Indirect Question
What is Indirect Speech?
 Indirect Speech, as opposed to direct speech, is the reporting of
speech without using the exact words. In other words, it is
conveying what someone else said, asked, or commanded without
quoting them directly in the exact words.
 The Latin term for indirect speech is ōrātiō oblīqua1.
 There are three types of ōrātiō oblīqua:
o 1) Indirect Statement – uses “Adam’s Apple” verb and acc. +
infinitive.
 E: Direct: “You have left the town.”
 Indirect: We know [that you have left the town].
 L: scīmus [tē ex oppidō discesisse].
o 2) Indirect Command – uses “BOSS” verb and subjunctive
 E: Direct: “Leave town.”
 Indirect: We asked you to leave town.
 L: rogāvimus tē ut discēderes ex oppidō.
o 3) Indirect Question – uses “Adam’s Apple” verb and
INTERROGATIVE WORD + subjunctive
 E: Direct: “When are you leaving town?”
 Indirect: We will soon hear {when you are leaving
town}.
 L: mox audiēmus {quandō ex oppidō discēdās}.
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SAT word alert: oblique.
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Indirect Question
 Indirect Questions are to be distinguished from direct questions.
Here is a quick summary of their main differences.
DIRECT QUESTION
Independent Clause
Indicative or Subjunctive Mood
addressed directly to the person
being asked
could easily be accompanied by
vocative case (for the name or title
of the person being bossed when
you boss him/her)
Would have to end in a question
mark.
INDIRECT QUESTION
Dependent Clause
Subjunctive Mood
can be addressed to anybody, but is
always about what is being asked.
much less likely to involve
vocative
May or may not end in a question
mark, depending on the overall
sentence inside of which the
indirect question resides.
 It boils down to this: instead of you simply asking a question
directly to somebody (a direct question), you are TALKING
ABOUT some (implied) question.
 The key to recognizing indirect question in LATIN is to recognize
the sentence’s “Adam’s Apple” verb and the interrogative word.
 Here is a reminder of what “Adam’s Apple” verbs are:
o These are verbs of communicating, thinking, perceiving,
feeling, asking, and sensing, i.e. the types of verbs that can
introduce an indirect statement.
o Examples in ENGLISH:
 say, know, shout, report, tell, inform, ask, feel, notice,
perceive, sense, learn, think, wonder, remember, etc.
o Common Latin verbs (vid. Ch. 39 p. 224)
 dīcō, sciō, nesciō, narrō, cognōscō, crēdō, existimō,
putō, sentiō, arbitror (deponent verb “think”)
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Indirect Question
Mechanics of Indirect Question
 Structure of Indirect question:
The subject ADAM APPLE VERBs [indirect question:
interrogative word + subjunctive verb].
ENGLISH: “We do not know [why it is always raining in this
city].”
LATIN: nescimus [cūr in hāc urbe semper pluat].
 The sentence containing an indirect question requires you to follow
the SEQUENCE OF TENSES. So, if the main verb) is...
o present, future, or future perfect, the Indirect Command verb
will be PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE (incomplete action) or
PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE (completed action)
o imperfect, perfect, or pluperfect, the Indirect Command verb
will be IMPERECT SUBJUNCTIVE or PLUPERFECT
SUBJUNCTIVE (completed action)
 Just like with fear clauses, indirect question can utilize the full
sequence of tenses.
 Other than using subjunctive for the main verb inside of the
indirect question, everything else is going to follow ordinary rules
of grammar.
o It’s only in indirect statement where you have accusatives
replacing nominatives and infinitives replacing the verbs
 Instead of introductory words like ut / nē, expect to see
INTERROGATIVE words and phrases, such as:
o quis, quid (interrogative pronoun) – who? what?
 cuius / quōrum – whose? of what?
 cui /quibus – for whom? for what?
 quem / quid (n.) / quōs / quae (n.)– whom? what?
 ā quō /quibus – by whom? by what?
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Indirect Question
o qui, quae, quod (interrogative adjective, which looks exactly
the same as the relative pronoun)
 remember the interrogative adjective asks a more
specific question than the interrogative pronoun.
 E.g. (Both examples below are direct questions
showing how the interrogative adjective asks a more
specific question)
 Instead of “From where will....”, something like
“From what town will those horsemen coming?” ē
quō oppidō equitēs venient?
 Instead of “Whom does...”, try “What girl does
this boy love?” quam puellam hic puer amat?
o qualis, -e – what sort / what kind
o ubi – where
 quō – where (to)?
 unde – where (from) / whence
o quando – when
o cūr – why
o quomodo – how
 quot - how many
 quantus, -a, -um – how great, how large
 quem ad modum – to what extent / to what degree /
how
o num – whether / if
 sīve ... sīve – whether ... or
 utrum ... an – whether ... or
 utrum ... annōn – whether ... or not
 utrum ... necne – whether ... or not
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Indirect Question
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
LATIN EXAMPLE
nēmō scit quis crustula
arripuerit.
Nobody knows who snatched the
cookies.
vidēs cūr nōn crēdere tibi
possim?
Do you see why I can’t trust you?
cognōvī qualia tēla Gallī
portāvissent.
I have learned what sort of
weapons the Gauls had carried.
dīcite omnibus, līberī, quō eatis.
Tell everybody where you are
going (to), children.
est mirum quanta Rōmae fāma
sit.
It is a marvel how great the fame
of Rome is.
dīcat utrum sōlus an cum amīcīs
ambulātūrus sit.
Let him say whether he is going to
walk alone or with friends.
audīvimus unde illī Gallī
vēnissent.
We heard from where those Gauls
had in fact come.
Potesne vidēre quot inimīcī
appropinquent?
Can you see how many enemies
are approaching?
Rōgā eam num mē amet.
Ask her whether she likes me.
volō narrārī quomodō tū sentiās
hodiē.
I want to be told how you are
feeling today.
STEPS
1. Understand what indirect speech is generally, including what types
of ōrātiō oblīqua exist.
2. Understand the differences between direct question and indirect
questions.
3. Memorize the interrogative words.
4. Memorize the mechanics of Indirect Question and Practice.
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Indirect Question
Practice Sentences
1. He never asks his children where (i.e. “where to”) they walk at night.
2. You ought to know with whom your children are playing.
3. Tell us why you did this, Manius.
4. Mother wanted to know where (i.e. “where at”) you were running.
5. Did she ask you whether or not you like the dinner?
6. I don’t know how many words will be in my book.
7. Show me which boy beat you.
8. We have all heard which girl the teachers like the most.
9. Do you know how you ought to teach us?
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Indirect Question
10. The Roman soldiers will soon learn how great the power of
Carthage is.
11. The senators have already decided who (pl.) will be sent into the
province next year.
12. I do have not always understood to what extent I needed to study
(“it was necessary for me to study”) at home (locative case form of
domus > domī).
13. Caesar ordered a few lieutenants to discover what kind of customs
there were in Britannia.
14. Let’s always remember (= “hold in memory”) why we came to this
school (use hūc = “to this place, hither, here”).
15. I am afraid (that) he will ask me what sort of city I live in (= “in
what sort of city I live”).
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