[1] So far, we have looked at indirect questions that are introduced by an interrogative word e.g.
Nōn intellegō quid dīcat. │ I don’t understand what he is saying.
Nemō scīt quandō adveniat. │ Nobody knows when he may arrive.
Scīsne ubi templum sit? │ Do you know where the temple is?
Eum rogābō quis hoc fēcerit. │ I’ll ask him who did this.
Eum rogāvī cūr hoc fēcisset. │ I asked him why he had done this.
[2] Both in English and Latin, however, we can have a “yes-no” question:
Is he at home? The answer: Either, yes he is, or no he isn’t.
That same concept is expressed in Latin with num + the subjunctive:
Nesciō ¦ num domī sit. │ I don’t know ¦ whether / if he is at home.
Num quid vellem, ¦ rogāvit (Cicero) │ He asked me ¦ whether I wanted anything.
Ad tē scrībam, ¦ num quid ēgerim (Cicero) │ I will write to you ¦ whether I have accomplished anything.
Sānē velim scīre, ¦ num cēnsum impediant tribūnī (Cicero) │ I should much like to know ¦ whether the tribunes are hindering the census.
[3] Look at the indirect questions asked by Cicero in this extract where two forms of indirect question are used:
Volō etiam exquīrās … [1] quid Lentulus noster agat, ¦ quid Domitius agat, ¦ quid āctūrus sit, ¦ quem ad modum nunc sē gerant, [2] num quem accūsent, ¦ num cui suscēnseant …
I also want you to find out [1] what our Lentulus is doing, what Domitius is doing, what he is about to do, how they are now conducting themselves, [2] whether they accuse anyone, whether they are angry with anyone.
They fall into two groups:
(a) Indirect questions with interrogative words:
- quid Lentulus noster agat
- quid Domitius agat
- quid āctūrus sit
- quem ad modum nunc sē gerant
(b) Two distinct indirect yes/no questions introduced by num:
- num quem accūsent
- num cui suscēnseant
