1. Relative Pronouns
A preview

2. What is a relative pronoun?
A relative pronoun is a word that introduces a subordinate clause. Often this is called the relative clause.

3. The relative pronoun is called relative because it relates more information about another word in the sentence. The word that the relative pronoun refers to is called the antecedent

4. The soldiers who are fighting in the battle are very brave.
Examples
The soldiers who are fighting in the battle are very brave.
Minerva who is the goddess of wisdom wears the aegis of Jupiter.
The town which the enemy attacked has been destroyed.

5. How this changes things for someone trying to read Latin
The sentences may now be more complicated. A sentence with a relative clause in it will have two verbs and may have two different subjects, direct objects, indirect objects etc.

6. Relative Pronouns have many forms in many cases.
masculine singular plural qui qui cuius quorum cui quibus quem quos quo quibus

7. singular plural quae quae cuius quarum cui quibus quam quas quā quibus
feminine
singular plural quae quae cuius quarum cui quibus quam quas quā quibus

8. singular plural quod quae cuius quorum cui quibus quo quibus
neuter
singular plural quod quae cuius quorum cui quibus quo quibus

9. We will start off slowly
For now we will restrict ourselves to using only the nominative forms. Sing Plural
masc: qui qui
fem: quae quae
neuter: quod quae

10. who which Translations
To translate the relative pronoun in the nominative forms (or as the subject of its clause) you will use the following for singular and plural:
who
which

11. Examples
Pueri qui in campo currebant equos terrebant. The boys who were running in the meadow were scaring the horses

12. Ancillas quae in culinā laborabant iuvabamus We were helping the slave women who were working in the kitchen

13. The relative pronoun must agree with the antecedent in gender and number, BUT… The case of the relative pronoun depends on its own clause. So the antecedent and relative pronoun can be in different cases.

14. Ancillas quae in culinā laborabant iuvabamus

15. Habito in oppido quod est ad mare
Habito in oppido quod est ad mare. I live in a town which is near the sea

16. NOTA BENE
Notice how the relative clause tends to interrupt the main clause in the Latin sentence. This makes translating a bit harder. You have to pay close attention to CASES. So you need to LEARN THEM.

17. Try these
1. Mea villa quae est ad tuam urbem non est magna. 2. Servi qui sunt fortes in agro laborant. 3. Ancillae, quae laborant in culinā, non sunt laetae.

18. Do Caecilius Reading Handout

19. Caecilius est vir Romanus qui Romae cum suā familiā habitat
Caecilius est vir Romanus qui Romae cum suā familiā habitat. Caecilus uxorem habet. Caecilius et Metella quae est Caecilii uxor duo liberos habent. Caecilius qui est argentarius multam pecuniam habet. Igitur familia multos servos et ancillas habet. Ubi Caecilius domi est, in tablino laborat. Ubi Metella domi est, servos et ancillas laborare iubet. Nunc est aestas et familia ad suam rusticam villam iter faciet. Aestate in rusticā villā familia manebit. Metella quae itineri parat, ancillas ad forum mittit. Ancillae quae sunt nunc in foro, itineri multa emunt. Omnes servi et ancillae sunt laeti quod ad rusticam villam eunt.