Classical Languages - Latin - Morphology - Pronouns - Demonstrative, Relative, Interrogative, Indefinite

Demonstrative, Relative, Interrogative, Indefinite

This page completes the pronouns. The demonstratives point to people and things (hic, ille, iste, idem, ipse); the relative pronoun (quī, quae, quod) opens a subordinate clause; the interrogative pronouns and adjectives ask questions (quis, quid); and the indefinite pronouns speak of someone or something unspecified (aliquis, quīdam, quisque). Almost every Latin sentence of any length uses one of these, so this page opens the way to real reading. The complete tables are in Paradigms: adjectives and pronouns.

Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives

A demonstrative can be a pronoun (standing alone: hic, this man) or an adjective (agreeing with a noun: hic homō, this man). The forms are the same.

Demonstrative	Meaning	Position
hic, haec, hoc	this	near the speaker
iste, ista, istud	that (of yours)	near the person addressed, often with contempt
ille, illa, illud	that, yonder; that famous	far from both
is, ea, id	that, he, she, it	weak demonstrative
idem, eadem, idem	the same
ipse, ipsa, ipsum	himself, herself, itself (intensive)

hic, haec, hoc this

Case	Singular M.	F.	N.	Plural M.	F.	N.
Nom.	hic	haec	hoc	hī	hae	haec
Gen.	huius	huius	huius	hōrum	hārum	hōrum
Dat.	huic	huic	huic	hīs	hīs	hīs
Acc.	hunc	hanc	hoc	hōs	hās	haec
Abl.	hōc	hāc	hōc	hīs	hīs	hīs

ille, illa, illud that

Case	Singular M.	F.	N.	Plural M.	F.	N.
Nom.	ille	illa	illud	illī	illae	illa
Gen.	illīus	illīus	illīus	illōrum	illārum	illōrum
Dat.	illī	illī	illī	illīs	illīs	illīs
Acc.	illum	illam	illud	illōs	illās	illa
Abl.	illō	illā	illō	illīs	illīs	illīs

iste, ista, istud is declined in the same way (istīus, istī, istum, ...).

idem, eadem, idem the same

idem is is with the suffix -dem, with some changes of spelling (m before d becomes n).

Case	Singular M.	F.	N.	Plural M.	F.	N.
Nom.	īdem	eadem	idem	iīdem	eaedem	eadem
Gen.	eiusdem	eiusdem	eiusdem	eōrundem	eārundem	eōrundem
Dat.	eīdem	eīdem	eīdem	iīsdem	iīsdem	iīsdem
Acc.	eundem	eandem	idem	eōsdem	eāsdem	eadem
Abl.	eōdem	eādem	eōdem	iīsdem	iīsdem	iīsdem

The plural has alternative spellings (eīdem and īdem for iīdem; eīsdem for iīsdem).

ipse, ipsa, ipsum himself, herself, itself

ipse is declined like ille, except that the neuter nominative and accusative are ipsum.

Case	Singular M.	F.	N.	Plural M.	F.	N.
Nom.	ipse	ipsa	ipsum	ipsī	ipsae	ipsa
Gen.	ipsīus	ipsīus	ipsīus	ipsōrum	ipsārum	ipsōrum
Dat.	ipsī	ipsī	ipsī	ipsīs	ipsīs	ipsīs
Acc.	ipsum	ipsam	ipsum	ipsōs	ipsās	ipsa
Abl.	ipsō	ipsā	ipsō	ipsīs	ipsīs	ipsīs

Uses

1. hic points to what is near: this, the latter, the present.

   Senātus haec intellegit, cōnsul videt; hic tamen vīvit.

   The Senate understands these things, the consul sees them; yet this man lives. (Cicero, In Catilinam 1.2; haec is neuter plural, hic points to Catiline)

   Forsan et haec ōlim meminisse iuvābit.

   Perhaps one day it will be pleasing to remember even this. (Vergil, Aeneid 1.203)

   Hī omnēs linguā, institūtīs, lēgibus inter sē differunt.

