Year 4C · Grade 8: Subjunctive Forms
Build the four subjunctive tenses and notice when Latin is not stating a plain fact.
What to notice
- present subjunctive vowels
- imperfect subjunctive
- perfect and pluperfect subjunctive
Explanation
The subjunctive is a mood for wishes, possibilities, and many dependent clauses. It often comes into English with may, might, would, or should. The present subjunctive changes the vowel of the present stem. A memory line for the four conjugations is "we fear a liar": e, ea, a, ia. So amo makes amem, moneo makes moneam, rego makes regam, and audio makes audiam.
The imperfect subjunctive is the present infinitive plus the personal endings: amare makes amarem, and esse makes essem. The perfect subjunctive adds -eri- to the perfect stem: amaverim. The pluperfect subjunctive is the perfect infinitive plus endings: amavisse makes amavissem, and amavisset means he would have loved, or he had loved, inside a clause.
Examples
- amem, moneam, regam, audiam — present subjunctive, first person The vowels are e, ea, a, ia.
- amarem — I might love Imperfect subjunctive: amare plus an ending.
- amaverim — I may have loved Perfect subjunctive.
- amavisset — he had loved, in a clause Pluperfect subjunctive.
- Utinam veniat. — If only he would come. A wish uses the subjunctive.
Latin in this lesson
- amem — present subjunctive of amo
- e, ea, a, ia — the present-subjunctive vowels
- amarem — imperfect subjunctive
- amavisset — pluperfect subjunctive
- audiam — present subjunctive of audio
- Utinam veniat. — a wish