“whether” in Latin

pronoun, uter.

conjunction, ne (suffix, attached to the chief word of the clause, on which the stress of the inquiry is laid): num (simply as the sign of a question; Vid: Zumpt, § 351, note. ☞ We rarely find utrum in single questions; an, in classical prose, is only = our “or” after “either,” “whether;” Vid: Zumpt, § 353: as the sign of indirect interrogation, it occurs only in writers of the Silver Age, beginning with Curt.). I ask you whether you have given him money, quaero dederisne ei pecuniam, or num ei pecuniam dederis (☞ not an ei pecuniam dederis, which is unclassical). He asked me whether I wanted anything, quaesivit ex me, numquid vellem: I asked him whether anybody would come, quaesivi ex eo, ecquis esset venturus: let me know whether you will come, ecquid venturi sitis, fac sciam.

After words expressing doubt, hesitation, or the like; e.g., dubito (I doubt), dubium est (it is doubtful), incertum est (it is uncertain), delibero (I am considering), haesito (I am undecided), and especially after haud scio or nescio (I do not know), “whether” is expressed by an: I doubt whether I ought not to prefer this man to all others, dubito an hunc primum omnium ponam: death is certain, but it is uncertain whether or not it will take place on a particular day, moriendum certe est, et id incertum, an eo ipso die. I do not know whether I should not place, dubito an ponam (not annon ponam); so also without a negative expressed in Latin after haud scio, nescio, etc.; Vid: Zumpt, § 354.

After verbs of seeing, expecting, attempting, “whether” is sometimes expressed by si (Greek εἰ); e.g., Helvetii nonnumquam, si perrumpere possent, conati sunt (Caes.); tentata res est, si primo impetu capi Ardea possit (Liv.); visam si domi est (Terentianus).

In a double interrogation: Whether... or, utrum... an; e.g., permultum interest, utrum perturbatione aliqua animi, an consulto et cogitato injuria fiat (Cic.): (more rarely) num... an; e.g., illud considerandum videtur, num propter imbecillitatem atque inopiam desiderata sit amicitia, an esset antiquior, etc. (Cic.): also by ne... an; e.g., quaeritur, unusne mundus sit, an plures (Cic.: ☞ ne... ne and an... an for utrum... an are very rare): whether or not, utrum... necne; ne... annon. Sometimes utrum, etc., in the first clause is omitted; e.g., interrogatur, pauca sint, anne multa (Cic.); nihil interest civis sit an peregrinus (Cic.). Sometimes both signs of interrogation are omitted; e.g., velit, nolit, scire difficile est (Cic.).

Whether... or (=be it that... or be it that; when the speaker either does not know which is the right supposition, or chooses to leave it undecided), sive... sive (Cic.); seu... seu (not Cic., but Caes.) ☞ seu... sive or sive... seu are post-Augustan, Pr. Intr., ii, 543. Sometimes vel... vel; e.g., pace vel Quirini vel Romuli dixerim: whether by divine inspiration, or from a sort of presentiment, sive divinitus, sive aliqua conjectura (so sive casu, sive consilio deorum immortalium factum est). Sometimes the verb is expressed: you will recover, whether you take medicine or not, sive adhibueris medicinam, sive non adhibueris, convalesces.