Latin Subjunctives (Intermediate)
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The Latin Subjunctive: Quick Help for This Test
This box is here so that you do not need to look away from the page while doing the test. First come the forms. After that there is a short guide to the meanings you need most often. For this test, the most important things are purpose, result, indirect command, indirect question, fear, and cum clauses.
At the end, there is also a short guide to the main times when the subjunctive appears on its own in a main clause.
1) Present Subjunctive: All Conjugations (Model Verbs)
A helpful memory aid is:
1st: a → e
2nd: e → ea
3rd: i → a
4th: i → ia
| 1st conjugation portō → portem |
2nd conjugation moneō → moneam |
3rd conjugation dīcō → dīcam |
4th conjugation audiō → audiam |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | portem | moneam | dīcam | audiam |
| You (sg) | portēs | moneās | dīcās | audiās |
| He / she / it | portet | moneat | dīcat | audiat |
| We | portēmus | moneāmus | dīcāmus | audiāmus |
| You (pl) | portētis | moneātis | dīcātis | audiātis |
| They | portent | moneant | dīcant | audiant |
The “ea” in the 2nd conjugation is only a memory trick to help you hear the form. In normal Latin spelling you simply see moneam, moneās, moneat, and so on.
2) Portō: Four Subjunctive Tenses (Active)
| Present | Imperfect | Perfect | Pluperfect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | portem | portārem | portāverim | portāvissem |
| You (sg) | portēs | portārēs | portāverīs | portāvissēs |
| He / she / it | portet | portāret | portāverit | portāvisset |
| We | portēmus | portārēmus | portāverīmus | portāvissēmus |
| You (pl) | portētis | portārētis | portāverītis | portāvissētis |
| They | portent | portārent | portāverint | portāvissent |
A rough guide to time:
Present often now or future
Imperfect often after a past verb
Perfect completed action
Pluperfect action completed earlier
3) The Meanings You Need Most Often
Do not begin by worrying about the word subjunctive. Begin by asking: What is this clause trying to do? Very often it does one of the things below.
Purpose = “in order to …”
Latin often uses ut + subjunctive for this.mīlitēs intrāvērunt ut cīvēs dēfenderent
= “The soldiers entered to defend the citizens.”
Negative purpose = “in order not to …”
Here Latin often uses nē + subjunctive.
servī tacēbant nē dominus audīret
= “The slaves were silent so that the master would not hear.”
Result = “so … that …”
Look out for words such as tam, tanta, ita, and tot. They often prepare you for a result clause with ut.
tam dēfessus erat ut diū dormīret
= “He was so tired that he slept for a long time.”
Indirect command = “told / ordered / persuaded someone to …”
After verbs like imperāvit, monuit, and persuāsit, Latin often uses ut or nē + subjunctive.
dux imperāvit ut castra moverent
= “The leader ordered them to move camp.”
Indirect question = a question inside a sentence
Instead of asking directly, Latin reports the question. Common words are quis, quid, cur, ubi, and utrum … an.
rogāvit quid vīdissent
= “He asked what they had seen.”
Fear = “feared that …”
After verbs like timeō and vereor, Latin often uses nē + subjunctive.
māter timuit nē fīlius caderet
= “The mother feared that her son might fall.”
cum clause = “when / while / since / although …”
In stories, cum + subjunctive often gives the background to the main action.
cum hostēs appropinquārent, mīlitēs fugērunt
= “When the enemies were approaching, the soldiers fled.”
4) The Main Times the Subjunctive Appears on Its Own
Sometimes the subjunctive is not inside another clause at all. It stands on its own in the main sentence.
When that happens, it often has one of the meanings below.
A command or suggestion
This is common with let … in English.hoc vērum sit
= “Let this be true.”nē hoc faciāmus
= “Let us not do this.”
Thinking aloud: “What am I to do?”
A speaker can use the subjunctive when wondering what to do.
quid faciam?
= “What am I to do?”
A wish
Latin often uses utinam with the subjunctive.
utinam dux veniat
= “If only the leader would come.”
utinam hoc nōn dīxisset
= “If only he had not said this.”
“Might” or “could”
Sometimes the subjunctive simply suggests that something is possible.
haec facile crēdās
= “You could easily believe this.”
An imagined “if” sentence
Sometimes the subjunctive is used in sentences about imagined situations. The easiest way to recognise these is to look for sī.
sī hoc facerēs, laetus essēs
= “If you were doing this, you would be happy.”sī hoc fēcissēs, laetus fuissēs
= “If you had done this, you would have been happy.”
At this level, it is enough to recognise the meaning. You do not need to panic about long grammatical labels. If a sentence means let…, what am I to do?, if only…, might/could, or an imagined if…would…,
the subjunctive is often the reason.
5) A Simple Way to Read These Clauses
- If you see ut, ask: Does this mean “in order to” or “so that”?
- If you see nē, ask: Does this mean “in order not to” or “feared that”?
- If you see cum, ask: Is this giving the background: when, while, since, or although?
- If you see quis, quid, cur, ubi, ask: Is this an indirect question?
- If the sentence stands on its own, ask: Does it mean let…, if only…, what am I to do?, might/could…, or an imagined if…?
- In other words, do not try to identify the tense ending first.
- Start with the little signal word and the meaning of the whole sentence.
- That is usually the quickest route to the right answer.