6.7.1. Interrogative and Indefinite Pronouns

1. There are two forms of the Interrogative-Indefinite Pronoun in Europaio, and each one corresponds to one different class in our system, qi to the Substantive, and qo to the Adjective pronouns.

SUBSTANTIVE

ADJECTIVE

qi bhereti?, who carries?

qo wiros bhereti?, what man carries?

qim wides?, what/who do you see?

qom autom wides?, which car do you see?

NOTE 1. In the origin, qo and qi were possibly nouns which meant the unknown, and its interrogative/indefinite sense depended on the individual sentences. It was not until the IE II that both became pronouns with gender, thus functioning as interrogatives (stressed) or as indefinites (unstressed).

NOTE 2. The form qi is probably the original independent form (hence our adjective-substantive choice for the system), for which the adjective form is the o-stem qo. Some Europaio-derived dialects have chosen the o-stem only, as the Germanic, while some others have mixed them together in one paradigm, as the Indo-Iranian, Baltoslavic or Italic dialects.

2. The Substantive Interrogative Pronoun qi? , who?, what?, is declined in the Singular as follows:

 

Singular

Plural

 

M.

F.

N.

M.

F.

N.

NOM.

qi

qid

qei

qi

ACC.

qim

qims

GEN.

qiso

qisom

OBL.

qesmei, qesmi

qeibhis, -mis, -si

3. The Adjective Interrogative Pronoun, qo?, who (of them)? what kind of? what? which? is declined throughout like the Relative:

 

Singular

Plural

 

M.

F.

N.

M.

F.

N.

NOM.

qo

qa

qod

qoi

qaes

qa

ACC.

qom

qoms

GEN.

qoso

qosom

OBL.

qosmoi, qosmi

qoibhis, -mis, -si

 Qoteros?, who of two? is derived from the stem qo with the suffix -tero.

3. The Indefinite Pronouns qi/qo, any one, any, are declined like the corresponding Interrogatives.

SUBSTANTIVE

qi, any one; qid, anything

ADJECTIVE

qo, qa, qod, any