Level 3+; Subjunctive [89] dependent uses [14] quīn and quōminus; clauses of prevention

[i] quīn and quōminus: similarities and differences

Firstly, briefly review the use of quīn with verbs of hindering and preventing:

Nōn recūsat ¦ quīn iūdicēs (Cicero)

• He does not object ¦ to your judging.

Prōrsus nihil abest ¦ quīn sim miserrimus (Cicero)

• Absolutely nothing prevents me ¦ from being utterly wretched.

Tenērī nōn potuī ¦ quīn tibi apertius illud īdem … dēclārārem.

• I could not restrain myself ¦ from expressing that very thing to you more openly ...

[ii] Quōminus functions in a similar way to quīn with verbs that express ‘hindering’ or ‘preventing’ except that – with quōminus – the verb in the main clause can be positive or negative.

Compare the uses of [A] quīn and [B] quōminus:

[A] quīn is used only with negative verbs in the main clause:

Negative: Nōn tē dēterreō quīn hoc faciās.

• I do not prevent you from doing this.

Negative: Mē homō nēmō dēterrēbit, quīn ea sit in hīs aedibus (Plautus)

• No man will prevent me from having her in this house.

[B] Quōminus can be used with either negative or positive verbs in the main clause.

Negative: Nōn tē dēterreō quōminus hoc faciās.

• I do not prevent you from doing this.

However, when the verb in the main clause is positive, only quōminus can be used.

Positive: Mē dēterruit quōminus Romam abīrem. 

• He prevented me from departing to Rome.

[iii] The literal translation of quōminus is “by which the less” i.e. the action in the main clause prevents / does not prevent the action in the quōminus clause from being ‘less’ done.

Mē impedīvit quōminus in urbem inīrem.

[Very literally: He prevented me ¦ by which I would enter the city ‘less’.]

• He prevented me ¦  from entering the city.

Impedīvit eam pater ¦ quōminus puerum vīseret.

[Very literally: The father prevented her ¦ by which she would see the boy ‘less’.]

• The father prevented her ¦  from seeing the boy.

Note in the next example that who is (not) being prevented may not be specifically stated in the main clause but can be deduced from the verb in the quōminus clause.

Nihil impedit ¦ quōminus id facere possīmus (Cicero)

[Very literally: Nothing prevents ¦ by which we could do this ‘less’.]

• Nothing prevents us ¦  from being able to do that.

[iv] A wide range of verbs and expressions are used in this construction:

dēterreō, -ēre, -ui, deterritus [2]: deter; discourage

impediō, -īre, -īvī, impeditus [4]: hinder

prohibeō, -ēre, -uī, prohibitus [2]: forbid; prohibit; prevent

recūsō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: refuse; object

Tempestās imperātōrem dēterruit ¦ quōminus Graeciam nāvigāret.

• The bad weather discouraged the commander ¦ from sailing to Greece.

Nec aetās impedit ¦ quōminus agrī colendī studia teneāmus (Cato)

• Nor does age prevent ¦ us from retaining an interest in tilling the soil.

Quōminus ad ultimam senectūtem perveniant, ¦ nōn prohibentur (Celsus)

• They are not prevented ¦ from reaching the last stage of old age.

Omnia ... cōnfessus est neque recūsāvit ¦ quōminus lēgis poenam subīret (Nepos)

• He … confessed everything and he did not refuse ¦ to submit to the punishment of the law.

[v] Further examples; quōminus may appear in texts as two separate words:

[1] Primary tense sequence

Itaque interclūdor dolōre, quō minus ad tē plūra scrībam (Cicero)

• Therefore, I am prevented by grief from writing more to you.

Tē iūstā causā impedīrī, quō minus ad nōs veniās, videō (Cicero)

• I see that you are prevented by a good reason from coming to us.

Nōn impedit, quō minus adsim (Cicero)

• He does not prevent me from being present.

Neque tē dēterreō, quō minus id disputēs (Cicero)

• Nor am I stopping you from arguing that.

Nōn dēterret sapientem mors quō minus in omne tempus reī pūblicae suisque cōnsulat (Cicero)

• Death does not deter the wise man from looking after the interests of the state and his family for all time.

[2] Secondary / historic tense sequence:

Tē impedīret, quō minus mēcum essēs (Cicero)

• It would prevent you from being with me.

Dēterrēre eum voluit ... quōminus medicāmentum biberet (Rufus)

• He wanted to dissuade him from drinking the medicine.

Impedīre coepērunt quōminus sē in castra reciperent (Bellum Africum)

• They began to prevent them from entering the camp.

Q. Cicerōnī obsistī nōn potuit, quō minus Thyamim vidēret (Cicero)

• Q. Cicero could not be stopped from seeing the (river) Thyamis.

