*Ablative of price: for what in the sense of for how much?
In this exercise, note [a] interrogative pronouns, and [b] interrogative adjectives being compared:
[1]
[a] Quis
hoc scrīpsit?
[b] Quī poēta
hoc scrīpsit?
[2]
[a]
Quis in culīnā labōrat?
[b]
Quae serva in culīnā labōrat?
[3]
[a] Quis in
hortō labōrat?
[b] Quī servus
in hortō labōrat?
[4]
[a] Quid
accidit?
[b] Quod oppidum
oppugnātur?
[5]
[a] Quid scrīpsit?
[b] Quod carmen
scrīpsit?
[6]
[a] Quem amās?
[b] Quam fēminam
amās?
[c] Quem
librum tibi dedit?
[7]
[a] Quōcum
labōrās?
[b] Cum quō mīlite
vēnistī?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm593SYT-_E&list=RDWm593SYT-_E&start_radio=1
[1] Miserēre meī, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam │ Have pity on me, O God, according to your great mercy.
[i] misereor, misererī, miseritus sum [2/deponent]: the first topic to be discussed in detail at Level 3; this is a deponent verb, the key point being that it looks passive (misereor) but the meaning is active i.e. to pity, feel pity for, not *to be pitied*; miserere is the command form: Pity me / Feel pity for me ...
[ii] secundum [+ accusative]: according to
[2] Et secundum multitūdinem miserātiōnum tuārum, dēlē inīquitātem meam. │ And according to the multitude of your tender mercies ‘destroy’ / put an end to / remove my wickedness.
[iii] inīquitās, -tātis [3/f]: iniquity, sin, wickedness; can also refer (not here) to ‘unfairness’ or ‘injustice’
[iv] miserātiō, -iōnis [3/f]: compassion
[3] Amplius lavā mē ab inīquitāte meā: et ā peccātō meō mundā mē. │ Wash me yet more from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin.
[v] amplius: comparative adverb
[vi] mundō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: cleanse; clean
[4] Quoniam inīquitātem meam ego cognōscō: et peccātum meum contrā mē est semper. │ Since I know my wickedness: and my sin is always before me.
[vii] contrā: (here) ‘facing’ rather than ‘against’
[5] Tibi sōlī peccāvī, et malum cōram tē fēcī: … │To you (against you) alone I sinned, and have done evil before you / in your presence …
[viii] sōlus, -a, -um: only, alone
[ix] cōram [+ ablative]: before, in the presence of
[x] … ut [a] iustificēris in sermōnibus tuīs, et [b] vincās cum iūdicāris. │… that [a] you may be justified in your words, and [b] may overcome when you are judged
[a] and [b] are subjunctive forms; again, another topic to be discussed (at length) at Level 3. What is useful at this stage is to “pick up” some of the many uses of the subjunctive rather than diving in at the deep end and being concerned by endings. The key word to look out for in this type of subjunctive is ut: below are two of its common uses.
It can express:
1. the purpose of an action:
Venit ¦ [1] ut eam [2] videat. │ He comes ¦ [1] in order that [2] he may see her [ = he comes to see her]
2. the result of action:
Tam strēnuē labōrat ¦ [1] ut multa [2] perficiat │ He works so actively ¦ [1] that [2] he achieves many things.
Here, however, it is used in a less common and more poetic manner to express a wish.
[6] Ecce, enim in inīquitātibus conceptus sum: et in peccātīs concēpit mē māter mea. │ For behold I was / have been conceived in wickedness; and in sins my mother conceived me.
[xi] concipiō, -ere, concēpī, conceptus [3-iō]: (here) conceive; active and passive forms used in the same line.
[7] Ecce enim vēritātem dīlēxistī: incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestāstī mihi. │ For, behold, you have loved truth: you have shown clearly to me the uncertain and hidden things of your wisdom
[xii] Something else to look out for when reading original Latin literature is the syncopated form of the verb. ‘Syncopated’ means that one or more sounds are omitted from a verb; the term ‘contraction’ is also used. A common one is the loss of -v- in perfect tense forms, for example:
audīvērunt (they heard) > audiērunt
From the line:
manifestō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: make manifest, show clearly
manifestāvistī: you have clearly shown > manifestāstī
[xiii] incerta et occulta: adjectives acting as nouns i.e. uncertain and hidden (things)
[8] Tunc acceptābis sacrificium iūstitiae oblātiōnēs et holocausta tunc inpōnent super altāre tuum vitulōs. │ Then you shall accept / receive the sacrifice of justice, oblations* and wholly burnt offerings, then they shall lay calves upon your altar.