   These all differ among themselves in language, customs and laws. (Caesar, De Bello Gallico 1.1)

2. ille points to what is far: that, the former, or that well-known. It is also used as an ordinary third person pronoun in the nominative.

   Ille mī pār esse deō vidētur.

   That man seems to me equal to a god. (Catullus 51.1; mī is a dative)

   When both are in the sentence, hic ... ille means the latter ... the former.

3. iste points to what concerns the person addressed, and often expresses contempt:

   Quam diū etiam furor iste tuus nōs ēlūdet?

   How long will that madness of yours still mock us? (Cicero, In Catilinam 1.1)

4. idem adds the same: īdem vir the same man; eōdem annō in the same year. It is often followed by quī: īdem quī, the same as.

5. ipse emphasises: himself, herself, itself, the very. It agrees with the noun and never means a reflexive pronoun:

   quī ipsōrum linguā Celtae ... appellantur

   who are called Celts in their own language ... (Caesar, De Bello Gallico 1.1; ipsōrum stresses their own)

   Example	Translation
   Caesar ipse vēnit.	Caesar himself came.
   Caesarem ipsum vīdī.	I saw Caesar himself.
   Caesar sē ipsum laudat.	Caesar praises himself.

   These examples are constructed. In the last, sē is the reflexive and ipsum intensifies it.

Short and long vowels

hic (this) and hīc (here), hoc (nominative, accusative) and hōc (ablative) are distinguished by the macron. hāc is ablative singular feminine.

Relative pronoun

The relative pronoun quī, quae, quod (who, which, that) introduces a subordinate clause that describes a noun in the main clause, its antecedent.

Case	Singular M.	F.	N.	Plural M.	F.	N.
Nom.	quī	quae	quod	quī	quae	quae
Gen.	cuius	cuius	cuius	quōrum	quārum	quōrum
Dat.	cui	cui	cui	quibus	quibus	quibus
Acc.	quem	quam	quod	quōs	quās	quae
Abl.	quō	quā	quō	quibus	quibus	quibus

The dative and ablative plural may also be quīs. With cum: quōcum, quācum, quibuscum.

Rule

The relative agrees with its antecedent in gender and number, and takes its case from its function in its own clause.

Example	Antecedent	Relative	Why this case
puella quae cantat	puella (fem. sing.)	quae, fem. sing. nominative	subject of cantat
librī quōs legō	librī (masc. pl.)	quōs, masc. pl. accusative	object of legō
amīcus cui crēdō	amīcus (masc. sing.)	cui, dative	crēdō takes the dative
urbs ex quā vēnit	urbs (fem. sing.)	quā, fem. sing. ablative	after ex

These examples are constructed.

Examples

Arma virumque canō, Trōiae quī prīmus ab ōrīs ...

I sing of arms and the man, who first from the shores of Troy ... (Vergil, Aeneid 1.1; quī is masculine singular nominative, referring to virum)

Gallia est omnis dīvīsa in partēs trēs, quārum ūnam incolunt Belgae ...

All Gaul is divided into three parts, of which the Belgae inhabit one ... (Caesar, De Bello Gallico 1.1; quārum is feminine plural genitive, agreeing with partēs)

... quī trans Rhēnum incolunt.

... who live across the Rhine. (Caesar, De Bello Gallico 1.1; quī refers to Germānīs)

Notes

1. No antecedent. The antecedent may be left out: quī dīcit he who says; quod vidēs what you see. is quī and ea quae make the antecedent explicit.
2. Connecting relative. At the start of a sentence, the relative often links back to the previous sentence: quae cum ita sint, since these things are so. It is translated and this, and these.
3. Mood. The verb of the relative clause is usually indicative; the subjunctive appears in relative clauses of purpose, characteristic and result. These are treated in Subordinate clauses.
4. Position. The relative clause usually follows its antecedent, but it may come first.
5. Compounds. quīcumque and quisquis mean whoever; quālis (of what kind), quantus (how great), quot (how many) are relative adjectives.

