Starting at the Beginning: Basic English Grammar

There's no point in memorizing tables of Latin grammar if you don't know what the forms mean.  Fortunately, the parts of speech in Latin are very much like those in English, and having a solid understanding of English grammar will give you a solid understanding of Latin grammar as well.

For now, it's only the basics that we want - enough to understand the different forms of nouns and verbs to make table memorization worthwhile.  Once we start working with full Latin sentences in Lingua Latina, the function of these different noun and verb forms will become more apparent.  It'll feel like exercising a muscle - you'll master it naturally, through practice.  And that leaves the more complex stuff for later, when Lingua Latina provides the context to understand it.

OK, so start by watching the video below.*

Alright, so that information is pretty basic.  It seems obvious in English, but everything will look a little unfamiliar at first in Latin, so you really need to be familiar with what differentiates the parts of speech.  The important part is that, when you start memorizing your Latin grammar tables, you know what it is you're memorizing.
Watch this video for more details on types of nouns and verbs:

OK, so these are the most basic forms that you should know before tackling Latin.  You'll have encountered these at some point in your schooling; it's just a matter of dusting everything and becoming familiar again.  Here's a summary for reference...
Types of Verbs:

• Transitive verbs - these verbs transfer action between nouns. They have Direct Objects.
• Intransitive verbs - these verbs describe the action performed by one noun.  They cannot have Direct Objects.
• Linking verbs - verbs like are or is, which link together two nouns.

Types of Nouns:

• Subject - this is the noun that does the action in the sentence.  Transitive verbs move action from the Subject to the Direct Object.
• Direct Object - receives action from the verb directly, without a preposition separating them.  A Direct Object will answer the question "what?" or "whom?"
• Indirect Object - receives the action from the verb indirectly through prepositions. An Indirect Object will answer the question "to/for whom?" or "to/for what?"

.. and of course adjectives, pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions.  You'll notice that Latin has no articles (a, an, the).  Here is a PDF that has all the parts of speech listed for reference.

These are the basic concepts in English grammar that you need to understand before you start your memorization.  These types of verbs and nouns will have different names in Latin, and they may look different at first, but they perform the same functions.

If you think you might need a more in-depth reference for English grammar in this context, I really recommend picking up a copy of English Grammar for Students of Latin.  All the other resources I provide for free, but I feel like this book is really worth the investment.
Alright, so we've now mastered basic English grammar. The next post will be about some aspects of Latin that make it different from English linguistically - namely, sentence structure and pronunciation.
*About Latin Tutorial: This is a really amazing YouTube series that I consider invaluable for self-study - which means you'll see me linking his videos pretty often.  If there's ever a topic that you're unclear on (especially concerning grammar), or if you're just curious about an aspect of Latin, check out this site.  Chances are, he'll have a video that can clarify what you're having trouble with.  You can find a permalink under "Grammar References" on the sidebar. This is...