Latin for Beginners · Lesson LXXIV · Part 15: Gerunds, reported speech and special cases
74. Vocabulary review; indirect questions
Goal: Your child translates indirect questions ('He asked where Rome was') and writes them with the subjunctive and the right tense.
You'll need
- The book (the lesson pages and the word lists in §§ 517 and 518)
- A notebook and pencil
- Index cards from earlier lessons
What's in the book
A vocabulary review (§ 429, word lists in §§ 517 and 518), indirect statements and questions compared (§§ 430 and 431), the rule for indirect questions (§ 432), four idioms (§ 433), and Latin sentences (§ 434). The lesson starts partway down the page.
The lesson, step by step
Vocabulary review
Go through the word lists in §§ 517 and 518. Note the slow words.
The new idea
An indirect question reports a question: 'He asks where Rome is.' In Latin its verb goes into the subjunctive, following the sequence of tenses:
Ubi est Rōma?
Rogat ubi sit Rōma
Rogāvit ubi esset Rōma
Where is Rome? He asks where Rome is. He asked where Rome was.
Yes-or-no questions
A yes-or-no question becomes indirect with num, 'whether': Rogat num Caesar Gallōs vīcerit, he asks whether Caesar conquered the Gauls. Review the sequence-of-tenses table from Lesson LXIII here.
Idioms
Learn the § 433 idioms: dē tertiā vigiliā (about the third watch), iniūriās alicui īnferre (to inflict wrongs on someone), verba facere prō (to speak in behalf of), in reliquum tempus (for the future).
Latin to English
Translate the § 434 sentences. Two of them:
Rēx rogāvit quid lēgātī postulārent et cūr ad sē vēnissent.
Vidētisne quae oppida hostēs oppugnāverint?
Translate the subjunctive in an indirect question like a normal indicative.
Wrap-up
Your child turns three direct questions into indirect ones, first with rogat, then with rogāvit. Memorize the rule in § 432 and the idioms.
Answers to the book's problems
Sentence 9 continues on the next page and is not included here. 1. The king asked what the envoys wanted and why they had come to him. 2. He also asked whether they remembered neither the recent wrongs nor the uncertain friendship of the Romans. 3. Do you see what towns the enemy have attacked? 4. Don't you know why the Gauls have betaken themselves to the foot of the mountain? 5. We heard what wrongs the Germans had inflicted on you. 6. About the third watch the general sent men to find out what the nature of the mountain was. 7. The orator spoke in their behalf and asked why the consuls wanted to send ships to a place full of the greatest danger. 8. After calling the lieutenants together, he showed what he wanted done.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.