Tag Archives: quam

Hold the Quam, Please

The comparatives plūs, minus, amplius, and longius may be seen operating without the use of quam while performing the same semantic work. Generally, these operate with a measure or number and no change in case.

  • Plūs septigentī captī sunt. More than seven hundred were taken.
  • Plūs teriī parte interfectā, nos perditī esse putāvimus, With more than one-third slain, we thought ourselves done for.
  • Aditus in lātitūdinem nōn amplius ducentōrum pedum relinquēbātur. An approach of not more than two hundred feet in width was left. (Genitive of measure.)

The Essential AG: 407c

Uses of Quam (Quamquam and Quamvīs)

Uses of Quam (part 3 of 4)

 

Origin of Quam

Quam is derived from the feminine singular accusative of the interrogative pronoun quī, quae, quod 

Summary of Use

Quam has many and various uses in Latin

It appears most commonly as the standard coordinating conjunction of comparison between two adjectives, adverbs or clauses (part 1)

  • Two things compared with quam will always appear in the same case
  • There are better and worse (common and less common) ways to compare with quam

The phrases quam ut, quam quī, quam sī and quam (alone) may also initiate a subjunctive statement (part 2)

  • These include clauses of purpose, characteristic and comparison

The compounds quamvīs and quamquam are concessive particles, taking subjunctive and indicative clauses, i.o. (part 3)

Quam and its compounds have several other functions (part 4)

 

Quamvīs

Quamvīs “means literally ‘as much as you will.’” (AG 527a)

  • It was originally an expression of hortatory subjunctive

Quamvīs is speculative, and therefore followed with a subjunctive statement of concession

  • They have died, however guilty they may have been: cecidērunt, quamvīs sceleratī fuissent.
  • However incapable they are, still, these things must be revealed: quamvīs īnfantēs sint, tamen sibi aperienda sunt. 

Quamquam

Quamquam “introduces an admitted fact and takes the indicative” (AG, 527d)

  • Though he is king, he is mortal: quamquam rex, tamen mortalis est.
  • Although you have said these things, I doubt: quamquam ea fāris, dubitō. 

Quamquam also appears as and yet, introducing a new position in the indicative

  • And yet, you have come: quamquam, vēnistī.
  • He is filthy, and yet I love him: sordidus est, quamquam eum amō.

 

The Essential AG: 527 a, d

 

quamvīs tegātur, proditur vultū furor

(though covered, passion is betrayed by the face)

[Seneca, Phaedra, 363]

 

quam_p3.pdf

Uses of Quam (Everything Else)

Uses of Quam (part 4 of 4)

Summary of Use

Quam has many and various uses in Latin

It appears most commonly as the standard coordinating conjunction of comparison between two adjectives, adverbs or clauses (part 1)

  • Two things compared with quam will always appear in the same case
  • There are better and worse (common and less common) ways to compare with quam

The phrases quam ut, quam quī, quam sī and quam (alone) may also initiate a subjunctive statement (part 2)

  • These include clauses of purpose, characteristic and comparison

The compouds quamquam and quamvīs are concessive particles, taking either subjunctive or indicative clauses (part 3)

Quam and its compounds have several other functions (part 4)

Tam…Quam

The pairing tam…quam connects a demonstrative and relative pair of phrases (i.o.) and should be translated so (as) … as with comparative force.

When used of present characteristics, the relative phrase may take a subjunctive verb

  • He spoke as often as possible: tam saepē orātus est quam poterat. 
  • She eat as much as she might like: tam multa edit quam velit. 

Quam with Relative Time

Quam may appear with single adverbs that already offer comparative force: ante, prius, post, posteā, prīdiē, and postrīdiē

  • She did not let him go until he gave her a pledge: nōn ante dīmīsit eum quam fidem dedit.
  • There came the third day after he said these things: post diem tertium quam dīxerat vēnit.

In this same way, quam may appear with the ablative of time

  • She died within eight months after his death: octāvō mēnse quam eius mortem morīta est.

The phrase quam diū should be translated as long as and takes the indicative.

  • She spoke as long as she could: ōrābat quam diū poterat.

Idiomatic Uses

Quam inhabits a number of idioms–mīrum quam (marvelously), sānē quam (immensely), valdē quam (enormously)–all of which function as adverbs.

  • He has uncommonly few of his own: suōs valdē quam paucōs habet.
  • I was immensely glad: sānē quam sum gāvīsus.

Placing quam before a superlative adjective or adverb intensifies the superlative

  • They had the very least: quam mimimum habuērunt.