Itaque dēterritus nōn est quōminus … reliqua pars exercitūs opus faceret (Bellum Alexandrinum)

• And so he was not deterred from the rest of the army carrying out the work…

Level 3+; Subjunctive [88] dependent uses [14] quīn (2) practice

[1]

Primary sequence: complete the translations of the quīn clauses with the phrases given below.

[i] Quārē nōn dubitō, quīn tibi quoque id molestum sit.

Therefore I do not doubt that __________.

[ii] Nōn dubitō quīn Gnaeus in fugā sit; 

I do not doubt that __________.

[iii] Nōn dubitō, quīn ad tē statim veniam.

I do not doubt that __________.

[iv] Nec vērō dubitō, quīn exitiōsum bellum impendeat.

Nor indeed do I doubt that __________.

[v] Nōn dubitō quīn istum offenderim.

I don’t doubt that __________.

[vi] Sed nōn dubitō, quīn senātus cōnsultum expedītum sit.

But I do not doubt that __________.

[vii] Nec dubitat Dēiotarus … quīn cum omnibus cōpiīs ipse … Euphrātēn trānsitūrus sit.

And Deiotarus does not doubt … that the king himself with all his forces __________.

[viii] Illud cavē dubitēs quīn ego omnia faciam. 

Do not doubt that __________.

a disastrous war is imminent

is going to cross the Euphrates

I have offended him

I shall come to you immediately

Gnaeus is fleeing

I will do all

it is also unpleasant for you

the senate decree has been issued

[2] Secondary / historic sequence: complete the Latin quotations with the verbs listed below.

[i] He did not doubt that we believed him.

Nōn dubitābat quīn eī __________.

[ii] We did not doubt that you had already reached Brundisium.

Nōn dubitābāmus, quīn tū iam Brundisium __________.

[iii] None of us doubted that Caesar had halted the marches.

Dubitābat nostrum nēmō, quīn Caesar itinera __________.

[iv] There was no doubt that the Helvetii were the most powerful.

Nōn erat dubium quīn Helvētiī plūrimum __________.

[v] I did not doubt that he would see you … at Dyrrachium.

Nōn dubitābam, quīn tē ille … Dyrrachī __________.

[vi] I had no doubt that I would see you either at Tarentum or at Brundisium.

Nōn fuerat mihi dubium, quīn tē Tarentī aut Brundisī __________.

[vii] There seemed to be no doubt that he would come before that date.

Nōn vidēbātur esse dubium, quīn ante eam diem __________.

[viii] For no one doubted that the house had been awarded to us.

Nēmō enim dubitābat, quīn domus nōbīs __________.

pervēnissēs; crēderēmus; esset adiūdicāta; possent; repressisset; ventūrus esset; vīsūrus essem; vīsūrus esset

[3] Note how English translations will often reword the clause with quīn to avoid it sounding too literal. Complete the translations with clauses and phrases from [A] the main clause and [B] the quīn clause.

[i] [A] Quis autem est, tantā quidem dē rē [B] quīn variē sēcum ipse disputet?

But [A] __________ [B] __________ with himself in various ways over such a great matter?

[ii] [A] Diēs ferē nūllus est, [B] quīn hic Satyrus domum meam ventitet.

There is [A] __________ [B] __________ Satyrus __________.

[iii] [A] Nūllum adhūc intermīsī diem, [B] quīn aliquid ad tē litterārum darem.

[A] __________ [B] __________.

[iv] [A] Facere nōn possum [B] quīn cotīdiē ad tē mittam.

[A] I __________ [B] __________ you (something) every day.

[v] [A] Tenērī nōn potuī, [B] quīn tibi apertius illud īdem hīs litterīs dēclārārem.

[A] I could not __________ [B] __________ that very thing to you more openly in these letters.

[vi] [A] Paulum āfuit [B] quīn Vārum interficeret.

[A] __________ [B] __________ Varus.

[vii] [A] Neque multum āfuit [B] quīn castrīs expellerentur. 

[A] __________ [B] __________ from the camp.

[A]

he just missed

cannot help

hardly a day

they came near

I have not yet let a day pass

restrain myself

who is there

[B]

but send

From expressing

to being driven out

that … does not pay me a visit

who does not argue

without writing something to you

killing

____________________

[1]

[i] … it is also unpleasant for you.

[ii] … Gnaeus is fleeing.

[iii] … I shall come to you immediately.

[iv] … a disastrous war is imminent.

[v] … I have offended him.

[vi] … the senate decree has been issued.

[vii] … is going to cross the Euphrates.

[viii] … I will do all.

[2]

[i] crēderēmus

[ii] pervēnissēs

[iii] repressisset

[iv] possent

[v] vīsūrus esset

[vi] vīsūrus essem

[vii] ventūrus esset

[viii] esset adiūdicāta

[3]

[i] But who is there who does not argue with himself in various ways over such a great matter?

