Friday, August 22, 2025

20.11.25: Level 3; indefinites [5] ali- [ii] aliquis; declension and examples

Images #1 - #2: aliquis, aliqua, aliquid (aliquod); declension (singular and plural)


Image #3: All the examples show the word operating either as a pronoun standing alone or as an adjective describing a noun; note, in particular, the difference between -quid and -quod because that difference applies to all the indefinites:

[1] pronoun

Dēnique aliquid exstābit (Cicero) │ In the end something will appear

nam iam domum ībō atque aliquid surripiam patrī (Plautus) │ For I'll go home now, and steal something from my father

[2] adjective

Nūllus es, Geta, nisi iam aliquod tibi cōnsilium celere reperīs (Terence) │  You’re a dead man, Geta, unless you come up quickly with some plan

cum … aliquod bellum incidit (Caesar) │ when some war begins

[3] Image #4: aliquid can be followed by a noun or adjective in the genitive case

aliquid nummōrum: some / a few coins

In grammar this is known as a partitive genitive, the equivalent of English: a lot of money;  something of interest

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/020324-partitive-genitive.html

English uses this with nouns, but Latin can also use it with adjectives:

ego illī aliquid ¦ bonī [genitive] dīcam (Plautus) │ I may say something ¦ nice to him

The French language still reflects this original genitive use:

Fr: quelque chose d’intéressant │ something interesting [literally: something of interesting]

Examples: singular

Tacē modo: deus respiciet nōs aliquis (Plautus)│ Oh, do shut up: some god will look out for us

aliquī ex nostrīs (Caesar) │ someone from our men

aliqua mala crux semper est, quae aliquid petat (Plautus) │ there’s always some evil tormentor who’s after something

Nōlō, inquam, aurum concrēdī mihi, vel dā aliquem quī servet mē (Plautus) │ I don't want money put in my charge, I say. At least, appoint someone who’ll watch me.

nam pater exspectat aut mē aut aliquem nūntium (Plautus) │ for my father is expecting either me or some messenger

iam ego illūc praecurram atque īnscendam aliquam in arborem (Plautus) │ Now I'll run on ahead and climb some tree

istī puerō …  dā ponderōsam aliquam epistulam … (Cicero)│ give this man of mine … some bulky letter

Quō maior est suspīciō malitiae alicuius … (Cicero)│ Even greater is my suspicion of some trickery or other

Graecī … pōculum alicui trāditūrī … │ the Greeks … (when) about to hand over the cup to anyone

Antequam aliquō locō cōnsēderō … (Cicero) │Before I have settled down somewhere [ = at some place] …

nūlla enim abs tē … epistula inānis aliquā rē ūtilī … vēnerat (Cicero) │ for no letter has come from you devoid of any useful matter

aliquid malī esse propter vīcīnum malum (Plautus) │ … that there’s something bad (some evil) close to a bad neighbour [ = a bad neighbour brings bad luck]



Examples: plural

an aliqua firmiōra aut graviōra quaerenda sunt? (Cicero) │ or are some more reliable or more important things to be sought?

Cōgitō interdum trāns Tiberim hortōs aliquōs parāre (Cicero) │ I think at times of buying some gardens across the Tiber

ut mihi aedīs [acc. pl] aliquās [acc. pl] condūcat volō (Cicero)│ I want him to hire some house for me; in the singular aedis, -is [3/f] means ‘temple’, but, in the plural, means ‘house’

aut aliquōrum iūdicium dē similī causā … prōferēmus (Cicero)│ or we shall set forth the judgement of any others concerning a similar case

Singular and plural in the same sentence

sī ab nārrātiōne dīcere incipiāmus aut ab aliquā firmissimā argūmentātiōne aut litterārum aliquārum recitātiōne (Cicero) │ if we should begin to speak from the Statement of Facts, or from some very strong argument, or the reading of some documents

Medical advice from Celsus:

ōre ūmor calidus cum medicāmentīs aliquibus continētur, saepiusque mūtātur │ and hot water containing certain medicaments is held in the mouth and frequently changed



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