The Essential AG: 291c, 323g, 535c

 

 

Famous Phrase: carpe dīem! quam minimum credūla posterō [seize the day! put the very least trust in tomorrow]

(Horace, Odes, 1.1)

 

quam_p4.pdf

 

Uses of Quam (Subjunctive)

Uses of Quam (part 2 of 4)

Summary of Use

Quam has many and various uses in Latin

It appears most commonly as the standard coordinating conjunction of comparison between two adjectives, adverbs or clauses (part 1)

  • Two things compared with quam will always appear in the same case
  • There are better and worse (common and less common) ways to compare with quam

The phrases quam ut, quam quī, quam sī and quam (alone) may also initiate a subjunctive statement (part 2)

  • These include clauses of purpose, characteristic and comparison

Quam and its compounds have several other functions (part 3)

Subjunctive Uses of Quam

The phrases quam ut, quam quī and (rarely) quam alone, following a comparative, initiate clauses of characteristic

  • The statues of Canachus are too stiff to represent nature: Canachī sīgna rigidiōra sunt quam ut imitentur.
  • They cut the threes too large more a soldier to carry: maiōrēs arborēs caedēbant quam quās ferre mīles posset.

These often fit the English construction too x to y (too big to fail)

These phrases may also initiate result clauses

  • He endured all rather than betray: perpessus est omnia potius quam indicāret.

Quam sī may initiate a clause of characteristic without a comparative

  • This should be translated as if or as though
  • He sleeps as if he were a stone: dormit quam sī saxum esset.
The Essential AG: 535c, 571a

Famous Phrase: bonam ego quam beatam me esse nimio dici mavolo

[I would rather be called good than well-off] -Plautus, Poenulus, 303

quam_uses_p2.pdf

Uses of Quam (Comparisons)

Uses of Quam (part 1 of 3)

Origin of Quam

Quam is derived from the feminine singular accusative of the interrogative pronoun quī, quae, quod 

Summary of Use

Quam has many and various uses in Latin

It appears most commonly as the standard means of comparison between two adjectives, adverbs or clauses (part 1)

  • Two things compared with quam will always appear in the same case
  • There are better and worse (common and less common) ways to compare with quam

The phrases quam ut, quam quī, quam sī and quam (alone) may also initiate a subjunctive statement (part 2)

  • These include clauses of purpose, characteristic and comparison

The compouds quamquam and quamvīs are concessive particles, taking either subjunctive or indicative clauses (part 3)

Quam and its compounds have several other functions (part 4)


Comparative Quam

Placing quam between two comparative adjectives or adverbs is a standard method of comparison

  • The line was more long than broad: longior quam lātior aciēs erat.

Placing magis quam between two positive adjectives or adverbs is also common

  • She is more renowned than is honorable for a queen: clārā magis quam honestā reginae est.

Placing quam (alone) between two positives or a comparative and a positive is a “rarer and less elegant” means of making a comparison (AG, 292 n)

  • The prophet is more eloquent than wise: vatēs disertus quam sapiēns est.

Quam may also compare one clause to another

  • I never saw a shrewder man than Phormio: hominem callidiōrem vīdī nēminem quam Phormiōnem.
  • It is better to suffer than to do an injustice: accipere quam facere praestat iniuriam.

Quam or the Ablative of Comparison?

Where a noun, pronoun, adjective or adverb in the nominative or accusative is the subject of comparison, the ablative of comparison is standard

  • Silver is less precious than gold, gold than virtues: vīlius argentum est aurō, virtūtibus aurum.

Where these are not in the nominative or accusative, or where the relative (comparative) statement is a clause, quam is preferred

  • The old man is in this respect in a better position than a young man: senex est eō meliōre condiciōne quam adulēscēns.
  • For examples of quam with comparative clauses, see (3.4) above

Be warned–the poets walk all over this rule

cariōr est illīs homō quam sibi : man is dearer to those (the gods) than to himself

(Juvenval, Satires, 10.350)

 

quam_uses_p1.pdf

 

Prīdiē and Postrīdiē

Summary of Prīdiē of Postrīdiē

Origin of The Expressions

prīdiē is a locative form of the fifth declension prīdiēs (viz. prae + diēs) and appears as independent expression of time

Postrīdiē is a locative form of the fifth declension postrīdiē (viz. postrēmus + diēs)

prīdiē should be translated the day before or yesterday

postrīdiē should be translated the day after or tomorrow

Summary of Uses

These expressions may be adverbial or substantive

Where adverbial, each term expresses time relative to spoken sentence itself

Where substantive with a genitive or accusative case, each term expresses time relative to some event, the day before or the day after the genitive counterpart

Finally, as a substantive they may be coupled with quam (prīdiē…quam), where each term expresses time relative to the quam clause

Adverbial Examples

  • Clodius arrived yesterday with me: Clōdius mēcum prīdiē venit.
  • Tomorrow we will begin the war: bellum postrīdiē incipient.

Accusative and Genitive Examples

  • Clodius arrived the day before me: Clōdius meī prīdiē venit.
  • She was born the day after this: postrīdiē eius natus erat.
  • The jester left the day before the war: balātro prīdiē bellum abiit.

Quam Examples

  • Clodius arrived the day before me (i.e. before I arrived): Clōdius prīdie quam mē venit. 
  • She was born the day after they started the war: natus erat postrīdiē quam bellum incēpiērunt.

The Essential AG: 359b, 432a, 434 (all small sections, I promise)

Famous Phrase : prīdiē caveat ne faciat quod pigeat postrīdiē

[take care today so that you won’t regret what happens tomorrow] (Plautus, Stichus, 1.2.65)

pridie:postridie_uses.pdf