’t miss my tips for reviewing flashcards effectively. After all, what’s the point of flashcards if you don’t study them properly?

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