Translation
as, just as; as if
Examples
amabat.
He loved the boy as a father would.
Fugerunt adessent.
They fled as if the enemy were at hand.
.
He spoke like a king.
.
He was like a light in the darkness.
.
He was living like an old man.
Tamquam is tam plus quam, "so much as", and it introduces a comparison. Expect both spellings: tanquam with an n is everywhere in the manuscripts, since the m was pronounced as an n before the q, and it is the same word.
Two constructions, and they behave differently. With a bare noun phrase nothing changes case - the compared word simply keeps whatever case it already had, so tamquam patrem is accusative because the thing it matches is accusative. With a full clause tamquam means "as if" and the verb goes subjunctive; tamquam si spells the same thing out. Scholastic prose leans on a third use, tamquam naming the role a thing plays: tamquam causa, "in the capacity of a cause".
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tamquam: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "tamquam" (as, just as; as if): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 8.