Subjunctive mood in Latin

Latin verbs can appear in one of four subjunctive forms: • Present subjunctive () • Imperfect subjunctive () • Perfect subjunctive () • Pluperfect subjunctive () Coniunctivus praesentis The active voice endings for the present subjunctive are: -m, -s, -t for singular, and , , for plural. The present subjunctive is formed as follows: • In the first conjugation, the thematic vowel changes from -a to -e: → , → • In the second and fourth conjugations, -a is added to the stem: → , → • In the third conjugation, the vowels -i- and -u- change to -a- • For the verb , the subjunctive stem is : , , , etc. The passive voice follows a similar pattern. For the verb , the imperfect subjunctive stem is . The passive subjunctive is formed by combining the past participle (from the supine stem) with the present subjunctive of (, , , etc.) for the perfect subjunctive, or the imperfect subjunctive of (, , , etc.) for the pluperfect: • , , , , , → I would be loved, you would be loved, etc. • , , , , , → I would have been lifted, you would have been lifted, etc. == Use in independent clauses ==

The subjunctive, sometimes called the conjectural mood, is used in independent clauses to express unreality. The speaker adopts one of two stances toward the unreal action: a rational stance or a volitional stance. The rational stance is expressed as follows: The volitional stance reflects the speaker's desire for the unreal action to occur, expressed as: • Strong desire (, , ) • Gentle desire () • Resignation or concession () The negation for the subjunctive in the volitional stance is . For example, → Let him live! Often introduced by (meaning "if only"): → May I be a false prophet. Verbs like , , and are also used. • Impossible wishes in the present or future use the : → If only I weren't sick! (spoken by someone who is sick). • Possible wishes in the past use the : → If only my father were there (uncertain if he was). Impossible past wishes use the : → If only I had lived in those times. Coniunctivus hortativus Derived from , (to encourage), this form expresses encouragement in the first person plural, using the . The negation is . For example, → Let us therefore rejoice, → That they may be one. For example, → Let us not fear nor despair of salvation. For prohibitions in the second person, the construction + is used: → Do not despair. Coniunctivus potentialis This form expresses possibility or supposition in the present, often in impersonal expressions using the in the second person. The negation is . It frequently appears in rhetorical questions with interrogative or indefinite pronouns as subjects. Coniunctivus irrealis This form expresses unreal or counterfactual actions. For present actions, the is used: → Without friends, life would be sad. → Although Minos possesses everything, he does not possess the skies. == Use in dependent clauses ==

Purpose and object clauses with Both purpose and object clauses use the subjunctive, with the form depending on the tense of the main clause. Main clauses can be in primary tenses (present or future) or historical tenses (past tenses, including the , a present tense used to vividly describe past actions): • If the main clause is in a primary tense, the dependent clause uses the : • → The students ask that the teacher come (object clause). • → Take care that you stay well. • If the main clause is in a historical tense, the dependent clause uses the : • → Quintus went outside to speak with his father working in the field. • → And behold, a great storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered by waves (Mat 8:24, Vulg., BT). Sequence of tenses The sequence of tenses () determines which form of the subjunctive mood should be used in a subordinate clause. There are two conditions that govern the use of tenses in complex sentences: the grammatical tense of the main clause and the temporal relationship of the action expressed in the subordinate clause in relation to the main clause. For the purpose of the sequence of tenses, the tenses of the main clause are divided into present and future (called the main tense) and past tenses, called historical. In the main clause, the verb may appear in various moods (indicative, imperative, subjunctive); , when used as or , is treated as a primary tense. The subjunctive in the present tense may also occur. The relation of the main clause to the subordinate clause can be simultaneous (both actions occur at the same time), anterior, when the action in the subordinate clause took place before the action expressed in the main clause, or posterior, when the action in the subordinate clause took place later than the action expressed in the main clause. If the main clause is in a primary tense: • Simultaneous action uses the : → The teacher asks what the boy is writing. • Prior action uses the : → The teacher asks what the boy wrote. • Subsequent action uses the future participle with the of : → The teacher asks what the boy will write. If the main clause is in a historical tense: The imperfect subjunctive may also be used. Exceptions to sequence of tenses Exceptions occur when the tense of the dependent clause is determined relative to the speaker's perspective rather than the main clause. This is common in result clauses. After historical tenses in the main clause, the expresses a result continuing to the present, and the indicates a past result relative to the speaker's time. The negation is . For example: • → Verres so ravaged Sicily that it cannot be restored to its former state. Mood attraction In subordinate clauses that typically use the realis mood, the subjunctive may appear if the clause depends on a subjunctive clause or an (ACI) construction. This phenomenon, called , involves mood assimilation. The negation is . For example: • → The king asked where those who had brought the news of victory were. Here, adopts the subjunctive due to the subjunctive in the indirect question. • → Tell me where you come from. • → The leader asked the deserters whether the enemy would attack. Subjunctive in conditional sentences Present unreal actions use the , and past unreal actions use the . Unlike some languages (e.g., English), both the main and dependent clauses use the subjunctive. For example: • → If you had been silent, you would have remained a philosopher. • → If you were saying this, you would be mistaken. Present potential actions use the , and past potential actions use the . For example: • → A day would not suffice if I tried to tell everything. • → If you should say this, you would be mistaken. Mixed conditionals with different types are also possible. Cum historicum The subjunctive is typical in temporal clauses, including those with causal or resultative meanings. These follow the sequence of tenses: simultaneous actions use the , and prior actions use the . For example: • → While the boy was reading a book, his mother returned from the city. • → When Aeneas had fallen in battle, his son Ascanius succeeded him. • → Having heard the king, they departed, and behold, the star they had seen in the East (Mat 2:9, Vulg., BT). • → When evening came, after the sun had set, they brought to him all who were sick and possessed (Mar 1:32, Vulg., BT). • → When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem (Mat 3:1, Vulg., BT). == References ==