[ii] There is hardly a day that Satyrus does not pay me a visit.

[iii] I have not yet let a day pass without writing something to you.

[iv] I cannot help but send you (something) every day.

[v] I could not restrain myself from expressing that very thing to you more openly in these letters.

[vi] He just missed killing Varus.

[vii] They came near to being driven out of the camp.

Level 3+; Subjunctive [87] dependent uses [14] quīn (1)

quīn

quīn can function in different ways. We will look at these separately.

[1] The “confusion” that can occur with the use of quīn is that, based on its formation, it is already negative < quī (adverb: why)  + nē (not)

In the examples below it is functioning as an adverb with the meaning “Why … not?” It is not asking a question but making a suggestion. Compare English: “Why don’t we go to the cinema?” = “How about we go…” or (more informally) “How about us going …?”

Quīn tū tacēs! (Plautus)

• Why don't you shut up!

Quīn urbēs et moenia adgredimur? (Livy)

• Why don't we attack the cities and walls?

Quīn… cōnscendimus equōs? (Livy)

• Why don’t we mount the horses?

[2]

[i] Its second use is as a conjunction with negative verbs of doubt. Here, it is better not to be influenced by the first usage since it is a separate construction.

In this construction the verb in the clause introduced by quīn is in the subjunctive.

Nōn dubitō ¦ quīn fortis sit.

• I do not doubt ¦ that he is brave; not: “I do not doubt that *he is not* brave.”

Therefore, it is better simply to think of quīn as “that” in this context.

Nōn / haud dubium erat ¦ quīn milēs fortis esset.

• There was no doubt ¦ that the soldier was brave.

[ii] Similarly, when the ‘doubt’ is being questioned, quīn is also used:

Quis dubitat ¦ quīn mīles fortis sit?

• Who doubts ¦ that the soldier is brave?

In other words, the speaker “challenges” any suggestion that the soldier may not be brave; he expects the answer to be negative.

Num quisquam dubitāre potuit ¦ quīn fortis esset?

• Surely no one could have doubted ¦ that he was brave?

Dubitās igitur, quīn nōs in hostium numerō habeat?

• Do you doubt, therefore, that he considers us [Cicero: me] as one of his enemies?

[iii] The sequence of tenses i.e. (1) primary and (2) secondary / historic applies:

(1) Primary Sequence:

Nōn dubitō [present indicative] ¦ quīn milēs fortis sit [present subjunctive].

• I do not doubt ¦ that the soldier is brave.

Mihi nōn dubium est [present indicative] ¦ quīn mīles fortiter pugnāverit [perfect subjunctive].

• I have no doubt ¦ that the soldier has fought bravely.

Nōn dubitō [present indicative], quīn tū Pompēium exspectāris [= exspectāverīs; perfect subjunctive].

• I don’t doubt that you have waited for Pompey.

(2) Secondary / Historic Sequence:

Nōn dubitābam [imperfect indicative] ¦ quīn mīles fortis esset [imperfect subjunctive].

• I did not doubt ¦ that the soldier was brave.

Haud dubium erat ¦ quīn hostēs fugissent [pluperfect subjunctive].

• There was no doubt ¦ that the enemy had fled.

[iv] Although quīn is particularly common with negative verbs of doubt, it does occur with:

(1) other negative verbs that convey ideas such as not refusing, not preventing, not delaying etc.

The verbs and expressions which are followed by quīn are too varied to provide a definitive list. In broad terms, whatever is stated in the clause with quīn is not refused or denied or prevented by the speaker in the main clause. Translations may rephrase the clause to express the idea more fluently.

Nōn recūsat ¦ quīn iūdicēs (Cicero)

• He does not object ¦ (literally) that you are judging = He does not object to your judging.

Praeterīre nōn potuī ¦ quīn scrīberem ad tē (Cicero)

• I could not neglect writing to you. 

Prōrsus nihil abest, ¦ quīn sim miserrimus (Cicero)

• nihil abest often has the sense of ‘there is nothing missing / lacking’

There is absolutely nothing lacking to make me utterly wretched.

• = Absolutely nothing prevents me from being utterly wretched.

(2) when the statement is being challenged:

Quis īgnōrat ¦ quīn tria Graecōrum genera sint? 

• Who does not know ¦ that there are three types of Greeks?

[v] There are constructions which allow for a double negative; in these examples the original negative idea of quīn can be translated:

Nēmō est ¦ quīn hoc sciat.

• There is nobody ¦ who does not know this = Everybody knows this.

Nūllus est ¦ quīn hoc videat.

• There is no one ¦ who does not see this = Everybody sees this.

Nihil est ¦ quīn intellegī possit.

• There is nothing ¦ that cannot be understood = Everything can be understood.