Getting around in Latin
Left, right, the station, one ticket, where is the toilet. Play the ten Latin words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Latin phrases in this lesson
- Ubi est forica?OO-bee EST for-ee-KAH
- Where is the toilet?
- Quomodo ad ... perveniam?KWO-mo-doh ad ... per-WEH-ni-am
- How do I get to...?
- Sinistrorsumsi-nis-TROR-sum
- To the left
- Dextrorsumdeks-TROR-sum
- To the right
- Recta viaREK-ta WEE-ah
- Straight ahead
- Hichik
- Here
- Statio ferriviariaSTAH-ti-oh fer-ri-wi-AH-ri-a
- Train station
- Autoraeda publicaow-to-RAI-da POOB-li-ka
- Bus
- Aëroportusai-ro-POR-tus
- Airport
- Unum tesseram, quaesoOO-noom TES-ser-ahm KWAY-so
- One ticket, please
Forica (latrine, plural foricae). All Roman towns had public latrines (foricae), often communal and social spaces. Cauponae (inns) had facilities.
Literally "toward the left".
Recta (straight) via (road/way). Via is the core word for road. Romans built recta viae (straight roads) famous for durability.
Hic (here, this place). Location pointer. Pointing and saying hic was the standard direction-giving method.
Modern Latin: "the iron-road station".
Modern Latin: "the public self-moving carriage".
Modern Latin.
Tessera (token/ticket for access). Romans used tokens for transit and entry. Omnibus publici (public transit) used tesserae for fares.