Roman Numerals

Roman numerals may be a topic you feel like skipping over, but wait! You might not know them as well as you think.  For instance, I'm sure you know what 10 or maybe 23 look like in Roman numerals, but what about 1287?*  These big numbers will give you a complete headache later on - that is, unless you learn them now.


If you don't feel completely comfortable with the numbering system, do a few math problems using Roman numerals.  Don't worry; this isn't a skill you'll need to master and use later on.  It's just a really brilliant way to become familiar with the system.

And now, here's the chart from Wheelock's for easy reference.  Now that you know how the numbering system works, you'll realize that this list isn't nearly intimidating as it looks.  Also, don't worry about the vocabulary at this point.  We'll tackle that when Lingua Latina makes us.

*Concerning mille:  you'll remember from the video that "M"=1000.  While this is true, the "M" was actually introduced much later.  Quite often, if you're working with original texts, you won't see 1000 depicted as "M," but instead as: CIƆ - or some similar version of this.  I encountered some trouble with this when looking at dates especially.  So if you see this symbol pop up anywhere, don't panic - it's just 1000!

If you're interested in how "CIƆ" might have become "M," or just generally how Roman numerals developed, be sure to check out this video: the origin of Roman numerals.

NEXT UP: We'll finally be diving into Latin grammar in the next post, starting with nouns.

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