SUBJUNCTIVE

WHAT IS MOOD?

-“Mood” is a variation of “mode” (from modus, -ī, m.), which means “manner” or “way”

-with regard to language, the mood of the verb indicates the speaker’s attitude towards what (s)he is saying.

MOODS

-there are 3 (or 4) verbal moods

  • Indicative
  • indicate a factual or real action
  • 6 tenses, active and passive
  • Imperative
  • command – “imperator”
  • 2 tenses, active and passive
  • Subjunctive
  • expresses action that is not really occurring (aka “unreal action”), such as wish, possibility, condition and other vague situations
  • attitude of hope, doubt, uncertainty, fear, wish, etc.
  • 4 tenses, active and passive
  • (Infinitive is sometimes considered a mood)

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD

-Mechanics

  • Present Tense: “He beats a liar” or “Ed eats caviar”
  • vowel changes in the stem, a different change for each conjugation
  • e.g. laudāmuslaudēmus (1st conjugation)
  • e.g. monēmus > moneāmus (2nd conjugation)
  • e.g. ducimus > ducāmus (3rd conjugation)
  • e.g. capimus > capiāmus (3rd-io conjugation)
  • e.g. munīmus > muniāmus (4th conjugation)
  • N.B. sum, es, est, etc.sim, sīs, sit, sīmus, sītis, sint
  • Imperfect Tense
  • present active infinitive (i.e. 2nd PP) + personal endings
  • e.g. monēre + m, s, t, mus, tis, nt(active)
  • e.g. monēre + r, ris, tur, mur, mini, ntur(passive)
  • e.g. esse + m, s, t, mus, tis, nt
  • Perfect Tense
  • perfect stem + endings
  • ACTIVE: 3rd Principal Part (remove the –ī) + erim, eris, erit, erīmus, eritis, erint
  • PASSIVE: 4th Principal + appropriate forms of esseas a separate word (i.e. sim, sīs, sit, sīmus, sītis, sint)
  • Pluperfect Tense
  • perfect stem + endings
  • ACTIVE: 3rd Principal Part (remove the –ī) + issem, issēs, isset, issēmus, issētis, issent
  • PASSIVE: 4th Principal + appropriate forms of esseas a separate word (i.e. essem, essēs, esset, essēmus, essētis, essent)

Uses of the Subjunctive Mood:

-Independent Clauses

  • Hortatory:
  • Volitive: expresses speaker’s wish (over which (s)he has some degree of control) from volō, velle, voluī (to wish, want); i.e. “a mild command”
  • Hortatory: 1st person plural, from hortor, hortārī, hortātus sum (to urge, encourage)
  • Jussive: 2nd and 3rd persons, from iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussum (to order, bid)
  • Mostly used in the present tense; negative introduced by the adverb nē
  • Deliberative – asking a question (of doubt) to yourself or someone else to make a decision
  • “should”
  • Am I to eat chocolate or vanilla ice cream? Should I eat both?
  • Potential –I would eat both flavors! Might I eat...? I may leave.
  • Optative – expresses wishes for something that is not occurring now and may be too late to bring out (i.e. the speaker does not imply having any control or authority)
  • “would that” or “if only”
  • Would that I had eaten that ice cream! O that I were eating that ice cream! If only I were not eating this!
  • Concessive
  • (actually, this is considered a use of the hortatory or the optative)
  • Granted that he is old, he fights well nevertheless.
  • Suppose they were guilty; when did you first notice their crimes?

  • Dependent Clauses

Sequence of Tenses for Sentences Using a Dependent Clause with Subj. Verb / Main Verb of Independent Clause (Indic. or Subj. or Imp.) / Main Verb of Dependent Clause (Subjunctive)
Primary / “Non-Past” Tenses:
Present
Future
Future Perfect / IF action is INCOMPLETE:
Present
If action is COMPLETE:
Perfect
Secondary / “Past” Tenses:
Imperfect
Perfect
Pluperfect / IF action is INCOMPLETE:
Imperfect
If action is COMPLETE:
Pluperfect
  • Purpose – is NOT shown by an infinitive in Latin (though it often is in English); use subjunctive!! Purpose, by definition, can never express “completed action”!
  • Adverbial: when the subject of the main clause and the subject of the dependent (i.e. subjunctive purpose clause) is the same
  • Positive: ut + subj.
  • “so that” “in order to” “so as to”
  • Negative: nē + subj.
  • “lest” “so that....not” “so as not to”
  • Relative: when the subject of the dependent (i.e subjunctive purpose) clause is NOT the same as the subject of the main clause; or to express the purpose of the antecedent rather than the actor of the main clause; or when the purpose is closely connected with some one word
  • Positive or Negative – NOT ut or nē
  • USE the Relative Pronoun!!!! (quī, quae, quod, etc.)
  • Comparative: when the purpose clause contains a comparative idea (esp. comparative or superlative adverb)
  • introduced by quō – no changes! (technically an ablative of means)
  • any negative clause would just use quō and whatever other negative adverb is needed in the clause
  • Result
  • after adverbs:
  • ut (positive)
  • and ut...nōn(negative)
  • Mnemonic: Tall Tan Tammy Is Totally Sick
  • (talistantustamitatotsic) – in main clause
  • Follows sequence of tenses
  • Substantive Result
  • the clause is either the subject of accidit, fit, necesse + form of esse or the object of effect, facit, etc.
  • Fear Clauses
  • after verbs of fearing: timeō, metuō, vereor, etc.
  • positive – introduced by nē + subjunctive
  • negative – introduced by utor nēnōn+ subjunctive
  • FULL sequence of tenses in effect: you can fear things that are already completed by the time the fear is being experienced
  • Indirect Speech
  • Indirect Question: after “mental action” or speech verbs and an interrogatory word
  • Interrogatory words include:
  • quis/quid (pronoun, who/what) + quī/quae/quod (adj., which/what)
  • ubi(where), quō (where to, whither), unde (from where, whence)
  • ubi(when) and quando (when)
  • cūr (why)
  • quōmōdō (how)
  • quemadmodum(to what end? for what purpose?)
  • quot(how many)
  • quālis, -e(what sort, what kind)
  • num (conj., if, whether), utrum...an(non) (whether...or (not))
  • uter, utra, utrum (which of two?)
  • FULL sequence of tenses is applicable
  • Indirect Command: after verbs of asking, advising, commanding, etc.
  • like indirect statement conceptually except it is commands being talked about (rather than stated directly as an imperative one person to the other)
  • Positive – introduced by ut+ subjunctive
  • Negative – introduced by nē + subjunctive
  • only using the “incomplete” action of the sequence of tenses as commands cannot be “completed” action or there is nothing to do!
  • Cum clauses – a dependent clause starting with cum as a conjunction (NOT preposition meaning “with”)
  • Temporal / Circumstantial – “when”
  • can be indicative and can be subjunctive too
  • distinguish these by asking “is the main clause DEPENDENT on the when clause?”
  • Temporal – always indicative
  • Circumstantial – subjunctive if it is past action, indicative if present and future.
  • Causal – “since” – definitely using subjunctive
  • Concessive – “although” – definitely using subjunctive
  • often uses tamen (“still”, “nevertheless”) in the main clause (but does not require it)
  • i.e. cum...... subj. verb..., tamen main clause
  • The order of the cum and main clauses can vary:
  • “Since you’ve been gone, I can breathe for the first time”
  • “Now I get what I want, since you’ve been gone.”
  • Dum clauses
  • Proviso
  • Anticipatory

-Conditions

  • Future-Less-Vivid
  • Contrary-to-Fact
  • Present Time
  • Past Time
  • Mixed Conditions

1