quis / quid: their most common use – by far – is to ask the questions who and what? However, they can act as indefinites i.e. any, anybody, anything, but their use is rare and generally restricted to the following constructions:
[i] with sī (if)
Sī quis venit, dīc mihi statim │ If anybody comes, tell me immediately
Puerum reddat, sī quis eum petat (Plautus) │ Let her give up the child if anybody asks for him
In praise of cabbage (Cato):
Hanc oportet māne ieiūnum esse. Īnsomnis vel sī quis est seniōsus* hāc eādem cūrātiōne sānum faciēs │ If anyone is sleepless or rather elderly, you can make well by this same treatment
*seniōsus: only attested here
Et sī quis ulcus … habēbit, hanc brassicam errāticam aquā spargitō, oppōnitō; sānum faciēs │ If someone has an ulcer … sprinkle this wild cabbage with water and apply it; you will cure him.
Sī quem pūrgāre volēs, prīdiē nē cēnet … │ If you want to cleanse anybody, he (i.e. the patient) should not dine the previous day
Sī quid anteā malī [genitive] intus erit, omnia sāna faciet │ If anything previously bad is inside, it will make everything healthy
Posteā māne bibat sūcum dēambuletque hōrās IIII, agat, negōtī [genitive] sī quid habēbit │ Early the next morning he should drink the juice and walk about for four hours, (and) if he has any business, he should attend to it
[ii] with nisi (unless; if … not)
nisi quis renātus fuerit ex aquā et Spīritū nōn potest introīre in rēgnum Deī (Vulgate) │ Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God [ = If somebody is not born …
nisi quis nōs deus respexerit (Cicero) │ unless some god shows regard for us
ego eō ad forum nisi quid vīs (Plautus) │ I’m going to the forum, unless you want anything [ = if you don’t want anything]
Ego, nisi quid mē vīs, eō lavātum (Plautus) │ Unless you want me for anything, I’m going to take a bath
Nunc quidem, nisi quid tē tenuit, suspicor tē esse in suburbānō (Cicero) │ Now I suppose you are in your suburban estate, unless anything kept you.
[iii] with num
num: surely … not i.e. expecting a negative answer
num + quis = surely not anybody = surely nobody
Num quis negat? (Cicero) │ Does anybody deny it? [ = Surely not anybody denies it / surely nobody denies it]
Num quis Pīsōnī est adsēnsus? (Cicero) │ Did anybody agree with Piso? [i.e. it isn’t *Who agreed?*, but did anybody agree]
In this example you can see that Cicero expects a negative reply by answering the question himself:
Num quem tribūnum plēbis servī M. Tullī pulsāvērunt? nōn opīnor
Num quid vīs? (Plautus) │ Is there anything you want? [literally: Surely, you don’t want anything? = You don’t want anything, do you? i.e. it isn’t *What do you want?*]
[iv] with nē
We look at this use gain in a later, and far broader topic which goes way beyond what is discussed here, but it’s included in this section for reference and for the sake of completeness without going into detail about the grammar that is connected to it:
nē … quis / quid: literally = lest anyone / anything = so that nobody / nothing
It occurs in sentences which convey the idea of
This construction is followed by the subjunctive and so, for now, simply recognise the meaning of nē … quis / quid:
Nē quis sē commovēre audēret, quantum terrōris iniēcit! (Cicero) │ Lest anybody [ = so that nobody] would dare to stir, what an amount of terror he struck into them!
vidēte nē quis vōs dēcipiat per philosophiam et inānem fallāciam (Vulgate) │ See to it (so) that nobody may deceive you through philosophy and empty deceit
Vidēte nē quis vōs sēdūcat (Vulgate) │ Take heed lest any man should deceive you [ = so that no man]
et praecēpit eīs ¦ nē quid tollerent in viā (Vulgate) │ And he commanded them ¦ to take nothing on the journey … [literally: so that they would not take anything]
Image: the clock of Wells Cathedral with the inscription …
NĒ QUID PEREAT: lest anything perish = so that nothing perishes
bona eōrum, nē quid ex contāgiōne noxae remanēret penes* nōs, Rōmam portāvimus (Livy) │ Their goods, so that nothing from the contagion of the crime might remain with us / in our possession, we brought to Rome.
*penes (preposition + accusative) [i] under the command of [ii] (here) in the possession of
Both constructions discussed in this post in the same sentence:
Exsolvāmus religiōne populum, sī quā obligāvimus, nē quid dīvīnī [genitive] hūmānīve [genitive] obstet. (Livy) │ Let us release the people from religious obligation, if in any way we have bound them, so that nothing [ = not anything] divine or human may stand in the way.