Correlatives

A demonstrative in the main clause often balances a relative in the subordinate clause:

Demonstrative	Relative	Meaning
is	quī	he ... who
tālis	quālis	such ... as
tantus	quantus	so great ... as
tot	quot	so many ... as
ibi	ubi	there ... where
inde	unde	thence ... whence
tum	cum	then ... when
ita, sīc	ut	so ... as

Interrogative pronouns and adjectives

The interrogative pronoun quis, quid (who? what?) asks about a person or a thing. It is declined like the relative, except in the nominative singular and the neuter.

Case	Masculine / feminine	Neuter
Nominative	quis	quid
Genitive	cuius	cuius
Dative	cui	cui
Accusative	quem, quam	quid
Ablative	quō, quā	quō

The plural is the same as the relative: quī, quae, quae, quōrum, quibus, and so on.

The interrogative adjective is quī, quae, quod (which? what?), with all the forms of the relative: quī homō? which man?; quod nōmen? what name?

Other interrogatives

Word	Meaning
uter, utra, utrum	which (of two)
quālis	of what sort
quantus	how great
quot	how many
ubi, quō, unde	where, where to, where from
cūr, quārē	why
quandō, quōmodo	when, how

Examples

Quid mihi Celsus agit?

Tell me, what is Celsus doing? (Horace, Epistles 1.3.15)

... quem mihi, quem tibi fīnem dī dederint ...

... what end the gods have given to me, what to you ... (Horace, Odes 1.11.1–2; quem is the interrogative adjective, with fīnem, in an indirect question)

Quārē id faciam, fortasse requīris.

Why I do this, perhaps you ask. (Catullus 85.1; quārē introduces an indirect question)

Direct questions use the indicative; indirect questions use the subjunctive, as the page on subordinate clauses explains.

Indefinite pronouns and adjectives

quis, quid and aliquis, aliquid

Word	Meaning	Where used
quis, qua, quid (adjective: quī, qua, quod)	someone, anyone, something	after sī, nisi, num, nē
aliquis, aliqua, aliquid (adjective: aliquī, aliqua, aliquod)	someone, something (definite but unspecified)	anywhere

The forms follow the interrogative quis (and the relative), except that:

• the feminine nominative singular and the neuter plural nominative and accusative of the indefinite are qua;
• aliquis is the same with the prefix ali-: alicuius, alicui, aliquem, aliquid, aliquō.

Sī quis hoc dīcit, errat. (constructed)

If anyone says this, he is wrong.

The mnemonic is that quis loses its ali- after sī, nisi, num, nē: sī quis, nē quid.

Other indefinites

Word	Meaning	Example
quīdam, quaedam, quiddam	a certain	vir quīdam a certain man
quisquam, quicquam	anyone, anything (in negative sentences)	nec quisquam and no one
quisque, quidque	each, every	optimus quisque all the best men
quīvīs, quīlibet	anyone you please	cuiusvīs hominis est errāre
ūllus	any (adjective)	sine ūllō metū without any fear
nēmō, nihil	no one, nothing
alius, alter	another, the other of two
uterque	each of two, both

Cuiusvīs hominis est errāre.

It is the mark of any man to err. (Cicero, Philippics 12.5; cuiusvīs is the genitive of quīvīs)

quīdam, quaedam, quiddam a certain

quīdam is quī with the suffix -dam; before -dam the m of -m becomes n.

Case	Singular M.	F.	N.	Plural M.	F.	N.
Nom.	quīdam	quaedam	quiddam (quoddam)	quīdam	quaedam	quaedam
Gen.	cuiusdam	cuiusdam	cuiusdam	quōrundam	quārundam	quōrundam
Dat.	cuidam	cuidam	cuidam	quibusdam	quibusdam	quibusdam
Acc.	quendam	quandam	quiddam (quoddam)	quōsdam	quāsdam	quaedam
Abl.	quōdam	quādam	quōdam	quibusdam	quibusdam	quibusdam

The neuter quiddam is a pronoun (something) and quoddam an adjective (a certain).

