Moods Grammar Index Page

How to Form Tenses in the Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive mood is used to express a wish, hope, uncertaintly or other like feeling about a fact or an idea.In contemporary English it is seldom used. We see it in 3 forms:

Subjunctive Tenses:

Present and Imperfect: use the same endings:


Person Active Passive Person Active Passive
I o,-m r we mus mur
you s ris you tis mini
he/she/it t tur they nt ntur

Given are examples in the 3rd person singular; replace the -t- with the above endings to create the other forms.

For the present subjunctive change the vowel For the imperfect subjunctive, use the infinitive as the base.
Conjugation Present Indicative Present Subjunctive Imperfect Indicative Imperfect Subjunctive
1st amat amet amabat amaret
2nd docet doceat docebat doceret
3rd ducit ducat ducebat duceret
4th venit veniat veniebat veniret

Active Voice: Perfect & Pluperfect- use the same termini as above. (1st sing. always -m.)

add -eri + termini to 3rd pp. add imperfect form of "to be"
Perfect Indicative Active Perfect Subjunctive Active Pluperfect Indicative Active Pluperfect Subjunctive Active
Amâvit Amâverit Amâverat Amâvesset

Passive Voice, Perfect and Pluperfect: Replace the indicative form of to be with the subjunctive form.

For more explanation see Formation of Imperfect and Pluperfect

sum, es, est.........becomes sim, sis, sit...,
eram, eras,erat ...becomes essem, esses, esset,... use the infinitive with the endings.

Perfect Indicative Perfect Subjunctive Pluperfect Indicative Pluperfect Subjunctive
Amatus est Amatus sit (pres. subj. of "to be" Amatus erat Amatus esset

^ Grammatica




Copyright © 2008, KET Webmaster