Translate English to Latin
Latin was the language of the Roman Empire and the foundation of all Romance languages. Today it lives on in academic texts, legal terminology, scientific nomenclature, church documents, and inscriptions on buildings and monuments. Whether you need a motto translated, are studying classical texts, or want to understand a legal phrase, paste your text above.
Common English to Latin translations
| English | Latin | Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | Salve | SAHL-veh | ||
| Good morning | Bonum mane | BOH-noom MAH-neh | ||
| Thank you | Gratias tibi ago | GRAH-tee-ahs TIH-bee AH-goh | ||
| Please | Quaeso | KWHY-soh | ||
| How much is this? | Quanti hoc constat? | KWAHN-tee hohk KOHN-staht | ||
| Where is the bathroom? | Ubi est latrina? | OO-bee ehst lah-TREE-nah | ||
| I do not understand | Non intellego | nohn in-TEL-leh-goh | ||
| Can you help me? | Potesne me adiuvare? | poh-TEHS-neh meh ahd-yoo-VAH-reh | ||
| I would like water | Aquam velim | AH-kwam VEH-leem | ||
| The bill, please | Rationem, quaeso | rah-tee-OH-nehm KWHY-soh | ||
| Nice to meet you | Gratum est te cognoscere | GRAH-toom ehst teh kohg-NOHS-keh-reh | ||
| Goodbye | Vale | VAH-leh | ||
| I need a doctor | Medico mihi opus est | MEH-dee-koh MEE-hee OH-poos ehst | ||
| Excuse me | Ignosce mihi | ig-NOHS-keh MEE-hee |
Tips for English to Latin translation
Latin has six grammatical cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, vocative) plus five declension patterns for nouns. Word endings change dramatically based on case and declension: puella (girl, nominative) becomes puellae (of the girl), puellam (girl, as object), puella (by/with the girl, ablative). This system is more complex than any modern European language except Finnish and Hungarian.
Latin word order is famously flexible because case endings carry all the grammatical information. The classic SOV (subject-object-verb) order is common in prose, but poets and orators rearranged freely for emphasis and rhythm. Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered) uses the standard verb-final order, but other arrangements are equally grammatical.
There are two main pronunciation systems: Classical (as ancient Romans spoke) and Ecclesiastical (as the Catholic Church uses). Classical pronunciation treats c always as “k” and v as “w.” Ecclesiastical pronunciation uses c as “ch” before e and i, and v as “v.” The phrase table above uses Classical pronunciation.
Latin vocabulary is the ancestor of roughly 60% of English words. Video (I see), audio (I hear), status (standing), agenda (things to be done) are Latin words used directly in English. Legal terms (habeas corpus, pro bono), medical terms (per os, in vitro), and scientific names (genus and species) all use Latin.
About the Latin language
Latin was the language of ancient Rome, spoken across the Roman Empire from Britain to North Africa to the Middle East. After the fall of the Western Empire in 476 AD, Latin continued as the language of the Catholic Church, scholarship, law, and diplomacy throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. The last new country to adopt Latin as an official language was Vatican City, which still uses it today.
All Romance languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian) descended from Vulgar Latin, the colloquial spoken form. Classical Latin, as taught in schools and universities, represents the literary standard of the 1st century BC to 2nd century AD. Latin education remains common in European and American schools, and there is an active community of people who read, write, and even converse in Latin.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. No registration needed.
Standard Classical Latin. Ecclesiastical and medieval Latin may differ.
Yes. Click the speaker icon. Classical pronunciation is used.
No one speaks it natively, but it is actively studied, used in the Vatican, and lives on in legal, medical, and scientific terminology.
Good for standard phrases and mottos. Complex Classical texts benefit from expert review.
Input with or without macrons (long vowel marks) is processed. Output does not include macrons.
Visit our Latin to English page.
Yes.
Yes. Most school and university mottos use standard Latin phrases.
Over 60 pairs including Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and more.
Need the reverse? Try Latin to English translation.
