Latino Moderne
Lection Septe Lesson Seven
©David Th. Stark 1999

Asking Questions:
Asking questions involves using word such as who, what, where, why, when, & how.
These type of questions generally require more than a yes or no answer.

(We've already learned how to ask yes or no questions by using the word esque at the beginning of a sentence.)

The most common question words are as follows:

Latino // English

qui? // who?
de qui? // whose? (or) of whom?
cujes? // whose?
que? // what?
proque? // why?
quando? // when?
quanto? // how much?
quantes? // how many
ubi? // where?
como? // how?
qual? // which one?
quales? // which ones?

Examples:
1. Qui es isto?
Who is this?

2. Que es isto?
What is this?

3. Proque diceis iste parolas?
Why do you say these words?

4. Quando arriva le traino?
When does the train arrive?

5. Ubi vas?
Where are you going?

6. Como tu facevas le sede?
How did you make the chair?

7. Quantes libros compravan?
How many books did they buy?

8. Qual libro es mihi?
Which book is for me?

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NOTE: The question words, qui, que, proque, quando, ubi, como, quanto, quante, and qual, etc. can also be used as relatives. This is the same usage as is found with the English words which are used to translate them.

Who can be used to ask a question or to refer back to someone already mentioned in a sentence. Example:
1. Who was that lady? Qui era illa seniora?

(Qui asks a question. When used this way it is called an Interogative Pronoun. [from the Latin rogare to ask)

2. She is the lady who teaches Latin at the school.
Illa es la seniora qui insenia le Latino a la scholia.

(Here the word qui does not ask a question, but rather it refers to the subject of the sentence.
When used this way it is called a Relative Pronoun.)

Interogatory Pronouns always ask a question.

Un bon journaliste sempre demandas, Qui? Como? Proque? Que? Quando? e Ubi?
Ma le homine de negotios demandara, Quanto?
A good reporter always asks, Who? How? Why? What? When? and Where? But the businessman will ask, How much?

Relatives always refer to something.

Proque le journaliste sapeva como e ubi le homine hava facite le nove bicycletta que poteva volar, ille era le persona qui scribeva la historia sue quando ille retornava a la terra.

Because the reporter knew how and where the man had made the new bicycle which could fly, he was the person who wrote its history when he returned to the earth.

Proque? Why? Proque il era bon. Because it was good.

Proque? (why?) is answered by proque (because).

Como facevamus le pan? How did we make the bread?
In iste maniera facevamus le pan? In this manner we made the bread.

Como? (how?) is answered by per iste maniera (by this manner),
or,
in iste manriera (in this manner)
or,
Como se vestiva le homine? Se vestiva como un rege.
How did the man dress? He was dressed as a king

Como? (How?) is answered by como (as, or, like).

Translate:
1. Quanto es ista nove camisa?
2. Ubi son le vetule homines qui eran in le citate?
3. Esque tu sapes proque ille diceva iste palabra tibi?
4. Quantes feminas venivan a la festa?
5. E qui es iste homine qui demandava information del servitores del grande rege?
6. Como le plebes ancian edificavan le casas lores?
7. Quando discoperivas tu que le nove ponte era aperte?
8. Proque studiamus le economia politic quando non hamus alicun moneta?
9. Quales oves eran possedite per le gregando vetule?
10. Qual can curreva ab la catta?
11. Qui poterea inseniar te si non has un voluntate apprender?
12. Cujes cevallos eran in le campo nostre?

Conversation Helpers!

Perdona me, ma poteis vos adjutar me, per favor?
Excuse me, but could you help me, please?

Ubi es una libreria?
Where is a bookstore?

[NOTE: una libreria is a bookstore, where books are purchased, not a library, in the English sense of the word. The English word library, a place where books are loaned, is una bibliotheca.]

Ho fame, ma tu has sete.
I am hungry, but you are thirsty.
(Literally: I have hunger, but you have thirst.)

Iste restaurante es bon, nonne?
This restaurant is good, isn't it?

Le alimento suo es multo bon, ma le precios suos son multo cares.
It has very good food, but its prices are very expensive.

Reading Seclection

Del Evangelio de Sancte Johannes
Capitulo 3:1-16

Il era un homine del Phariseos, Nicodemo era su nomine, un principal del Judaeos. Iste homine veniva a ille in le nocte e diceva illi, Rabbi, sapemus que tu has venite ab Deo como un maestro, nam necuno pote facer iste signos que tu faces, si Deo non serea con ille.

Respondeva Jesus e dice illi, Amen, amen, dico tibi, si alicuno non es nascite de nove, non pote vider le regno de Deo.

Nicodemo dice illi, Como pote un homine nascer quando ille es vetule? Non pote entrar ina le utero de la matre sue pro un secunde vice e ser nascite?

Respondeva Jesus, Amen, amen, dico tibi, si alicuno non es nascite de aqua e de Spirito, ille non pote entrar ina le regno de Deo. Illo que es nascite del carne, carne es, e illo que es nascite del Spirito, spirito es. Non meravilia proque dicevo tibi, Vos debeis nascer de nove. Le vento se venta ubicunque illo vola, e audis su voce, ma tu non sapes ab ubi illo veni e a ubi illo vade. In iste maniera es tote persona qui es nascite del Spirito.

Respondeva Nicodemo e dice illi, Como iste cosas poten ser?

Respondeva Jesus e dice illi, Esque tu eres le maestro de Israel, e iste cosas non cognosces? Amen, amen, dico tibi, lo que sapemus, dicemus, e lo que hamus vidite, testificamus, e le testimonio nostre vos non recipeis. Si dicevo vobis del cosas que son in la terra, e non credeis, como credereais si dicereo vobis del cosas que son in le celo?

E necuno ha ascendite al celo, si non ille qui ha descendite del celo, le Filio del Homine, qui es in le celo. E como Moses elevava le serpente in le deserto, assi anque debe elevar le Filio del Homine, al fin que tote persona qui crede in ille, non perira, ma habrea la vita eterne. Proque de tal maniera amava Deo le mundo, que ille donava su unigenite Filio, al fin que tote persona qui crede in ille non perira, ma habrea la vita eterne.

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Have you begun using the dictionary to creat your own sentences and conversations? One of the best to use for English to LM translation is the Concise English-Interlingua Dictionary by P. Gopsill and B.C. Sexton.
Remember though, the sentences given in it as examples are in Interlingua and are not usually in correct Latino Moderne grammar.