Summary

Class	Forms	Chief use
Demonstratives	hic, iste, ille, is, idem, ipse	point to or emphasise
Relative	quī, quae, quod	opens a relative clause; agrees with its antecedent
Interrogative	quis, quid; quī, quae, quod	ask who, what, which
Indefinite	quis, aliquis, quīdam, quisque, quīvīs, quisquam	someone, anyone, a certain, each
Negative	nēmō, nihil, nūllus	no one, nothing, none

Parsing practice

Identify the pronoun, its case, number and gender, and (for a relative) its antecedent.

1. huius
2. huic
3. hōc
4. illīus
5. eundem
6. ipsōrum
7. cuius
8. quibus
9. quārum in partēs trēs, quārum ūnam incolunt Belgae
10. quō
11. aliquid
12. quendam
13. cuiusvīs

Answers

1. Genitive singular (any gender) of hic.
2. Dative singular (any gender) of hic.
3. Ablative singular masculine or neuter of hic, or (without a macron) the nominative or accusative neuter hoc.
4. Genitive singular (any gender) of ille.
5. Accusative singular masculine of idem.
6. Genitive plural masculine or neuter of ipse.
7. Genitive singular (any gender) of quī or quis.
8. Dative or ablative plural of quī.
9. Genitive plural feminine of quī; the antecedent is partēs.
10. Ablative singular masculine or neuter of quī.
11. Nominative or accusative singular neuter of aliquis.
12. Accusative singular masculine of quīdam.
13. Genitive singular (any gender) of quīvīs.

Common pitfalls

• Giving the relative the case of its antecedent. The relative takes its case from its own clause, and only its gender and number from the antecedent.
• Confusing hic (this) and hīc (here), and hoc and hōc. The macron distinguishes them.
• Using ipse for a reflexive. ipse emphasises; sē is the reflexive.
• Forgetting the spelling changes in idem and quīdam. eundem, quendam, eōrundem.
• Using aliquis after sī, nisi, num, nē. Use quis: sī quis.
• Mixing the pronoun and the adjective neuter. quid and quiddam are pronouns; quod and quoddam are adjectives.
• Taking iste as the same as ille. iste points to the person addressed and is often disparaging.
• Forgetting that the dative and ablative plural of the relative are the same. quibus can be either; context decides.
• Translating quod always as which. It can be a conjunction, because, as in Caesar's proptereā quod.

Self-test

1. Distinguish hic, iste and ille in meaning.
2. Give the genitive and dative singular of hic, ille and ipse.
3. What is the difference between ipse and sē?
4. What case, number and gender is the relative quōs in librī quōs legō, and why?
5. In puella quae cantat, why is the relative feminine singular nominative?
6. Why is the form quārum in partēs trēs, quārum ūnam incolunt Belgae feminine plural genitive?
7. How do you say if anyone and lest anything?
8. What do quīdam, quisque and quīvīs mean?
9. Translate: Hic puer librum legit, ille nōn legit. Caesar ipse vēnit. Vir quīdam amīcum vīdit. Quis hoc fēcit? Puella quam amō cantat.

Answers

1. hic is near the speaker, iste near the person addressed (often with contempt), ille far from both.
2. huius, huic; illīus, illī; ipsīus, ipsī.
3. ipse emphasises (himself); sē is the reflexive pronoun.
4. quōs is masculine plural accusative: it agrees with librī in gender and number, and it is the object of legō.
5. Feminine singular to agree with puella, nominative as the subject of cantat.
6. Feminine plural to agree with partēs, genitive because it means of which.
7. sī quis; nē quid.
8. A certain; each, every; anyone you please.
9. This boy reads a book, that one does not read. Caesar himself came. A certain man saw a friend. Who did this? The girl whom I love sings.

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