verbirregular conjugation
queō
queō (present infinitive quīre, perfect active quiī or quīvī, supine quitum)
Classical[ˈkʷe.oː]Ecclesiastical[ˈkʷɛː.o]
Meaning
- to be able, can
CRĪTŌ: Quid vōs? Quō pactō hic? Satin rēctē? MȲSĪS: Nōsne? “Sīc / ut quīmus,” aiunt, “quandō ut volumus nōn licet.”
CRITO: What about you all? How are things going here? Well enough? MYSIS: Us? “We do what we can,” as they say, “since we can’t do as we wish.” (More literally: “since what we want is not possible.”)166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 804–805
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Posse · Quire · Valere · Pollere
1. Posse and quire were originally transitive; posse (from πότνιος) denotes being able, as a consequence of power and strength, like δύνασθαι; quire (κοεῖν) as the consequence of complete qualification, like οἷόν τ’ εἶναι. Cic. Tusc. ii. 27. Barbari ferro decertare acerrime possunt, viriliter ægrotare non queunt; whereas valere and pollere are intransitive. Hence we say, possum or queo vincere, but valeo or polleo ad vincendum. 2. Valere (from ἑλεῖν) means to possess the right measure of strength, and thereby to match another, in opp. to insufficient strength, like σθένειν; whereas pollere (πολλός) means to have very considerable strength and means, and thereby to distinguish one’s self from others, in opp. to an ordinary degree of strength, like ἰσχύειν. iv. (160.)
Conjugation irregular
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | queō | quībam | quībō | quiī quīvī | quieram quīveram | quierō quīverō |
| 2nd sg. | quīs | quībās | quībis | quīstī quiistī, quīvistī | quierās quīverās | quieris quīveris |
| 3rd sg. | quit | quībat | quībit | quiit quīvit | quierat quīverat | quierit quīverit |
| 1st pl. | quīmus | quībāmus | quībimus | quiimus quīvimus | quierāmus quīverāmus | quierimus quīverimus |
| 2nd pl. | quītis | quībātis | quībitis | quīstis quiistis, quīvistis | quierātis quīverātis | quieritis quīveritis |
| 3rd pl. | queunt | quībant | quībunt | quiērunt quiēre, quīvērunt, quīvēre | quierant quīverant | quierint quīverint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | queam | quīrem | quierim quīverim | quīssem quiissem, quīvissem |
| 2nd sg. | queās | quīrēs | quierīs quīverīs | quīssēs quiissēs, quīvissēs |
| 3rd sg. | queat | quīret | quierit quīverit | quīsset quiisset, quīvisset |
| 1st pl. | queāmus | quīrēmus | quierīmus quīverīmus | quīssēmus quiissēmus, quīvissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | queātis | quīrētis | quierītis quīverītis | quīssētis quiissētis, quīvissētis |
| 3rd pl. | queant | quīrent | quierint quīverint | quīssent quiissent, quīvissent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | queor | quībar | quībor |
| 2nd sg. | quīris quīre | quībāris quībāre | quīberis quībere |
| 3rd sg. | quītur | quībātur | quībitur |
| 1st pl. | quīmur | quībāmur | quībimur |
| 2nd pl. | quīminī | quībāminī | quībiminī |
| 3rd pl. | queuntur | quībantur | quībuntur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | quear | quīrer |
| 2nd sg. | queāris queāre | quīrēris quīrēre |
| 3rd sg. | queātur | quīrētur |
| 1st pl. | queāmur | quīrēmur |
| 2nd pl. | queāminī | quīrēminī |
| 3rd pl. | queantur | quīrentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | quī | quīre |
| pres. 2nd pl. | quīte | quīminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | quītō | quītor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | quītō | quītor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | quītōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | queuntō | queuntor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | quīre | quīrī |
