quem
[ˈkʷẽː]
quem is the Latin pronoun used to mean 'whom' or 'which' when referring to a masculine person or thing.
quem is used as a relative or interrogative pronoun to refer to a masculine person or thing that functions as the object of a verb or a preposition in a sentence.
Which one should you use?
quem is the accusative form of the pronoun qui.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an accusative form, quem is used when the masculine person or thing being referred to is the direct object of a verb or the object of a preposition.
Did you know?
- Because Latin uses cases, the word quem tells the reader that the person is the object of the action regardless of where it appears in the sentence.
- The word quem is a direct ancestor of the English word 'whom', as both stem from the same Proto-Indo-European roots used to identify specific people.
- In legal Latin, the precision of quem helps avoid the ambiguity found in English when 'which' could refer to multiple preceding nouns.
Examples in context
- Amo quem video.I love whom I see.
- Tu ad quem scribis?To whom are you writing?
- Quem videtis in via?Whom do you see in the street?
- Quem amant pueri?Whom do the boys love?
- Quem ad urbem vocas?Whom are you calling to the city?
Example conversation
Julia and Marcus are looking for a specific man in a crowd.
- JuliaQuem quaeris, Marce?Whom are you looking for, Marcus?
- MarcusQuaero magistrum.I am looking for the teacher.
- JuliaQuem magistrum vides?Which teacher do you see?
- MarcusVideo eum ibi.I see him over there.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry quem, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quem, CC BY-SA 4.0.