[xiv] *oblātiō, -iōnis [3/f]: offering; ‘oblations’ is a rather hefty word but it avoids repetition of ‘offerings’
[xv] holocaustum, -ī [2/m]: burnt offering, one completely consumed by fire
[xvi] vitulus, -ī [2/m]: (bull-) calf
Ecclesiastical pronunciation, referring only to the piece performed here:
[1] c+a = ka; c+o = ko; c+u = ku; /c/ is hard [ = /k/] as in Classical Latin
peccavi [pe-ka-vi]; coram [ko-ram]; secundum [se-kun-dum]
[2] c+e = che (as in church); c+i = chi; not as in Classical Latin since /c/ was always = /k/
feci [fe-chi]; ecce [e-che]
[1] and [2] in: conceptus [kon-chep-tus]
[3] v = very: veritātem [ve-ri-ta-tem]; CL: [ue-ri-ta-tem]
[4] cognosco: /gn/ like the Spanish ñ = [ko-nyos-ko]; CL: hard /g/ [kog-nos-ko]
[5] sapientiae tuae: the CL diphthong /ae/ as in Engl. my / eye shifts to an ‘eh’ sound; in Mediaeval manuscripts what was CL /ae/ is often written simply as /e/ to reflect the pronunciation change e.g. puelle rather than CL puellae
https://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780190246778/student/church/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_Allegri
The treble’s voice could shatter glass!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm593SYT-_E&list=RDWm593SYT-_E&start_radio=1
[1] Miserēre meī, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam │ Have pity on me, O God, according to your great mercy.
[2] Et secundum multitūdinem miserātiōnum tuārum, dēlē inīquitātem meam. │ And according to the multitude of your tender mercies ‘destroy’ / put an end to / remove my wickedness.
[3] Amplius lavā mē ab inīquitāte meā: et ā peccātō meō mundā mē. │ Wash me yet more from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin.
[4] Quoniam inīquitātem meam ego cognōscō: et peccātum meum contrā mē est semper. │ Since I know my wickedness: and my sin is always before me.
[5] Tibi sōlī peccāvī, et malum cōram tē fēcī: … │To you (against you) alone I sinned, and have done evil before you / in your presence …
… ut [a] iustificēris in sermōnibus tuīs, et [b] vincās cum iūdicāris. │… that [a] you may be justified in your words, and [b] may overcome when you are judged
[6] Ecce, enim in inīquitātibus conceptus sum: et in peccātīs concēpit mē māter mea. │ For behold I was / have been conceived in wickedness; and in sins my mother conceived me.
[7] Ecce enim vēritātem dīlēxistī: incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestāstī mihi. │ For, behold, you have loved truth: you have shown clearly to me the uncertain and hidden things of your wisdom
[8] Tunc acceptābis sacrificium iūstitiae oblātiōnēs et holocausta tunc inpōnent super altāre tuum vitulōs. │ Then you shall accept / receive the sacrifice of justice, oblations* and wholly burnt offerings, then they shall lay calves upon your altar.
The Air │aër* (āēr)
A cool air
breatheth gently. │ Aura spīrat lēniter.
The wind bloweth
strongly. │ Ventus flat validē.
A storm throweth
down trees. │ Procella sternit arborēs.
A whirl-wind
turneth it self in a round compass. │ Turbō agit sē in gȳrum.
A wind under
ground causeth an earthquake.** │ Ventus subterrāneus excitat terræ mōtum.
An earthquake
causeth gapings of the earth, (and falls of houses.) │Terræ mōtus facit lābēs
(& ruīnās.)
*depending on the
edition, the word is marked with a diaresis to indicate that the two
vowels are pronounced separately e.g. as in the English surname Brontë and
Fr: naïf; it is now written as āēr
** “The scientific study of earthquakes is
comparatively new. Until the 18th century, few factual descriptions of
earthquakes were recorded, and the natural cause of earthquakes was little
understood. Those who did look for natural causes often reached conclusions
that seem fanciful today; one popular theory was that earthquakes were
caused by air rushing out of caverns deep in the Earth's interior.”
https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/earthq1/history.html
[1]
Aura spīrat lēniter.│
A breeze breathes / blows gently.
