The interrogative adjective translates as which? what? what kind of?
In general,
adjectives have the function of narrowing the field of reference, for example:
I really like that
car? > Which car? > The blue one.
Therefore, interrogative
adjectives refer to known nouns but ask to specify which noun:
Which car did you buy? What kind of music
do you like?
There is very
little distinction between the interrogative adjectives and the interrogative
pronouns in the previous post except that:
[i] the
interrogative adjective has all three genders in the singular
which is logical because the adjective has to be able to agree with nouns of
all three genders.
[ii] the neuter
singular (nominative and accusative) is quod and not quid.
In the plural, the
interrogative adjectives and pronouns are identical.
NOMINATIVE
Quī vir mē vocat? │ Which / what
kind of man is calling me?
Quae bella gerunt? │ What sort of wars
do they wage?
GENITIVE
Cuius fēminae domus est? │ Literally: Of which woman
is the house? [ = Which woman does the house belong to?]
Dē factīs quōrum hominum
fābulam nārrās? │ Which / whose men’s deeds [ = the
deeds of which men] are you telling a story about?
DATIVE
Cui puerō / puellae dōnum dedistī? │ To which boy
/ girl did you give a gift?
Quibus magistrīs librum lēgit? │ To which teachers
did s/he read a book?
ACCUSATIVE
Quod oppidum vidēs? │ What town
do you see?
Quōs mīlitēs vocat rēx? │ Which /
what soldiers is the king calling?
ABLATIVE
- In quō locō urbs erit? │ In what place will the city be?
- Dē quibus librīs loqueris? │ What / which books are you talking about?
- Translation practice:
- Quī homō vocat?
- Quem virum amās?
- Quod templum vidēs
- Quōs librōs lēgistī?
- In quibus oppidīs vīxistis?
- Quod animal in agrō erat?
- Cum quā fēmina ambulābat?
- Quibus tēlīs cōpiae nostrae eguērunt?
- Quae prōvinciae ā Rōmānīs occupātae sunt?
- Cuius scūtum habēs?
- Quibus virīs deī favēbunt?
- Quī virī castra pōnunt?
