INDEPENDENT USES OF THE SUBJUNCTIVE

Hortatory
1st Person Plural, Usually Present Tense, SubjunctiveUsed to express an exhortation or encouragement- urging (hortor, hortr, horttus sum- to urge)
Translate- Let us or lets ___________.
ex. Vivamus mea Lesbia atque amemus.- Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love!
For negative, add n. ex. N dsprmus- Let us not despair.
Jussive
3rd Person Singular or Plural, Usually Present Tense Subjunctive (rarely in the 2nd person).
Used to express a mild command.
For negative, add n.
ex. Exeant. Let them go out.
Fnis sit- Let there be an end (to it).
Doces iter- May you show the way [Show the way]
Optative
Present, Imperfect, or Pluperfect Subjunctive, often with utinam (would that/ I wish).
Expresses a wish
For negative, add n.
ex. Ita m d iuvent!- So may the gods help me! I wish the gods would help me!
Utinam Cldius vveret.- Would that Clodius were alive. I wish Clodius were alive!
Potential
All persons, tenses of the subjunctive are possible.
Expresses a possibility (not an urging or wish).
Translate may. might, would, should
For negative, add nn
ex.
Aliquis exeat- Someone may go out!
Putares victs- You might think them conquered.
Deliberative
All persons and tenses of the subjunctive are possible.
Expresses a doubt in the form of a rhetorical question; no answer is expected.
For negative, add nn
ex.
Quid faciam- What should I do?
Quid dcerem- What should I have said?

SUBJUNCTIVE IN SUBORDINATE CLAUSES

Purpose Clauses
Main Verb in
Primary
Sequence

ut/ n + present
subjunctive

so that subject may verb

so that subject may not
verb

Relative Pronoun +
present subjunctive

who/which may verb

so that subject may verb

Present Tense
Future
Future Perfect

Main Verb in
Secondary
Sequence

ut/ n + imperfect
subjunctive

Imperfect

Relative Pronoun +
imperfect subjunctive

Perfect
Pluperfect

Caesar ad oppidum iter facit

ut id vincat.
Caesar marches to the town
so that he may conquer it.

Caesar ad oppidum viros

mittit qui id vincant.
Caesar sends men to the
town who may conquer it
(so that they may conquer
it)
so that subject might verb Caesar ad oppidum iter fecit
so that subject might not ut id vinceret.
verb
Caesar marched to the town
so that he might conquer it.
who/which might verb
Caesar ad oppidum viros
so that subject might verb misit qui id vincerent.
Caesar sent men to the town
who might conquer it (so
that they might conquer it).

Indirect Command
Indirect Commands (Special Form of Purpose Clause)
The following verbs introduce a special kind of purpose clause construction called indirect
commands. Verbs are in present or imperfect subjunctive depending on tense of main verb.
Instead of translating in order that subject may/might verb, you may translate subjunctive
mood verb as an infinitive, i.e. to verb.
Example:
Caesar militibus persuasit ne cives necarent.
Literal: Caesar persuaded the soldiers in order that they might not kill the citizens.
Better: Caesar persuaded the soldiers not to kill the citizens.

Verbs that Introduce an Indirect Command

imper, -re, v, tum (+ dative)
mand, re, vi, tum (+ dative)
praecipio, -ere, praecp, praeceptum
(+dative)
pet, -ere, petv, pettum (+ ablative)
quaer, -ere, quaesv, quaestum (+ablative)
rog, -re, -vi, -tum (+accusative)
addc, -ere, addxi, adductum (+
accusative)
mone, -re, monu, monitum (+accusative)
persuadeo, -re, persus, persusum
(+ dative)

order/ command
command
instruct
seek, ask
seek, ask
ask for, ask
lead to, influence
warn, advise
persuade

Adverbial Result Clauses

Main Verb in Primary Sequence
+ one of the following adverbs:
tantus, a, um so great
tlis, -e such
tot so many
ita in such a way
tam so
sc in this way
ade in such a way

ut/ utnn +
present
subjunctive

Tam pulchra est ut eam

omnes ament.
She is so beautiful that
everyone loves her

Relative Pronoun
+
Present
subjunctive

Nemo est tam caecus qui

veritatem non videat.
No one is so blind who does
not see the truth

Main Verb in Secondary Sequence+ one

of the following adverbs:
tantus, a, um so great
tlis, -e such
tot so many
ita in such a way
tam so
sc in this way
ade in such a way

ut/utnn +
imperfect
subjunctive

Tam pulchra erat ut eam

omnes amarent
She was so beautiful that
everyone loved her

Relative Pronoun Nemo erat tam caecus qui

+ Imperfect
veritatem non videret.
Subjunctive
No one was so blind who did
not see the truth

Substantive Result Clauses

Result clauses may also be introduced by the any of the following verbs
efficere ut
facere ut
accidit ut (impersonal verb)
fier potest ut

to bring it about that

to see to it that
it happens that
it is able to happen that, it is possible that

Indirect Question
Main Verb of
Interrogative word
Asking, Saying, etc.
in Primary Sequence

Main Verb of asking, Interrogative word

saying, etc. in
Secondary Sequence

Present subjunctive
Perfect Subjunctive
Periphrastic in
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect
Subjunctive
Pluperfect
Subjunctive
Periphrastic in
Imperfect
Subjunctive

Rogat me quid faciam.

Rogat me quid fecerim.
Rogat me quid factura sim.

She asks me what I am doing.

She asks me what I did.
She asks me what I will do.

Rogavit me quid facerem.

Rogavit me quid fecissem.
Rogavit me quid factura essem.

She asked me what I did.

She asked me what I had done.
She asked me what I would do.

Translate as present
tense
Translate as past
tense (verbed)
Translate as future
tense (will verb)
Translate as past
tense (verbed or was
verbing)
Translate as
Pluperfect Tense
(had verbed)
Translate:
would verb

Conditional Sentences
Future More Vivid

Future/ Future Perfect If verb/ verbs

Indicative
Future Indicative

Future Less Vivid

Present/ Perfect
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive

Contrary to Fact
Present Time

Imperfect
Subjunctives

Contrary to Fact Past Pluperfect

Time
Subjunctives

Si ad oppidum
ambulabit/ambulaverit,
me videbit.
If she walks to the town,
she will see me.
If should verb, Si ad oppidum ambulet/
would verb
ambulaverit, me videat.
If she should walk to
the town, she would see
me
Ifwere verbing, Si ad oppidum
would verb
ambularet, me videret.
If she were walking to
the town, she would see
me
Ifhad verbed,
Si ad oppidum
would have verbed
ambulavisset, me
vidisset.
If she had walked to the
town, she would have
seen me.