Indirect Questions
An indirect question reports a question, either actual or implied.
I asked my brother what he had done.
In Latin this sentence would be:
fratrem rogavi quid fecisset.
In the above example, a question was actually asked (“What have you done?”). But the same construction can be used for an implied question:
cognovi quid frater fecisset.
I found out what my brother had done.
An indirect question can use an imperfect subjunctive or a pluperfect subjunctive, and is introduced by a question word.
The following question words can introduce an indirect question:
Table
| quid | what |
| quis | who |
| quomodo | how |
| quando | when |
| quantus, -a, -um | how big, great |
| qualis, -e | what sort, kind |
| quot | how many |
| quo | to where |
| ubi | where |
| unde | from where |
| num | whether, if |
| cur | why |
Match
- puellae nesciebant quando domum redire deberent.
- non audieramus quid rex facere constituisset.
- regina videre non poterat quantus mons esset.
- nesciebam num puer abiisset.
- consul legato dixit ubi feminae liberique essent.
- dux cognoscere conabatur quot hostes essent.
- nemo intellegere videbatur cur vir navem emisset.
- custos me rogavit quis essem undeque venissem.
- brevi tempore cognovimus quales cives illa in urbe habitarent.
- uxores mirabantur quomodo mariti tam facile nocte effugissent.
