[1] So far, we have looked at indirect questions that are introduced by an interrogative word e.g.
Nōn intellegō quid dīcat. │ I don’t understand what
he is saying.
Nemō scīt quandō adveniat. │ Nobody knows when
he may arrive.
Scīsne ubi templum sit? │ Do you know where the temple is?
Eum rogābō quis hoc fēcerit. │ I’ll ask him who
did this.
Eum rogāvī cūr hoc fēcisset. │ I asked him why
he had done this.
[2] Both in English and Latin, however, we can have a “yes-no”
question:
Is he at home? The answer: Either, yes he is, or no
he isn’t.
That same concept is expressed in Latin with num +
the subjunctive:
Nesciō ¦ num domī sit. │ I don’t know ¦ whether
/ if he is at home.
Num quid vellem, ¦ rogāvit (Cicero)
│ He asked me ¦ whether I wanted anything.
Ad tē scrībam, ¦ num quid ēgerim (Cicero) │ I
will write to you ¦ whether I have accomplished anything.
Sānē velim scīre, ¦ num cēnsum impediant
tribūnī (Cicero) │ I should much like to know ¦ whether the tribunes are
hindering the census.
[3] Look at the indirect questions asked by Cicero in this
extract where two forms of indirect question are used:
Volō etiam exquīrās … [1] quid Lentulus noster agat,
¦ quid Domitius agat, ¦ quid āctūrus sit, ¦ quem ad modum nunc sē
gerant, [2] num quem accūsent, ¦ num cui suscēnseant
…
I also want you to find out [1] what our Lentulus is
doing, what Domitius is doing, what he is about to do, how they are now
conducting themselves, [2] whether they accuse anyone, whether they are
angry with anyone.
They fall into two groups:
(a) Indirect questions with interrogative words:
- quid Lentulus noster agat
- quid Domitius agat
- quid āctūrus sit
- quem ad modum nunc sē gerant
(b) Two distinct indirect yes/no questions introduced by num:
- num quem accūsent
- num cui suscēnseant
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