| perfect infinitive | quīsse quiisse, quīvisse | quitum esse |
| future infinitive | quitūrum esse | quitum īrī |
| present participle | quiēns queunte, queuntem, queuntēs, queuntī, queuntia, queuntibus, queuntis, queuntīs, queuntium | — |
| perfect participle | — | quitus |
| future participle | quitūrus quitūra, quitūrā, quitūrae, quitūram, quitūrārum, quitūrās, quitūre, quitūrī, quitūrīs, quitūrō, quitūrōrum, quitūrōs, quitūrum | queundus |
gerundqueundī, queundō, queundumsupinequitum, quitū
quĕo, īvi and ii, ĭtum, v. n. etym. dub.; cf. Sanscr. ?*!vay āmi, am strong or able,
I. to be able, I (thou, he, etc.) can (class.; esp. freq. with a negation; Cic. does not use nequeo in the first pers. sing.; for a full account of the forms in use, v. Neue, Formenl. 2, p. 607 sqq.; cf.: possum, polleo, valeo).—With inf.:
non queo reliqua scribere, Cic. Fam. 14, 1, 5: non quis, Hor. S. 2, 7, 92: non quit sentire dolorem, Lucr. 3, 647: ut quimus, Ter. And. 4, 5, 10: quod vos dicere non quitis, Arn. 3, 104: quod manu non queunt tangere, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 10: queam, Hor. S. 2, 5, 2; Plaut. Bacch. 4, 8, 5: queas, id. ib. 4, 8, 74; Hor. S. 2, 5, 10: queat, Sall. C. 58, 15: queamus, Verg. A. 10, 19: si queant, Just. 5, 4, 15: non quibam, Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 31: quibat, id. Rud. 3, 1, 8; Vulg. Dan. 8, 7: quirem, Plaut. Merc. prol. 55: quiret, Cic. Off. 3, 15, 62; Tac. A. 1, 66: quirent, Stat. S. 5, 3, 60: nec credere quivi, Verg. A. 6, 463: quivit, Ter. And. 4, 1, 31; Nep. Att. 19, 2: quiit, Att. ap. Macr. S. 6, 1: quivimus, Vulg. Dan. 13, 39: quistis, Juvenc. 2, 679: quiverunt, Quadrig. ap. Gell. 15, 1: quivere, Tac. H. 3, 25: quivero, Vulg. Exod. 32, 30: quiverit, Liv. 4, 24; Tac. A. 1, 66: quierit, Lucr. 6, 855: quiveritis, Arn. 5, 161: quiverint, Hier. in Isa. 8, 24, 13: quissent, Aus. Epigr. 139: quibo, Plaut. Mil. 4, 6, 25: quibunt, Arn. 7, 218: quiens, App. M. 6, p. 175, 9; in abl.: queunte, Cod. Just. 1, 3, 46: quire, Gell. 11, 9, 1: quisse, Lucr. 5, 1422.— Affirmatively: hoc queo dicere, Cic. Sen. 10, 32: habere quod queant dicere, id. Lael. 20, 71; id. Tusc. 5, 37, 108: queat, id. Rep. 2, 3, 6: queamus, id. de Or. 1, 58, 250: queunt, Sall. J. 44, 5; Col. 2, 2, 22. — In pass.: si non sarciri quitur, Caecil. ap. Diom. p. 380 P.: percipi queuntur, Att. ib.: suppleri queatur, Lucr. 1, 1045: subigi queantur, Plaut. Pers. 2, 2, 12: neque vi impelli, neque prece quitus sum, could not be driven, Att. ap. Diom. p. 380 P.: forma nosci non quita est, Ter. Hec. 4, 1, 57.—As dep.: pollicitus ita facturum, ne sic quidem quitus est, could not, was not able, App. Mag. p. 274, 17.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
queō quīvī, quitus, īre,
to be able, can: minus queo viri culpā quam, etc., T.: Ut quimus, quando ut volumus non licet, T.: non quis, H.: ut tibi irasci non queat, T.: quibus amissas reparare queam res Artibus, H.: quid sit quod implorare queamus? V.: ut ducere animum non queant: ut vis deterreri quiverit, L.: hoc queo dicere: ut te redimas quam queas Minumo, as cheaply as possible, T.: nuptias quantum queam ut maturem, all I can, T.: ego me in pedes quantum queo, at the top of my speed, T.: forma nosci non quita est, T.
Origins
Back-formation from nequeō, itself related to the irregular verb eō.