Verbs

The Subjunctive

Functions of the Subjunctive Mood

Up to now, you have used the indicative and imperative moods and the active and passive voices whenever you worked with conjugated verb forms. The imperative, taken from impero the verb command, is indeed a command form. The indicative, from dico, is the form which indicates a stated or believed fact. Literally, it indicates fact.

The subjunctive mood is harder to recognize in English than in Latin. Yes it does exist in English as well as in other modern languages. We use it in contrary to fact statements such as: If I were you, I would read that book. Agatha acts as if she knows everything. I wish you were my sister. In each case the implication is that I am not you, Agatha does not know everything and you are not my sister. The subjunctive is also used following verbs of asking, demanding and recommending in English as in: Mother asked that I be home by 10 p.m. The professor recommended that John finish the paper on time. The unhappy patron demanded that the cook taste the dinner. In each case you notice that the clausal verb is different.be in lieu of am, and finish in lieu of John finishes etc.

In Latin the subjunctive mood is used to respresent the predicate as an idea, something conceived in the mind but abstract from reality. The English helper verbs, may, can, must, might, could, would, should are frequently used in translating a Latin subjunctive form.

Independent Clause

Hortatory and Jussive - the hortatory only occurs in the first person plural present subjunctive and the jussive can occur in in any other person, and it is considered a mild imperative (more polite).

The hortatory subjunctive is used when there is an exhortation, id est, more of a suggestion or enouragement than an imperative. The verb hortor means urge. A hortatory subjunctive refers to someone urging some other person or thing to do something. We know a verb is hortatory when it is in the present subjunctive form and there is not introductory word such as ut or cum. It must stand alone in a sentence or be the main verb. A negative hortatory or jussive form is introduced by ne:

• eamus - let us go
• cenet - let him dine
• currant - let them run
• ne cenet - let him not dine

Dependent clause:

• Purpose Clause introduced by ut or ne:Currit ut nuntium videre. He ran to see the messenger.
• Relative Clause of Purpose: for contrary to fact clauses as in conditional sentences introduced by a relative pronoun. Misit milites qui oppidum occuparent. He sent soldiers who might take the town. (to take the town/for the purpose of taking the town)
• Result Clause introduced by ut or ut non: Vir tam altus erat ut caput omnia tangeret. The man was so tall that his head touched everything. (note that the main clause will have tam, sic, ita or the adjective tantus,a,um)
• Indirect Question introduced by an interrogative word or expression after a verb of knowing, asking, seeking. Scio qui te mitteret. I know who sent you. Caesar rogavit cur Labienus montem non occupavisset. Caesar asked why Labienus had not taken the mountain.
• Cum circumstantial clauses: Cum omnes irati essent, raedarius raedam reparabant. While everyone was angry, the carriage driver was fixing the carriage. This sentence shows the circumstance under which the carriage driver was working. If I want to show a temporal mood such as Cum nox advenit, raedarius raedam reparabant, I would use the indicative mood, called a cum temporal clause. There are also several other cum clauses that can be explored at a later date.

Joan Jahnige November 1998, updated November 2005

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