Ventus flat validē.
│ The wind blows strongly.
Links: adverbs in
-ē / -ter
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/07/040924-adverbs-2-e-ter-1.html
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/07/040924-adverbs-2-e-ter-2.html
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/07/040924-adverbs-23.html
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/08/070924-adverbs-24-e-ter-4.html
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/08/070924-adverbs-25-e-ter-5.html
[2]
āēr, āeris [3
m/f]: air, a Greek-type noun which can have alternative case endings
Link: Greek-type
nouns
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/07/200824-follow-up-food-and-drink-12.html
[3]
excitō, -āre [1]:
rouse; awaken; set in motion
spīrō, -āre [1]:
breathe; blow
sternō, -ere,
strāvī, strātus [3]: various meanings including [i] stretch / spread out; [ii]
(here) knock to the ground; flatten; raze
[4]
aura, -ae [1/f]:
[i] air; [ii] breeze
gȳrus, -ī [2/m]: circle; circular motion
procella, -ae
[1/f]: storm; gale; gust; squall; tempest; hurricane
tempestās,
tempestātis [3/f]: can also refer to storms, gales, bad weather, but also to
good weather, season, period of time; context will determine its meaning
turbō, turbinis
[3/m]: whirlwind; tornado, but can also have the same meaning as procella
and tempestās
ventus, -ī [2/m]:
wind
[5]
lābēs, -is [3/f]:
fall; collapse; “gapings of the earth” i.e. subsidence
mōtus, -ūs [4/m]:
movement; terrae mōtus: a movement of the earth i.e. an
earthquake
ruīna, -ae [1/f]:
collapse; ruin; destruction
[1] [image #1] Match the adjectives in Column A with the opposites in Column B
[2] [image #2] Put
the adjectives under the appropriate heading of colour, nationality, physical
size, possession
albus, -a, -um; altus,
-a, -um; Americānus, -a, -um; Britannus, -a, -um; Ītalicus, -a, -um; lātus, -a,
-um; longus, -a, -um; meus, -a, -um; noster, -tra, -trum; Rōmānus, -a, -um; ruber,
-bra, -brum; tuus, -a, -um; vester, -tra, -trum
[3] [image #3] label
the images
[4] Fill in the missing pairs of letters
cā-; cl-; -ēc-; ex-; gr-; -lē-; -on-; -ox-; -pl-: -rm-
28.02.24: introduction to adjectives
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/introduction-to-adjectives-refer-to.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/398762196068388/
07.03.24: more on 1st / 2nd declension adjectives
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/070324-more-on-1st-2nd-declension.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/403090272302247/
07.03.24: further practice with adjectives
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/070324-further-practice-with-adjectives.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/403104742300800/
07.03.24: colour adjectives
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/070324-colour-adjectives.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/403206128957328/
07.03.24: describing hair [1]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/070324-describing-hair-1.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/403509502260324/
07.03.24: describing hair [2]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/070324-describing-hair-2.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/403591418918799/
07.03.24: describing hair (.pdf)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/479628251315115/
08.03.24: describing character; adverbs and adverbial
phrases of frequency
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/080324-describing-character-adverbs-and.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/403616835582924/
08.03.24: more on character
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/080324-more-on-character.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/403630608914880/
19.04.24: summary of 1st / 2nd declension adjectives
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/190424-summary-of-1st-2nd-declension.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/427341703210437/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBA46LamsWY
21.04.24: Uploaded to files: summary of 1st / 2nd declension
adjectives
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/428444286433512/
25.04.24: adjectives functioning as nouns
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/250424-adjectives-functioning-as-nouns.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/430923399518934/
29.04.24: review: adjectives [1]: 1st / 2nd declension [1]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/290424-review-adjectives-1-1st-2nd.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/433334502611157/
29.04.24: review: adjectives [2]; 1st / 2nd declension [2];
Julia: a Latin reader [1]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/290424-review-adjectives-2-1st-2nd.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/433357589275515/
29.04.24: review: adjectives [3]; 1st / 2nd declension [3];
Julia: a Latin reader [2]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/290424-review-adjectives-3-1st-2nd.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/433438282600779/
12.05.24: short revision of 1st and 2nd declension adjectives
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/120524-short-revision-of-1st-and-2nd.html
15.07.24: follow-up on the post on colour adjectives
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/479626981315242/
15.08.24: Level 1; Maxey (10) [2]; 1st / 2nd declension adjectives: nominative / accusative singular and plural
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/06/150824-maxey-10-2-1st-2nd-declension.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/494412906503316/
15.08.24: Level 1; Maxey (10) [4]: 1st / 2nd declension
adjectives; nominative and accusative singular and plural
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/06/150824-maxey-10-4-1st-2nd-declension.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/497702969507643/
13.10.24: Level 1; review; practice in the cases; 1st / 2nd
declension adjectives; adjectives in -er [1]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/09/131024-level-1-review-practice-in-cases.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/552015760743030/
15.10.24: Level 1; review; practice in the cases; 1st / 2nd
declension adjectives; adjectives in -er [2]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/09/151024-level-1-review-practice-in-cases.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/552019107409362/
17.10.24: Level 1; review; practice in the cases; 1st / 2nd
declension adjectives; adjectives in -er [3]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/09/171024-level-1-review-practice-in-cases.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/552028940741712/
20.04.25: Level 1; readings [6] - [11]: review (7);
adjectives [ii]; 1st / 2nd declension adjectives [i]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/200425-level-1-readings-6-11-review-7.html
20.04.25: Level 1; readings [6] - [11]: review (8);
adjectives [iii]; 1st / 2nd declension adjectives [ii]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/200425-level-1-readings-6-11-review-8.html
23.04.25: Level 1; readings [6] - [11]: review (9);
adjectives [iv]; 1st / 2nd declension adjectives [iii]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/230425-level-1-readings-6-11-review-9.html
23.04.25: Level 1; readings [6] - [11]: review (10);
adjectives [v]; 1st / 2nd declension adjectives [iv]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/230425-level-1-readings-6-11-review-10.html
26.04.25: Level 1; readings [6] - [11]: review (11);
adjectives [vi]; 1st / 2nd declension adjectives [v]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/260425-level-1-readings-6-11-review-11.html
26.04.25: Level 1; readings [6] - [11]: review (12);
adjectives [vii]; 1st / 2nd declension adjectives [vi]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/260425-level-1-readings-6-11-review-12.html
1st / 2nd declension adjectives
[1] Adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number
and case
[2] Adjectives in Latin are in two groups based upon their
endings. Here we are dealing only with one group:
1st / 2nd declension adjectives; that
term is used because the endings of the adjectives are the same as 1st
and 2nd declension nouns, but it is important to note from the start
that those adjectives can be used with nouns of other declensions, but will
still retain the same endings i.e. the declension of the noun does not
influence the endings, for example:
Via [1st declension noun] longa [1st
/ 2nd declension adjective]: the endings happen to be the
same
Hortus [2nd declension noun] magnus
[1st / 2nd declension adjective]: the endings happen
to be the same
However:
Iter (journey: a 3rd declension
neuter singular noun) longum [1st / 2nd
declension adjective]: the adjective continues to agree in gender, number
and case and retains its own adjective ending
Urbs (city: a 3rd declension feminine
singular noun) magna
[3] agricola, -ae [1/m]: although agricola is a first
declension noun – and most 1st declension nouns are feminine – this
noun is masculine and so the adjective will have masculine endings:
multī [masculine] agricolae │ many
farmers
Similarly:
[i] poēta, -ae [1/m]: poet
[ii] incola, -ae can be masculine or feminine; here,
the agreement is masculine:
[4] in an adjective + noun phrase, the adjective usually
follows the noun, but that is not a hard and fast rule because Latin word order
can be flexible:
[5] the -us ending of the 1st / 2nd
declension adjective, again like the noun, has a vocative singular ending in
-e: bone:
As with the noun declensions, there is no plural ending, nor
is there a separate vocative form for any other adjective ending.
Note: the vocative singular of meus > mī:
Salvē, amīce mī! │ Hello, my friend!
