Formulae Interrogandi

YES-OR-NO QUESTIONS:

To indicate a yes-or-no question (for other question types, see Formulae Interrogandi bis), you can simply write a question mark at the end of the sentence. Unlike English, which uses special word order and idioms for asking questions, in Latin you do not even need to indicate that the statement is actually a question: 

• Lupus agnum devoravit? Did the wolf eat the lamb?

  (In spoken English, of course, you often express yes-or-no questions just like the Latin does, without any special changes to the sentence structure: "You totaled your father's car????" ... "You are going to dance with Clyde????" This kind of expression, because it depends more heavily on spoken intonation, is not common in formal written English - where the use of multiple questions marks is definitely not allowed.)

• Lupus agnum devoravit! The wolf ate the lamb!

SAYING YES. There is no Latin word exactly equivalent to English "yes." If you want to answer a question affirmatively, make a statement that conveys the correct information. In addition, to affirm what has been said, you can use a word or phrase such as vero, ita, ita vero, sic, etiam, profecto, plane, admodum, immo, immo vero, sane, certe, maxime, etc.

• Lupus agnum devoravit? Did the wolf eat the lamb? Devoravit. Yes, he did.

• Lupus agnum devoravit? Did the wolf eat the lamb? Certe devoravit. Yes, he sure did.

SAYING NO. Similarly, there is no Latin word exactly equivalent to English "no." If you want to answer a question negatively, you can simply negate the statement using the word non, or use a more emphatic form of negation: non ita, non vero, minime, minime vero, haudquaquam, etc.

• Lupus agnum devoravit? Did the wolf eat the lamb? Non devoravit. No, he did not.

-NE. You can also put the particle -ne at the end of the first word in the question, indicating that this word is the focus of the question. Be careful not to mix up the enclitic particle -ne with the negative particle ne (which you see introducing negative result or purpose clauses). There is nothing negative about the particle -ne when it is used in a question!

• Lupusne agnum devoravit? Did the WOLF eat the lamb? (i.e., was it the wolf or was it some other creature that ate the lamb?)

• Agnumne lupus devoravit? Did the wolf eat the LAMB? (i.e., was it the lamb that was eaten by the wolf, or some other creature that was eaten?)

• Devoravitne lupus agnum? Did Did the wolf EAT the lamb? (i.e. did the wolf really eat the lamb, or did he let the poor creature go?)

You can also use the particle -ne to indicate a double question. Again, notice that there is nothing negative about this interrogative particle -ne.

• Lupus agnum devoravit, liberavitne? Did the wolf eat the lamb, or did he let him go?

AN. The particle an can be used to indicate an either-or alternative following a -ne question. Be careful: you probably learned the words vel and aut to mean "or" in Latin - but when you are asking questions you use the particle an to add an "or" possibility to the question:

• Lupusne agnum devoravit, an agnus lupum? Did the wolf eat the lamb, or did the lamb eat the wolf?

Sometimes word an can be used to indicate a questions that is a follow-up to a previous statement:

• Quid ais? An lupus agnum devoravit? What are you saying? Did the wolf eat the lamb?

UTRUM . . . AN.  The word utrum can also be used to indicate an either-or alternative with an expressing the alternative:

• Utrum leo an lupus agnum devoravit? Did the lion or the wolf eat the lamb?

UTRUM . . . ANNON.  The word utrum can also be used with annon to express a negative alternative:

• Utrum lupus agnum devoravit, annon? Did the wolf eat the lamb, or not?

NONNE. If the question anticipates an affirmative answer, you can begin the question with nonne. You can think of this as the "nanny nonne"  because it is for questions an angry nanny might ask a child: "DIdn't I tell you to wash your hands before supper??? YES I DID!" This kind of question is called a "rhetorical question" because it is not really soliciting information, but is instead making an implied statement of its own.

• Nonne lupus agnum devoravit? Didn't the wolf devour the lamb? (YES, of course he did!)

NUM. If a question anticipates a negative answer, you can begin the question with num. You can think about this type of question as the "numb-with-fear num" because you might use it when you are afraid: "You aren't really going to make me go to bed without my supper, are you??? NO, please don't do that!!!" This is also a type of "rhetorical question," too, because it already presumes an answer - a loud, resounding NO.

• Num lupus agnum liberavit? The wolf didn't let the lamb go, did he? (NO, of course he did not!)