Ancient Greek and Latin tutor
The Greek and Latin tutor that won't hand you the translation. It teaches you to do it yourself.
Lemma explains forms, constructions and translation, citing Smyth's Greek Grammar, Allen & Greenough, Goodwin, Lewis & Short and the Morpheus morphological analyser. The translating is left to you.
No credit card · Cancel any time, in two clicks
Tap any word in the sentence: see what form it is, where it comes from and what the dictionary says.
A copied translation saves you an evening. It costs you the test.
Lemma sits in between, like a good teacher: it shows you the rule, tells you where it found it, and leaves the translating to you.
How it works
Read, understand, check.
Read
Paste the passage, photograph it from your book or cite it by reference: “Anabasis 1.2”, “Aeneid 2.1–13”. Lemma finds it among 651 Greek and Latin works.
Understand
Ask what you would ask a teacher: what form this is, what it governs, how the sentence is built. In Explain mode Lemma guides you step by step, without handing over the whole translation.
Check
Every statement carries its source: tap the number to read the passage, the dictionary entry or the section of the grammar.
Tools
Everything you need to translate, in one place
Explain
A form or a sentence, explained step by step: analysis, function, rule.
Translate
For when you have done the work: a translation of the passage, with notes, to compare with your own.
Read the authors
651 works in the original, from Homer to Tacitus. Tap a word to read its dictionary entry.
Metre
226,736 lines scanned by a scholar. Mark longs and shorts, then check foot by foot.
Core vocabulary
The 1,521 most frequent words in Greek and Latin, with revision that comes round again when you need it.
Practise
Exercises on real sentences annotated by hand: form, function, what governs what.
Sources
Every answer shows where it comes from
Every answer rests on reference works, each named beside what it says. Forms Lemma doesn't recognise are reported, not invented.
Dictionaries
- Liddell–Scott–Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon
- Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary
- L. Rocci, Vocabolario greco-italiano
- K. E. Georges – F. Calonghi, Latin-Italian Dictionary
- Wiktionary
Grammars
- H. W. Smyth, Greek Grammar
- Allen & Greenough, New Latin Grammar
- W. W. Goodwin, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses
Morphology
- Morpheus, Perseus Project (Tufts University)
- GLAUx, annotated Greek (KU Leuven)
Texts and metre
- Perseus Digital Library
- Dickinson College Commentaries
- Hypotactic, David Chamberlain's scansions
What Lemma doesn't do
- In Explain mode it doesn't hand over the whole translation.
- It doesn't bluff: if a form isn't in the lexicon, it says so.
- It doesn't replace your teacher: it gets you to class prepared.
Who it's for
Students
For homework passages, revision before a test, exam preparation.
Parents
Serious help that doesn't do the homework for your child: it explains, shows the rule, points to the sources.
University
For classical language and literature courses: grammar, metre, authors in the original.
Pricing
Clear pricing. Cancel in two clicks.
Try Lemma before you pay: 4 free questions, the full platform, no credit card.
Yearly
€99.90per year
Just €8.33 a month: save 44% compared with monthly.
Try 4 questions freePrices include VAT.
Fair use: every plan includes up to 300 questions to Lemma per 30 days and 40 per day; Reader, Metre, Core vocabulary and Dictionary do not count.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Isn't it cheating?
No. In Explain mode Lemma doesn't give you the whole translation: it shows you forms, constructions and rules, and leaves the translating to you. Translate mode is there for when you have done the work and want to compare.
What if it's wrong?
It can happen, as it can to anyone: that is why every statement carries its source, which you can open and read. Greek forms the lexicon doesn't know are flagged. And under every answer there is a “Report an error” option: every report is reviewed.
Which authors are included?
651 works by 42 authors from the Perseus Digital Library: Homer, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Plato, Lysias, Demosthenes, Plutarch; Plautus, Terence, Caesar, Cicero, Catullus, Lucretius, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Livy, Seneca, Tacitus and more. And you can always paste or photograph your own passage.
How does the trial work?
Enter your name, email, city and country and you'll get a link to sign in: the full platform and 4 free questions, no card. Then you decide whether to subscribe.
Can I cancel?
Yes, whenever you like, in two clicks from your subscription page. No phone calls, no forms.
Where do my texts go?
The texts you upload and your conversations are stored in the European Union and only you can see them. You can delete them whenever you like.
Blog
From the blog: Greek and Latin, explained properly
- Why Translate Latin and Greek Yourself, and How to Use HelpWhy work out a Latin or Greek translation yourself instead of reading a finished one? What recent research on AI help shows, and how to use help well.
- How to Read John 1 in Greek: The First Five VersesA word-by-word guide to John 1:1–5 in the original Greek for beginners: the alphabet, breathings, the grammar of verse 1 and a short vocabulary.
- How to Scan Dactylic Hexameter, Step by StepLearn to scan dactylic hexameter step by step: long and short syllables, elision, the six feet and the caesura, with Aeneid 1.1 and Iliad 1.1.
Try Lemma on your next passage.
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