[6] 1st / 2nd declension adjectives in
the nominative case are listed as follows:
As with nouns, there are also adjectives which, in the
nominative singular, end in -er; similarly, those adjectives may [i] retain
the -e throughout the declension, or [ii] lose the -e as soon as
an ending is added, for example:
[i] miser, -a, -um [miser, misera, miserum]: miserable;
wretched; the /e/ is retained through the declension
[ii] piger, -ra, -rum [piger, pigra,
pigrum]: lazy; the /e/ is lost when endings are added
Examples:
Singular
[1] Nominative
masculine: -us; feminine: -a; neuter: -um
[2] Genitive
masculine / neuter: -ī; feminine: -ae
[3] Dative
masculine / neuter: -ō; feminine: -ae
[4] Accusative
masculine: -um; feminine: -am; neuter: -um
[5] Ablative
masculine / neuter: -ō; feminine: -ā
Plural
[6] Nominative
masculine: -ī; feminine: -ae; neuter: -a
[7] Genitive
masculine / neuter: -ōrum; feminine: -ārum
[8] Dative
all genders: -īs
[9] Accusative
masculine: -ōs; feminine: -ās; neuter: -a
[10] Ablative
all genders: -īs
[adjectives of the first and second declension]
Domicilium
Urbānum
Rōmae Cornēlius magnum
domicilium urbānum habet. Dominus, domina, fīliī, fīliae, servī, servae,
in domiciliō magnō habitant. Cornēlius est dominus multōrum
servōrum. Cornēlius est dominus benignus; itaque servī bonī dominī
Rōmānī dīligenter labōrant. Tullia est domina benigna; itaque
servae bonae Tulliam amant. Magnum domicilium est dominae Rōmānae
grātum. Rōmae sunt multa domicilia magna.
Servī et servae in domiciliō Cornēliī libenter labōrant quod dominum et dominam amant. Sextus est servus bonus. Sextus non est līber sed nōn est miser quod dominus est benignus. Sextus nōn est piger; itaque dominus servum bonum saepe laudat. Cornēlius multōs et bonōs servōs habet. Servī bonī nōn sunt līberī sed nōn sunt miserī. Servī nōn sunt pigrī. Maria nōn est lībera quod est serva. Tullia est domina benigna; itaque Maria nōn est misera; Maria est serva dominae benignae est. Maria nōn est pigra. Tulliae servae sunt neque miserae neque pigrae.
Servī et servae
nōn sunt miserī quod dominus et domina sunt benignī. Servī et
servae sunt laetī quod in domiciliō pulchrō habitant. Dominī
fīliī et fīliae quoque sunt laetī. Līberī laetī domicilium pulchrum
amant. In domiciliō peristȳlum
pulchrum est. Altae columnae peristȳlum circumstant. In peristȳlō est hortus pulcher.
Līberōs
peristȳlum dēlectat quod est apertum. Domicilium pulchrum
Cornēlium et Tulliam et līberōs
dēlectat. Domicilia pulchra dominīs Rōmānīs semper
sunt grāta.
Multī incolae Italiae magna domicilia urbāna
habent. Laeca domicilium pulchrum habet. Laeca est poēta clarus
et multam pecūniam habet. Agricolae Rōmānī multam pecūniam
nōn habent; itaque domicilia pulchra nōn habent. Multī agricolae
viās urbānās timent; itaque in casīs rūsticīs habitant.
Exercise
Respondē Latīnē:
Vocabulary
circumstō,
circumstāre [1]: to surround, encircle
līber, lībera,
līberum: free
līberī, līberōrum [2/m/pl.]:
children
miser, misera,
miserum: wretched, unhappy
peristȳlum, peristȳliī [2/n]: peristyle
(garden surrounded by columns)
rūsticus, rūstica,
rūsticum: rustic, rural
urbānus, urbāna, urbānum: pertaining to the city, urban
Apart from quī, quae and quod, there are other interrogative adjectives to note:
[1] quot?: how many?; quot is indeclinable
Quot erās annōs gnātus*, quom [ = cum] tē pater ā patriā āvehit? (Plautus) │ How many years old were you when your father took you from your native country?
* archaic: nātus
Quot sunt satis? (Plautus) │ How many are sufficient?
Quotiēns et quot nōminibus ā Syrācūsānīs statuās auferēs? (Cicero) │ How often and for how many individuals will you take statues from the Syracusans?
[2] quotus, -a, -um? is a 1st / 2nd declension adjective. It is unusual as it has no specific equivalent in English. The question asks which or what number when referring to a numerical sequence. In English we convey this in different ways, for example:
Which US president was Ronald Reagan? He was the fortieth president.
Similary, we may say “Where did he come in the race?” “He finished third.”
In Latin, it is quotus which expresses this idea:
Quotus imperātor Nerō fuit? Quīntus. │ Which emperor was Nero [i.e. was he the first, second etc.]? The fifth.
