by Steve
(San Francisco)
Dear Latin Teacher,
It seems the Romans used both et and -que to mean 'and' in English. Is there a reason why sometimes the writers choose et and sometimes -que?
Thank you, Steve
Dear Steve,
These two Latin words meaning and are basically interchangable. If there is a very slight difference in meaning it is that -que implies a very close connection.
For example, Senatus Populusque Romanus means the Senate and the Roman People, implying a very close connection.
Another difference between et and -que is that et can be an adverb meaning even or also, where -que is always a copulative conjunction.
When it comes to copulative conjunctions, atque and ac are much stronger than et and -que.
Hope this helps, and thanks for asking a Latin teacher.
Sincerely,
John
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