English → Latin
“how” in Latin
quōmodō̆in what manner or way?; how?; in what condition or circumstances? how?quemadmodumhow, in what manner; as, just as, as when; for instanceprōvideōto foresee; to be cautious; to act with foresight; to provide, see toexcōgitōto contrive, devise or invent (by thinking); to think up or create out of nothing
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
how
(1) (1) As interrogative particle, qui? (e.g., deum, nisi sempiternum intelligere, qui possumus? Cic. In an indirect interrogative sentence only Plaut.): quomodo? (in what way? by what means? 1. Direct; Maecenas quomodo tecum? Hor., and absolutely, ut tantum orator dare cogeretur. Quomodo?, etc., Cic. 2. Indirect: haec negotia quomodo se habeant, ne epistola quidem narrare audeo. 3. As an exclamation of surprise: quomodo se venditant Caesari!): quemadmodum (after what manner? 1. Direct; si non reliquit, quemadmodum ab eo postea exegisti? Cic., Rosc. Com., 18. 2. Indirect; providi, quemadmodum salvi esse possemus; excogitare, quemadmodum, etc., Cic.; consilia inire, quemadmodum ab Gergovia discederet, Caes., cogita, quemadmodum fortuna nobiscum egerit, quemadmodum provincia se habeat; modus est, in quo quemadmodum... factum sit, quaeritur; Vid: Herz. ad Caes., B.G., 7, 43, fin., who, however, restricts the meaning of quomodo too absolutely to the office of inquiring after the means and instruments of accomplishing anything): qua ratione: quibus rationibus (by what methods, etc., indirect: quid enim refert, qua me ratione cogatis, how you compel me, nec quibus rationibus superare possent, sed quemadmodum uti victoria deberent, cogitabant, Caes.): quo pacto (inquires after the conditions and circumstances under which anything takes place; indirect, somehow or other, nescio quo pacto, Cic.). How! how say you? (implying surprise), quid! quid ais? how are you? how do you do? quomodo vales? ut vales? (how is your health?): quo loco sunt res tuae? (how are your affairs?): quid agitur? quid agis? (τί πράττεις; how goes it with you? etc.): how does the matter stand? quomodo res se habet? how does it happen that, etc., qui (tandem) fit, ut, etc. How now? quid porro? quid vero? How so? quid ita? qui dum? (Plaut.); qui vero (Plaut.); qui cedo (Terentianus). How say you? quid dicis? quid ais? How many? quam multi (quam multorum, etc.)?quot (the former stronger). How many are they? how many are there of them? quot sunt illi? (how many are they altogether?); quot sunt illorum? (how many are there of those who are present?) How few are there who, etc.? quotusquisque est, qui (with subjunctive)? How often, quam saepe: quoties. How big, etc., quantus: how old are you? quot annos natus es? How much (or many) soever [Vid: “HOWEVER many, much”]. How much do you pay for your lodgings? quanti habitas? how much does he charge for his lessons? quanti docet? [On quanti, quanto, Vid: Zumpt, 444, 445.] How long? quam diu? By how much... by so much, quanto... tanto (with comparatives); also, quo... eo. How far, Vid: FAR. (2) As intersection, quam (with adverbs, adjectives, and sometimes verbs; quam multa; quam morosi; quam valde; quam cupiunt laudari!): ut (marking degree). How well you did it! quam bene fecisti! how afraid he is lest, etc., ut timet, ne! etc.: how he weighs all his words! ut omnia verba moderatur! (So after a sentence with cum; quod cum facis, ut ego tuum amorem... desidero! Cic.) How I wish, quam velim: quam or quantopere vellem (imperfectly, if the wish cannot be realized). How dissatisfied he was with himself! ut sibi ipse displicebat! ☞ The accusative only is often used. How blind I was! me caecum! (e.g., qui haec ante non viderim): how vain are the hopes of men! o fallacem hominum spem! (so, o fragilem fortunam! o inanes nostras contentiones!) How much (with comparatives), quanto (e.g., quanto magis philosophi delectabunt, si, etc.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for how?
- The usual Latin words for “how” are quōmodō̆, quemadmodum, prōvideō; also excōgitō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.