The word is used when asking the time since clock time is expressed in Latin using ordinal numbers:
Quota hōra est? Tertia. │ Which hour is it? The third.
Quotā hōrā? │ At what time?
[3] quantus, -a, -um?: how big / large?
Quantus est exercitus Caesaris? │ How large is Caesar’s army?
Quantī eam emit? (Plautus) │ For how much did he buy her?
[4] Both quot and quantus can be used as exclamations:
Quot quantāsque virtūtēs ... collēgit et miscuit! (Pliny the Elder) │ How many and how great virtues he acquired and mixed!
[5] quālis, -e?: what kind / sort of?; a 3rd declension adjective:
Quālis est tibi liber? │ What sort of book do you have?
Quālēs sunt eī librī? │ What sort of books does he have?
[6] uter, utra, utrum?: Which (of two)?
This interrogative adjective was discussed in detail here together with many examples and exercises.
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/04/250725-level-3-pronominal-adjectives-6.html
Uter igitur est divitior? (Cicero) │ Which (of the two) is wealthier?
Utra lex antiquior? (Quintilianus) │ Which law (of the two laws) (is)
Utrum librum vīs? │ Which book [i.e. which of the two books] do you want?
Translation practice:
The interrogative adjective translates as which? what? what kind of?
In general, adjectives have the function of narrowing the field of reference, for example:
I really like that car? > Which car? > The blue one.
Therefore, interrogative adjectives refer to known nouns but ask to specify which noun:
Which car did you buy? What kind of music do you like?
There is very little distinction between the interrogative adjectives and the interrogative pronouns in the previous post except that:
[i] the interrogative adjective has all three genders in the singular which is logical because the adjective has to be able to agree with nouns of all three genders.
[ii] the neuter singular (nominative and accusative) is quod and not quid.
In the plural, the interrogative adjectives and pronouns are identical.
NOMINATIVE
Quī vir mē vocat? │ Which / what kind of man is calling me?
Quae bella gerunt? │ What sort of wars do they wage?
GENITIVE
Cuius fēminae domus est? │ Literally: Of which woman is the house? [ = Which woman does the house belong to?]
Dē factīs quōrum hominum fābulam nārrās? │ Which / whose men’s deeds [ = the deeds of which men] are you telling a story about?
DATIVE
Cui puerō / puellae dōnum dedistī? │ To which boy / girl did you give a gift?
Quibus magistrīs librum lēgit? │ To which teachers did s/he read a book?
ACCUSATIVE
Quod oppidum vidēs? │ What town do you see?
Quōs mīlitēs vocat rēx? │ Which / what soldiers is the king calling?
ABLATIVE
Interrogative pronouns ask the question ‘who?’ or ‘what?’ They refer to a person or thing previously unknown:
Who did that?; What did you say?
Image: declension of quis / quid (who? what?); note that, in the singular, there is no distinction between masculine and feminine i.e. quis? (who?) and quem (whom?) are always masculine by default in Classical Latin, although the answer to the question could be a woman.
NOMINATIVE
Quis mē vocāvit?│ Who called me?
Quis es? │ Who are you?
Quid tibi est? │ What do you have? [also: What is wrong with you?]
Quī sunt cōnsulēs hōc annō? │ Who are the consuls this year?
GENITIVE
Cuius est hic liber? │ Whose book is this? [literally: of whom is this book?]
Quōrum nōmina in librō scrīpsit? │ Whose (plural) names [literally: the names of whom] did he write in the book?
Quārum (plural; feminine) statuās Marcella ōrnat? │ Whose statues does Marcella decorate?
> Marcella statuās deārum ōrnat │ Marcella decorates the statues of the goddesses.
DATIVE
Cui vēritātem dīxit? │ To whom (singular) did he speak the truth?
Cui pecūniam dedistī? │ To whom (singular) did you give the money [ = Who did you give the money to?]
Quibus pecūniam mīsistī? │ To whom (plural) did you send the money?
ACCUSATIVE
Quem in hortō cēpērunt? │ Whom did they capture in the garden?
Quid in hortō invēnērunt? │ What did they find in the garden?
Quās iuvātis? │ Whom (feminine plural) are you (plural) helping?
ABLATIVE
Dē quō loquiminī? │ What are you (plural) talking about?
Ā quibus urbs est capta? │ By whom (plural) was the city captured?
Quōcum poēta ambulat? │ With whom is the poet walking? [ = Who is the poet walking with?]
Translation practice:
