Si quid in cista latet, mater eam aperit.

If something is hidden in the chest, mother opens it.

Breakdown of Si quid in cista latet, mater eam aperit.

• in: in
• mater: the mother
• si: if
• aperire: to open

Questions & Answers about Si quid in cista latet, mater eam aperit.

Why is it quid and not aliquid for something/anything?

After words like si (if), Latin usually uses quis/quid instead of aliquis/aliquid.

So:

• si quid = if anything, if something
• not usually si aliquid

This is a very common pattern:

• si quis venit = if anyone comes
• si quid accidit = if anything happens

So quid here is an indefinite pronoun, not a question word.

Is quid here asking a question, like what?

No. Even though quid can mean what? in a direct question, that is not what it is doing here.

In this sentence, si tells you that quid is indefinite:

• si quid latet = if anything is hidden

So here quid means anything or something, not what?

What case is quid, and what is its job in the sentence?

Quid is neuter singular, and here it is the subject of latet.

So in the clause: