Ch 9 · Lesson 10Latin · Chapter 9 · Lesson 10 · Grammar primer
Let us go: the subjunctive on its own
, let us go; utinam , may he come; , what am I to do? Three jobs, for not, and the one vowel between , and .
The short version
On its own, the subjunctive orders, wishes or wonders
Utinam .
Why?Hide
In a main clause it does three jobs. It gives an order to somebody who is not you, , let us go, and , let him come, with rather than as the negative. It makes a wish, utinam , may he come, and utinam , if only he were here. And it asks what should be done, , what am I to do. Learn the trap early, because is both I shall lead and let me lead.
On its own: let us, may he, what am I to do?
A subjunctive standing alone in a main clause does one of three jobs:
| Job | Latin | English |
|---|---|---|
| let us (hortatory) | . | Let us go. |
| let him (jussive) | . | Let him come at once. |
| wish (can happen) | Utinam ! | May he come! |
| wish (cannot) | Utinam ! | If only he were here! |
| what to do? | ? | What am I to do? |
Catullus opens a poem with two of the first kind:
, Lesbia, .- Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love. (Catullus 5.1)
Church Latin still carves one on gravestones: Requiescat , may he rest in peace, the R.I.P. of English graveyards.
The negative: ne, except in a question
| Job | Latin | English |
|---|---|---|
order: | . | Let us not go. |
wish: | Utinam ! | May he not come! |
question: | ? | What am I not to do? |
An order to you uses the imperative instead: , do not be afraid.
The softened statement
A fourth, gentler use turns a statement into a possibility. Recognise it; you will rarely need to write it:
.- I should like you to come....- Someone might say...
Spotting one: one vowel
In the third conjugation, three tenses sit one vowel apart:
| Form | Mood and tense | English |
|---|---|---|
| present indicative | he says |
| future indicative | he will say |
| present subjunctive | let him say |
And one pair cannot be split at all. In the third and fourth conjugations, I in the future and I in the present subjunctive are the same word: is I shall lead and let me lead; is I shall hear and may I hear. Only the sentence decides.
The imperfect subjunctive, mercifully, looks like nothing else.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| | the 1st conjugation subjunctive has -e- |
| | -e- is the future in the 3rd conjugation |
! | ! | let us not go: classical orders take |
| were here (now) | in a wish, the imperfect is about now |
| (if) I were | the imperfect subj. is not a plain past |
Going further: A mood, not a tense and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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