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Read Latin online

Read Latin Online — Learn to Read Real Latin

If your goal is to read Latin online, the fastest useful first step isn’t another explanation of why Latin matters — it’s opening a text that fits where you are now.

Choose your starting point

New to LatinBeginner

Initium — R. B. Appleton

Short, highly supported Latin to begin reading before you know a large vocabulary.

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Finished a beginner courseIntermediate

Perseus — Francis Ritchie

Build the speed and automaticity that textbooks alone rarely provide.

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Ready for literatureLiterature

Metamorphoses: Liber I — Publius Ovidius Naso

Browse classical, late-antique, medieval, and Neo-Latin texts with help available when needed.

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Method

A simple loop.

1Read without interruption
2Name the smallest blocker

When meaning breaks, identify the smallest thing you need help with.

3Get help, finish the sentence
4Read the sentence again
5Save only what’s worth returning to

What you can read

“Read Latin” isn’t one difficulty level.

Myth & poetryLiterature

Metamorphoses: Liber I — Publius Ovidius Naso

Narrative poetry built around transformation.

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EpicLiterature

Aeneid: Liber I — Publius Vergilius Maro

A demanding but compelling destination for readers drawn to poetry.

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Classical proseLiterature

Commentarii de Bello Gallico: Liber I — Gaius Iulius Caesar

Compact historical and military prose.

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LettersLiterature

Epistulae de Vesuvii Eruptione — Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (Pliny the Younger)

Self-contained prose pieces with strong historical and personal subjects.

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Use help without surrendering the reading

The useful middle ground lies between two extremes: looking up nothing and understanding little, or looking up everything and never developing flow. Contextual word help is most valuable when it answers the question that’s actually blocking you and then gets out of the way.

Sources & further reading

Questions

A few things worth knowing.

Do I need to translate every sentence into English?

No. Translation is a useful diagnostic and scholarly skill, but reading becomes more fluent when you can understand many sentences without composing a polished English version.

What if authentic Latin is too hard?

Read easier Latin. Teaching readers and bridge texts aren’t a detour — they’re how you accumulate the volume that makes original literature more accessible.

Can I just browse instead of following a course?

Yes. Use a structured path when it helps; otherwise choose a subject or author that makes you want to continue.

Your next book is already in the library

Pick something you can keep reading.

Open any book for a preview. A free account keeps your place, shelf, and progress; paid access opens the full catalog when you want to go farther.

Browse by difficultyBuild an Iter