I received this email:
First, thanks for all of your inspirational emails. They always make my homeschooling day.
: )
I have a few questions for you regarding learning Greek….
When my daughter was in seventh grade she was interested in learning Greek. I did some research and found a program that seems to work for awhile; however, she (we) were not able to keep up with it and we let it drop off
for the sake of her learning Latin, which she likes very much. We are working through the First Form Latin text book as well as the first 30 lessons of your Visual Latin series. This is the third year we are working on Latin, which I teach for one of the co-ops we belong to.
1) At what point would it be ok for her to learn Greek? That is, should she have at least two solid high school years of Latin (completed before she goes on to Greek?
2) What level is the New Testament in Greek class you offer? Should my daughter take one year of Greek before taking this class?
3) What, in your opinion, would “count” as two solid years of Latin — two years of Henle Latin or another curriculum?
Sorry for all of the questions, but at this point, you are the only Latin and Greek expert I know of to ask these questions.
Thanks for your patience and have a blessed day and week with your family.
Here is my reply:
Hi!
Thanks for saying that. I am glad you find my emails encouraging.
It takes a long time to become fluent in a language. For that reason, if you are interested in learning a new language, I always recommend starting now.
When it comes to Greek, my general recommendation is this. If you know you want to learn Greek, go for it. Start here:
https://www.duolingo.com/. It’s free, and it’s fantastic. Greek is available.
If you are learning Latin, it is a pretty good idea to finish Latin first. This is because Latin grammar is similar to Greek grammar. Learning Latin grammar paves the way for learning Greek grammar.
The Greek class I will be teaching is going to be a challenge. It will be a one year course. The goal is to go from zero to reading the New Testament in Greek by the end of the year. For those who have completed Latin, this is an achievable goal. For those who have not completed Latin, it is still doable, but it will be tough.
I hope this helps!
