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I noticed that many online places where Latin could be spoken are dead (unlike the language itself).

Where can I practice Latin online? Is there any chat or forum that is really active?

user144578
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  • Welcome to the site! Is any Latin forum or chat good for you, or are there some restrictions? – Joonas Ilmavirta Mar 04 '17 at 14:20
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    One tip to improve your question: the question in the title ("largest community") is pretty different from the two questions in the body ("active community" and "where can I practice?"). I assume you are asking for any good online Latin-speaking communities? – brianpck Mar 04 '17 at 21:45
  • reddit.com/r/latin is always open to communicating in Latin. We actually have two weekly Latin-only topics, the one for casual conversation and the other for more advanced composition. – Anonym Mar 06 '17 at 23:29
  • The old places closed down or are inactive, and as of now, I don't know of very many communities I would recommend that still uses forum or chat technology, though you must be able to find something on Facebook (I assume, I don't have it myself). – cmw Mar 07 '17 at 02:03
  • I second @JoonasIlmavirta. Why don't you try using our chat room? It's quite accessible - you could be there in two minutes - and a good bet for practicing Latin. – ktm5124 Mar 10 '17 at 03:24
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    As for finding an active forum: I think one exists right under your nose ;) – ktm5124 Mar 10 '17 at 03:27
  • I'm new to this site and am unsure if this is allowed based on the wording of the do's and don'ts below, but this post is what prompted me to make an account on this site. I was hoping a new comment would bring this thread back up so we could see if anyone had anything to add in 2024. It was an older question and in case anything new has gotten started since the last answer. I've been looking for a place to learn to/practice speaking latin myself and found help in the answers others had previously left so worth a shot. – Nimuey Jan 04 '24 at 14:56
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    @Nimuey I moved your comment to the comment section, but because of the actions, the question will stay bumped. Cheers. – cmw Jan 04 '24 at 21:00

3 Answers3

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For actually speaking Latin (or Ancient Greek), I would recommend Latin & Ancient Greek Chat. The chats are hosted by a magister, and the group is very welcoming. Be advised, though, that unless you have already engaged in some Latin conversation, you may find it difficult the first times you take part, not due to the community there being negative in any way, but simply because you will (as I did) realise very quickly how poor your oral proficiency is. I highly recommend keeping something like Whitaker’s Words open in one of your tabs. Here is their schedule:

Schedule for Zoom chat in Latin and Ancient Greek

Class Day Time USA Time UK Time Norway/CET
Latin Mon 19⁰⁰ ET 24⁰⁰ GMT 01⁰⁰ CET
(the following night)
Tue 13⁰⁰ ET 18⁰⁰ GMT 19⁰⁰ CET
Thur 13⁰⁰ ET 18⁰⁰ GMT 19⁰⁰ CET
Sat 11⁰⁰ ET 16⁰⁰ GMT 17⁰⁰ CET
Ancient Greek Tue 19⁰⁰ ET 24⁰⁰ GMT 01⁰⁰ CET
(the following night)
Sat 13⁰⁰ ET 18⁰⁰ GMT 19⁰⁰ CET

Schedule is from Latin & Ancient Greek Chats’s homepage, last checked 9 March 2021.

I should also add that all variants of Latin are welcome; personally, I have heard Classical Latin with American accent, Ecclesiastical Latin with a Spanish accent, my own attempts of Classical Latin with a Norwegian accent, and there will of course be many more.

Canned Man
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    I would thank Vincenzo Oliva for the bounty (very much appreciated!), but I cannot find the user. So if you read this, thank you very much indeed, sir! – Canned Man May 15 '21 at 13:34
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This is not a full answer, but I can't resist giving it. If you can specify your question, you are likely to get more specific answers.

The online Latin community I suggest is this site. As you have no doubt noticed, our main working language is English and the user interface is in English, but using Latin to ask and answer questions is always allowed. If you browse through the questions on this site, you will come across some Latin ones — but admittedly only a small fraction. And beware: this site is not for free form discussion, but for questions and answers.

The site also has a part for more free discussion: our chat room. Participating requires earning some reputation on this main site, but you have already passed that threshold with this question. Again, the chat is mostly English, but Latin is more frequent there than elsewhere. And all users there know Latin, more or less, so feel free to drop in and say hi in Latin anytime. The chat activity level varies greatly, because only a small number of users are active chatters. Don't be afraid to write if no one is there; someone entering the room and writing something is how discussions usually start.

Community
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Joonas Ilmavirta
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In addition to the Zoom chat (which may not be everyone's cup of tea), there are quite a few active communities that are more permanent. Discord is notable for allowing real-time voice communication, and is the best messaging app in general, so I recommend it as the place to start.

Discord:

Telegram:

Whatsapp:

Skype:

Forums:

  • r/Locutorium - bring it to life! (plis)
  • Latindiscussion - it's possible to write in Latin there in general and be understood (and find others doing the same); plus there are dedicated Latin-only subforums, though not very active
  • Textkit - presumably here as well
Unbrutal_Russian
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