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Joonas Ilmavirta
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What is the difference between "ubi" and "in quo" as relative pronounsadverbs?

Let's start with some example sentences:

This is the house where I was born.
Ecce domus ubi natus sum.

This is the house in which I was born.
Ecce domus in qua natus sum.

Both sentences are understandable in both languages, but I'm not sure if both are grammatical and, if so, whether they are identical. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure how to compare the English "where" and "in which"; I have developed some intuition over the years, but there is no analogous comparison in my native language. My question concerns Latin, but comparison to or discussion of English is welcome, too.

Based on a quick look at uses of ubi, it seems that it is more commonly used in other meanings, but sometimes as a relative pronoun as in the examples. My question only concerns this use of ubi.

Here is a bunch of related questions: What is the difference, if any, between ubi and in quo/qua as relative pronounsadverbs1? How do I know which one to pick? Of both can be used in some cases, is there a difference in meaning? Are there situations that require ubi and others that require in quo? Can I always safely use in quo and forget about ubi as a relative pronoun? I know this is a whole bunch of questions, but I hope it gives a better idea of what I'm after than just the bolded one.


1 A previous version of this question spoke about ubi and in quo/qua as relative pronouns. However, they are not that, they are relative adverbs. One can regard the relative pronoun qui/quae/quod in ablative and with in as a relative adverb. Perhaps ubi is more commonly interrogative than relative when referring to place, but I have seen it used similarly to in quo/qua.

What is the difference between "ubi" and "in quo" as relative pronouns?

Let's start with some example sentences:

This is the house where I was born.
Ecce domus ubi natus sum.

This is the house in which I was born.
Ecce domus in qua natus sum.

Both sentences are understandable in both languages, but I'm not sure if both are grammatical and, if so, whether they are identical. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure how to compare the English "where" and "in which"; I have developed some intuition over the years, but there is no analogous comparison in my native language. My question concerns Latin, but comparison to or discussion of English is welcome, too.

Based on a quick look at uses of ubi, it seems that it is more commonly used in other meanings, but sometimes as a relative pronoun as in the examples. My question only concerns this use of ubi.

Here is a bunch of related questions: What is the difference, if any, between ubi and in quo/qua as relative pronouns? How do I know which one to pick? Of both can be used in some cases, is there a difference in meaning? Are there situations that require ubi and others that require in quo? Can I always safely use in quo and forget about ubi as a relative pronoun? I know this is a whole bunch of questions, but I hope it gives a better idea of what I'm after than just the bolded one.

What is the difference between "ubi" and "in quo" as relative adverbs?

Let's start with some example sentences:

This is the house where I was born.
Ecce domus ubi natus sum.

This is the house in which I was born.
Ecce domus in qua natus sum.

Both sentences are understandable in both languages, but I'm not sure if both are grammatical and, if so, whether they are identical. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure how to compare the English "where" and "in which"; I have developed some intuition over the years, but there is no analogous comparison in my native language. My question concerns Latin, but comparison to or discussion of English is welcome, too.

Based on a quick look at uses of ubi, it seems that it is more commonly used in other meanings, but sometimes as a relative pronoun as in the examples. My question only concerns this use of ubi.

Here is a bunch of related questions: What is the difference, if any, between ubi and in quo/qua as relative adverbs1? How do I know which one to pick? Of both can be used in some cases, is there a difference in meaning? Are there situations that require ubi and others that require in quo? Can I always safely use in quo and forget about ubi as a relative pronoun? I know this is a whole bunch of questions, but I hope it gives a better idea of what I'm after than just the bolded one.


1 A previous version of this question spoke about ubi and in quo/qua as relative pronouns. However, they are not that, they are relative adverbs. One can regard the relative pronoun qui/quae/quod in ablative and with in as a relative adverb. Perhaps ubi is more commonly interrogative than relative when referring to place, but I have seen it used similarly to in quo/qua.

Source Link
Joonas Ilmavirta
  • 116.4k
  • 23
  • 197
  • 616

What is the difference between "ubi" and "in quo" as relative pronouns?

Let's start with some example sentences:

This is the house where I was born.
Ecce domus ubi natus sum.

This is the house in which I was born.
Ecce domus in qua natus sum.

Both sentences are understandable in both languages, but I'm not sure if both are grammatical and, if so, whether they are identical. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure how to compare the English "where" and "in which"; I have developed some intuition over the years, but there is no analogous comparison in my native language. My question concerns Latin, but comparison to or discussion of English is welcome, too.

Based on a quick look at uses of ubi, it seems that it is more commonly used in other meanings, but sometimes as a relative pronoun as in the examples. My question only concerns this use of ubi.

Here is a bunch of related questions: What is the difference, if any, between ubi and in quo/qua as relative pronouns? How do I know which one to pick? Of both can be used in some cases, is there a difference in meaning? Are there situations that require ubi and others that require in quo? Can I always safely use in quo and forget about ubi as a relative pronoun? I know this is a whole bunch of questions, but I hope it gives a better idea of what I'm after than just the bolded one.