Martinus Loch

We had an excellent lesson today: while describing some funny comics ;-) we used many important structures like Accusativus cum Infinitivo, Ablativus Absolutus, “cum” + Coniunctivo, Participium Coniunctum, Gerundivum et alia. Gratias, Martine!

Another great lesson with Martinus; We briefly discussed the way Cicero defines fear in his Tusculani Disputationes and I loved to discuss that. Although I can often read such Latin quite well passively, there were some words I didn't know but Martinus is always able to explain them in Latin so that they become easy too. Definitely have to recommend this teacher for immersion learners, as not a single word of English has left Martinus' mouth so far.

Another great lesson with Martinus; I like that he gives synonyms for words and is versed in etymology. I was amazed to learn spazieren in German comes from spatiari, a synonym of (per viam) ambulare. We are currently in chapter 8 of LLPSI Familia Romana, I'm curious to see what it will be like once this book is finished and we move exclusively onto real authers in Roma Aeterna.

Martinus has definitely rekindled my passion for Latin as an avid Hellenist. Dealing with Latin as a spoken language and conversing in it is very fun; while it is much easier for me to follow along and listen to him (as I have a good base in reading comprehension already), I am beginning to notice after just two lessons the words are coming out more naturally and vowel length feels more natural to me when I pronounce it now, which I would've considered a miracle just two weeks ago. I am very excited to see where these lessons will lead me in a few months, let's say May 2025. Whatever level I will have then, under Martinus' guidance it must be good. I also love that he talks about interesting factoids from Rome or Italy in Latin, like why the via di pera in italy is called as such or why Krakow is called Krakow according to native folklore. I cannot recommend this man highly enough!

Seeing someone speak Latin with such ease and comfort was surreal, a very nice experience. Engaging in (albeit very simple from my part) conversation was also interesting. I think my Latin speaking will make great progress under the guidance of Martinus. He not only taught me Latin this lesson but also discussed a lot of things about Roman culture and trivia (e.g the mountain of the Crucifiction being called Calvinaria), which was fascinating as I love these kinds of tidbits. I will most definitely continue to book with Martinus, probably supplementing my studies with LLPSI self-study and listening to Latinitium and reading from the Legentibus app.

Gratias tibi ago - iste liber mihi valde placet!