Comparisons with Quam

1. Comparisons with
QUAM

2. Caesar est longior quam ille vir.
Caesar is taller than that man.
• To form a comparison between two persons or objects, you
simply place the second person or object after “quam.”
• Notice that the second person being compared matches the
subject of the sentence. Both persons being compared are in
the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence
being compared.

3. Quam…
• “Quam” is an indeclinable conjunction that functions just like
English’s “than.”

4. Careful…
• Unfortunately, “quam” shares a similar form and
pronunciation to the feminine , accusative, singular form of
“qui, quae, quod,” Latin’s relative pronoun > Mater epistulam,
quam heri scripsit, hodie misit = the mother sent the letter
today, which she wrote yesterday.
• However, distinguishing them is quite easy. If a comparative
adjective is nearby, “quam” is likely the conjunction > Puer
est longior quam puella = the boy is taller than the girl