Explore our online Ancient Greek courses
Online Ancient Greek courses: let the journey begin
Unlock the richness of Ancient Greek with Oxford Latinitas. Our Ancient Greek courses combine immersive techniques with a classical approach, fostering fluency in speaking, reading, and interpreting the language while connecting students to the culture and intellectual heritage of antiquity.
Learners can study year-round through two distinct options that can be pursued separately or combined for a full year-round learning experience. Our 11-week academic terms, held three times annually, offer twice-weekly one-hour Ancient Greek classes, providing steady, consistent progress. Besides these, we offer online intensives, held in between terms, which are ideal for rapid advancement, delivering 20 hours of instruction over two weeks with two-hour daily Ancient Greek classes from Monday to Friday.
What is the Active Method?
Our teaching method, using both volumes of Athenaze by Maurice Balme and Gilbert Lawall centres on active involvement and thorough understanding of Ancient Greek. This approach provides students with an immersive experience, allowing them to learn Greek naturally through carefully structured readings, exercises, and dialogues. Athenaze presents Greek as a language to be actively used and understood, fostering a strong foundation in vocabulary and grammar. Ancient Greek classes at Oxford Latinitas are meticulously sequenced, enabling both beginners and advanced students to gain fluency and confidence in reading, thinking, and responding in Ancient Greek. Additionally, those who complete the full course will be ready to read, without difficulty, original texts by Plato, Thucydides, Herodotus, and Aristophanes, as the second volume integrates adapted passages from these authors into its narrative, allowing students to engage with the language and ideas through the very words of the ancient writers.
Ancient Greek classes for every level
Beginner I
Athenaze Chapters I–IV
This course is the first level of our Ancient Greek classes for beginners. Students are required to be familiar with the Greek alphabet before they start, and the ability to read fluently will be acquired during the course. They will learn the nominative and accusative cases, the prepositions πρός, ἐκ, and ἐν with their cases, and basic subject-adjective agreement across the masculine, feminine, and neuter genders. Students will learn the imperative mood, the negatives μή and οὐ, the singular of the present tense, and the second declension in the singular, along with the μέν... δέ construction. They will learn infinitives in -ειν and εἶναι, impersonal expressions such as δυνατόν ἐστιν, μέλλω with the present infinitive, the prepositions ἀπό, μετά, and ἐπί, and complete the second declension. By the end of the level, students will have learned the present indicative of -ω and -έω verbs, the first declension, the adjectives πολύς and μέγας, further prepositions (μετά + genitive, παρά, περί, πρός + dative), and the singular of the third declension.
Beginner II
Athenaze Chapters V–VIII
This level continues developing students' grammatical competence. Students will learn the present indicative of -άω verbs, nouns like κόρη, the personal and possessive pronouns, the prepositions ἀνά, κατά, ἅμα, and ἐπί with the accusative, and neuter third-declension nouns such as τὸ ὄρος. They will learn the middle voice (-ομαι, -έομαι), the uses of the dative case, the singular of third-declension nouns like βασιλεύς, and prepositions governing the accusative, genitive, and dative. Students will encounter further third-declension nouns (παῖς, λαμπάς, ὄνομα, χειμών, λιμήν), the reflexive pronoun, the interrogative τίς/τί, adjectives such as σώφρων, and the prepositions παρά and ὑπό with the genitive. By the end of this level, students will have learned the present middle participle, the middle voice of -άομαι verbs, third-declension nouns in -τηρ, the cardinal and ordinal numbers, and the adjective πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν.
Intermediate I
Athenaze Chapters IX–XII
This level is part of our intermediate Ancient Greek lessons. Students will learn the present active participle, the uses of the genitive case, the construction ὥστε with the indicative or infinitive, third-declension nouns in -εύς, and the preposition παρά with the dative. They will learn the declension of πόλις, the impersonal verbs δεῖ and ἔξεστιν with the infinitive, and the interrogative pronouns. Students will be introduced to the second (thematic root) aorist, the construction δοκεῖ with the infinitive, the prepositions εἰς and πλήν with the genitive, and καίπερ with a participle. By the end of the level, they will have learned the first (sigmatic) aorist, the imperfect of εἰμί, the construction ἔοικεν with the dative, the comparison πολύς/πλέων/πλεῖστος, adverbs of place such as ἐκεῖσε, and the preposition κατά with the accusative.
Intermediate II
Athenaze Chapters XIII–XVI
In this level of our intermediate Ancient Greek lessons, students learn the imperfect tense of -ω, -έω, and -άω verbs, third-declension sigma-stem nouns, the genitive, dative, and accusative used to express time, the relative pronoun, and the preposition ἄνευ with the genitive. They will learn the comparison of adjectives, the demonstratives οὗτος, ἐκεῖνος, and ὅδε, the indefinite pronouns, and the declension of Ἡρακλῆς. Students will be introduced to the third (root) aorist, the -όω contract verbs across the present, imperfect, and aorist, ὡς used to mean "that," and the preposition μέχρι with the genitive. By the end of this level, they will have learned the verbs δύναμαι, ἐπίσταμαι, and κεῖμαι, the declensions of βοῦς and ναῦς, and the irregular numerals.
Upper Intermediate I
Athenaze Chapters XVII–XIX
These Upper-Intermediate Ancient Greek lessons are designed for students who have completed our Intermediate levels. Students will learn the future tense, ὡς with the future participle, the verb εἶμι, and the alternative-question construction πότερον... ἤ. They will learn the verbs δίδωμι and τίθημι, the intensive and identifying uses of αὐτός, the possessive pronouns, and the declension of ταχύς. By the end of this level, students will have learned the genitive absolute, the placement of attributive adjectives (as in ἡ καλὴ παρθένος or ἡ παρθένος ἡ καλή), and the construction τά with the genitive.
Upper Intermediate II
Athenaze Chapters XX–XXIII
At this level of our online Ancient Greek course, students learn the verb ἵστημι, the constructions φαίνομαι, τυγχάνω, φθάνω, and λανθάνω with a participle, and the preposition ἐπί with the genitive. They will learn the subjunctive mood and its principal uses, the verb ἵημι, and the postpositive phrase γεν+ἕνεκα. Students will encounter φοβοῦμαι, the potential/eventual subjunctive with ἄν, the pronoun ὅστις, the verb δείκνυμι, and indirect statement in the present tense. By the end of this level, they will have learned the passive voice in the present and imperfect, a further stage of indirect statement, the verb φημί, and relative attraction.
What are the benefits of taking Ancient Greek lessons online?
Studying Ancient Greek lessons online with Oxford Latinitas combines the best of classical teaching with the convenience of modern technology. From the very first lesson, students speak, hear, read, and write in Ancient Greek, experiencing the language as both a means of communication and a way of thinking. This active approach fosters deeper connections between learners and the language, while encouraging collaboration and engagement in our Ancient Greek classes.
Our approach is built on three pillars:
- Tailored instruction: With small classes (up to 8 people) and different schedules to choose from, our online Ancient Greek course provides a personalised and interactive learning experience, ensuring every student receives focused attention.
- Global accessibility: Being online allows you to join our Ancient Greek classes from anywhere in the world, connecting you to a global community of passionate learners.
- Expert teaching team: Our experienced tutors adapt their skills to the mode of learning. While our courses follow a shared curriculum, teachers are free to tailor their lessons to the progress and specific needs of each class, making every learning journey unique.
Oxford Latinitas offers more than just lessons—it’s a gateway to mastering Ancient Greek with the support of world-class educators and a vibrant community of fellow-students.
