Relative Pronouns A preview

What is a relative pronoun? A relative pronoun is a word that introduces a subordinate clause. Often this is called the relative clause.

The relative pronoun is called relative because it relates more information about another word in the sentence. The word that the relative pronoun refers to is called the antecedent

The soldiers who are fighting in the battle are very brave. Examples The soldiers who are fighting in the battle are very brave. Minerva who is the goddess of wisdom wears the aegis of Jupiter. The town which the enemy attacked has been destroyed.

How this changes things for someone trying to read Latin The sentences may now be more complicated. A sentence with a relative clause in it will have two verbs and may have two different subjects, direct objects, indirect objects etc.

Relative Pronouns have many forms in many cases. masculine singular plural qui qui cuius quorum cui quibus quem quos quo quibus

singular plural quae quae cuius quarum cui quibus quam quas quā quibus feminine singular plural quae quae cuius quarum cui quibus quam quas quā quibus

singular plural quod quae cuius quorum cui quibus quo quibus neuter singular plural quod quae cuius quorum cui quibus quo quibus

We will start off slowly For now we will restrict ourselves to using only the nominative forms. Sing. Plural masc: qui qui fem: quae quae neuter: quod quae

who which Translations To translate the relative pronoun in the nominative forms (or as the subject of its clause) you will use the following for singular and plural: who which

Examples Pueri qui in campo currebant equos terrebant. The boys who were running in the meadow were scaring the horses

Ancillas quae in culinā laborabant iuvabamus We were helping the slave women who were working in the kitchen

The relative pronoun must agree with the antecedent in gender and number, BUT… The case of the relative pronoun depends on its own clause. So the antecedent and relative pronoun can be in different cases.

Ancillas quae in culinā laborabant iuvabamus

Habito in oppido quod est ad mare Habito in oppido quod est ad mare. I live in a town which is near the sea

NOTA BENE Notice how the relative clause tends to interrupt the main clause in the Latin sentence. This makes translating a bit harder. You have to pay close attention to CASES. So you need to LEARN THEM.

Try these 1. Mea villa quae est ad tuam urbem non est magna. 2. Servi qui sunt fortes in agro laborant. 3. Ancillae, quae laborant in culinā, non sunt laetae.

Do Caecilius Reading Handout

Caecilius est vir Romanus qui Romae cum suā familiā habitat Caecilius est vir Romanus qui Romae cum suā familiā habitat. Caecilus uxorem habet. Caecilius et Metella quae est Caecilii uxor duo liberos habent. Caecilius qui est argentarius multam pecuniam habet. Igitur familia multos servos et ancillas habet. Ubi Caecilius domi est, in tablino laborat. Ubi Metella domi est, servos et ancillas laborare iubet. Nunc est aestas et familia ad suam rusticam villam iter faciet. Aestate in rusticā villā familia manebit. Metella quae itineri parat, ancillas ad forum mittit. Ancillae quae sunt nunc in foro, itineri multa emunt. Omnes servi et ancillae sunt laeti quod ad rusticam villam eunt.