Experience III, Lesson 9: "Quam"

In Latin the word "quam" has many possible meanings

  1. "Which" or "Whom" - the relative pronoun as already learned as singular, feminine, object
  2. "As" - tamquam = "just as", "so as"; tam... quam = "so much... as much"
  3. "How" when used with a positive degree adjective or adverb
  4. "Than" when used with the comparative degree
  5. "As possibile" with the superlative degree

Examples

  1. vos diligo tamquam amicos - "I love you just as friends"
    tam vos diligo quam amicos - "I love you so much as friends"
  2. quam pulchra est pictura - "how beautiful is the picture"
    quam celeriter currit - "how fast he runs"
  3. longior est schola quam placet - "school is longer than it is pleasing"
    elegantius loquitur quam Cicero - "he speaks more eloquently than Cicero"
    tibi plura munera dabo quam tuae sorori - "I shall give more gifts to you than to your sister"
  4. porta quam plurimos libros - "bring as many books as possible"
    loquere quam lentissime - "speak as slowly as possible"
    vs. loquere lentissime - "speak very slowly"
Now go on to Lesson 10

Then complete Homework 8

Third Experience Latin - Fr. Reginald Foster

Answers to Third Experience

Return to Index