Asking Questions in Latin: Quis, Quid, Ubi and the -ne Ending
The Latin interrogative words, how to make yes/no questions with -ne, nonne and num, and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quod.
Latin has plenty of ways to ask questions. Learning them also unlocks the relative pronoun, which uses the same family of words.
Question words
| Latin | Meaning |
|---|---|
| quis, quid | who, what |
| ubi | where |
| quandō | when |
| cūr | why |
| quōmodo | how |
| quot | how many |
Examples:
- Quis est? — Who is it?
- Quid agis? — What are you doing? / How are you?
- Ubi est puer? — Where is the boy?
- Cūr venīs? — Why are you coming?
Yes/no questions
Latin marks a yes/no question by adding -ne to the first word:
- Amāsne mē? — Do you love me?
- Esne Rōmānus? — Are you a Roman?
Nonne and num
These two words show what answer is expected:
| Word | Expects | Example |
|---|---|---|
| nōnne | "yes" | Nōnne amīcus es? — You are a friend, aren't you? |
| num | "no" | Num inimīcus es? — You aren't an enemy, are you? |
The relative pronoun
The question word quī also works as "who, which, that" inside a sentence. It has three genders, and its case depends on its role in its own clause:
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative sing. | quī | quae | quod |
| Accusative sing. | quem | quam | quod |
| Nominative pl. | quī | quae | quae |
- Puella quae cantat — the girl who sings
- Liber quem legō — the book that I read
A relative pronoun agrees with its noun in gender and number, but takes its case from its job in its own clause.
Answers
Latin has no single "yes" or "no". People answer by repeating the verb:
- Amāsne mē? — Amō. — Do you love me? — I do.
- Est. / Nōn est. — It is. / It is not.
Other short answers include ita (yes) and minimē (not at all).
Tips
- Learn the question words.
- Practise adding -ne.
- Use the dictionary to check pronoun forms.
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