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CTyankee

(65,020 posts) Sat Oct 26, 2024, 01:00 PM Oct 26

Did you have to take Latin when you were in middle/high school? [View all]

Back in my day, if you wanted to take French or Spanish you had to have Latin first. I was so pissed off. I was just a kid but my mother took me to Paris when I was 16 and I was in love with the French language and the movies filmed there.

But I am really glad I did have those awful Latin classes. I found it so useful to my English vocabulary and my ability to write. It was invaluable.

What do you think?

73 replies

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Did you have to take Latin when you were in middle/high school? [View all] CTyankee Oct 26 OP

I Didn't Have To Deep State Witch Oct 26 #1

Well, you win this thread. But maybe a little Creole might be helpful in this election year. eppur_se_muova Oct 26 #35

Latin wasn't offered in my school. Rich took it at his HS in Boston because he had plans on being a doctor. debm55 Oct 26 #2

I did not take Latin, but had a study hall in a Latin class taught by a man who looked like Danny Devito as a monk. Silent Type Oct 26 #3

No. BlueKota Oct 26 #4

I was raised in France drray23 Oct 26 #5

Hic, heac, hoc. huius, huius, huius. huic, huic, huic. cachukis Oct 26 #6

I have never forgotten that but was it declension or conjugation? CTyankee Oct 26 #7

Declension. cachukis Oct 26 #29

You should take something for that.... yorkster Oct 26 #19

I didn't take it, but I went to law school. Do I get partial credit? rsdsharp Oct 26 #8

My question is: would you been better off in law school if you had taken Latin earlier in your education? CTyankee Oct 26 #9

Probably not. Reading and writing in Latin wasn't required. rsdsharp Oct 26 #13

Yes, partial credit indeed. I was the only one in my environmental law class that knew what sylvaculture was. RussellCattle Oct 28 #56

Took it in 7th grade. I don't remember why and i remember none of it. BoomaofBandM Oct 26 #10

Didn't have to; glad I did. Paladin Oct 26 #11

2 years of Latin.. Joinfortmill Oct 26 #12

It even helps when you watch "Jeopardy." Hubby hates it when I get a word right because I took Latin and he didn't. CTyankee Oct 26 #14

And it helps with the grammar structure of yorkster Oct 28 #73

I took Latin in high school, murielm99 Oct 26 #15

Latin was offered at my school and I regret I didn't take it. kimbutgar Oct 26 #16

If you had had Latin it would have been fun in Spanish. CTyankee Oct 26 #18

At least two years of a foreign language was required. cloudbase Oct 26 #17

Depended on... 2naSalit Oct 26 #20

I didn't have to, but chose to Fiendish Thingy Oct 26 #21

I went to secondary school in Paris, St. Cloud to be specific. Polly Hennessey Oct 26 #22

Jesuit high school, required to take two years. grumpyduck Oct 26 #23

I know! I took Latin 60 years ago (I'm mid-80s now) and can still remember it when I see a word I don't quite know but CTyankee Oct 26 #24

I had 4 years of Latin. nt babylonsister Oct 26 #25

I didn't have to, but I did Ocelot II Oct 26 #26

I took Latin in catholic high school 1950s. Srkdqltr Oct 26 #27

No. Elective only. 3 years of it. Small group of us just stuck it out. bullimiami Oct 26 #28

No, but it was offered, and I wish I had. snot Oct 26 #30

Took four years of Latin in HS Dale in Laurel MD Oct 26 #31

4 years montanacowboy Oct 26 #32

I did three years of Latin. Turbineguy Oct 26 #33

Never had the opportunity, and I was disappointed. We had German, French, Spanish. I wanted Latin and Greek. eppur_se_muova Oct 26 #34

Other Languages Squeaky41 Oct 26 #36

It was never an option. surrealAmerican Oct 26 #37

Where were you? I was in Dallas, Tx. CTyankee Oct 26 #38

suburban New York ... surrealAmerican Oct 26 #39

French was mandatory for 1st to 8th grade at my school JoseBalow Oct 26 #40

Yes, the Best ConstanceCee Oct 26 #41

Nah, there was no Latin in my schools. Elessar Zappa Oct 26 #42

Amo, amas, amat mountain grammy Oct 26 #43

Are you kidding? I never even had to take Spanish. LudwigPastorius Oct 26 #44

No, I took 3 years of French Mad_Dem_X Oct 27 #45

Nope. It wasn't even offered. malthaussen Oct 27 #46

2 years in high school - 2 semesters in college rurallib Oct 28 #47

I'm gonna guess that he was a writer. History perhaps. CTyankee Oct 28 #49

A poet actually rurallib Oct 28 #65

Was no longer a requirement for my class WestMichRad Oct 28 #48

It might be fun, actually. CTyankee Oct 28 #50

Three agonizing years northoftheborder Oct 28 #51

The suburb next to mine as a kid could not go to my high school applegrove Oct 28 #52

I went to a Catholic High School; had to take 3 years of latin...church latin. patphil Oct 28 #53

Agricola. Agricolae. Agricolarum. C_U_L8R Oct 28 #54

I wish I had. no_hypocrisy Oct 28 #55

I took it as an elective... samnsara Oct 28 #57

Four years. My dad wanted three lawyers in the family. My lawyer brother and sister never took Latin. I didn't ... marble falls Oct 28 #58

Oh, that's cute! I had to look it up... CTyankee Oct 28 #61

I haven't had a chance to use lazy Latin for years. It's the only one I remember. Just keep in mind: ... marble falls Oct 28 #71

No sakabatou Oct 28 #59

I took Latin too, 3 years. It helped me learn how to study as we had home work every day. brush Oct 28 #60

It was an elective in high school, but maybe I should've taken it. catbyte Oct 28 #62

Yes, so did my millennial son arlyellowdog Oct 28 #63

My Latin experience Cartoonist Oct 28 #64

I took it as an elective rockbluff botanist Oct 28 #66

nope. AllaN01Bear Oct 28 #67

I took Latin willingly IbogaProject Oct 28 #68

No we started in 4th grade gopiscrap Oct 28 #69

I did not in high school Traildogbob Oct 28 #70

In Junior High, 9th grade, it was called Development of Modern English (DME). I quite enjoyed it. c-rational Oct 28 #72