quis, quid, qui, quae, quod (Question Words)
Who, What, Which
Who and what stand alone; which goes with a noun.
How It Works
| Which | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| one | qui | quae | quod |
| several | qui | quae | quae |
On its own, quis asks who: Quis venit? Who is coming? Quid asks what: Quid legis? What are you reading?
With a noun the word is an adjective. Qui puer cantat? asks Which boy is singing? and Quod donum est in mensa? asks Which gift is on the table?
The table shows the forms for a subject. The other cases look like the relative pronoun, which Level 3 teaches.
In both classical and Church Latin, qu sounds like kw, so quis sounds like KWEES.
Examples (5)
- Quis venit?
Who is coming?
Quis stands alone and asks about a person.
- Quid legis?
What are you reading?
Quid stands alone and asks about a thing.
- Qui puer cantat?
Which boy is singing?
Qui is masculine, so it matches puer.
- Quae puella cantat?
Which girl is singing?
Quae is feminine, so it matches puella.
- Quis es, Domine?
Who are you, Lord?
Saul asks this on the road to Damascus. Quis stands alone, and Domine is the form for calling the Lord.
Common Mistakes
Using a masculine form with a feminine noun.
Qui puella cantat?Quae puella cantat?Puella is feminine, so the question word must be feminine too: quae.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Qui, quae, quod go with a noun and show gender, so quis and quid and the genders come first.
Related Patterns
- Who, Which, That: qui, quae, quod
The same forms in a different job.
Level 3 - quis / quid: cuius, cui, quem (Whose, To Whom, Whom)Who and What in Every Case
Who and what in the other cases.
Level 4 - mihi nomen estMy Name Is
Quod tibi nomen est? uses quod.
Level 2 - cur / quiaWhy and Because
More question words.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice quis, quid, qui, quae, quod (Question Words) in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Latin lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
