If your aim is to read Latin (and to speak it) with any degree of precision, then it is vital to learn the endings as you go along – slowly and thoroughly. Below is some more information on quis and hic, haec and hoc which show [i] subtle changes in endings and [ii] that the endings of Latin words can serve more than one function. Look in particular at the words in bold.
Quis est hic vir? Who is this man?
> QUĪ sunt hī virī? Who are these men? [masculine nominative plural of quis?]
Quis est HAEC fēmina? Who is this woman?
> QUAE sunt hae fēminae? Who are these women? [feminine nominative plural of quis?]
Quid est hoc aedificium? What is this building?
> QUAE sunt HAEC aedificia? What are these buildings? [neuter nominative plural of quid?; this is the same as the feminine nominative plural; haec is the nominative plural of hoc; this is the same as the feminine nominative singular]
[i] The first image below summarises the forms of quis?
[ii] The second image shows the differences with masculine and feminine nouns.
[iii] The third shows the use of the neuter haec:
QUAE sunt HAEC arma? What are these weapons? The word ‘arma’ is neuter plural; the speaker does not know what these arms are, but when the answers are given, the genders are known and so hic, haec and hoc agree in the plural.
A useful way of remembering the neuter singular and plural forms quid / quae is by comparing one method of asking the names of more than one person:
nōmen (neuter): name
Quid est nōmen eius? What is his / her name?
Quae sunt nōmina eōrum? What are their (m) names?
Quae sunt nōmina eārum? What are their (f) names?
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