Kilo Lingo
Latin grammar Part of Chapter 9

CEFR B1-B2

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Latin Purpose, Result and cum Clauses: ut, ne and cum

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

A purpose clause says what somebody was aiming at; a result clause says what actually followed. Both are plus the subjunctive. The negative and a signpost word tell them apart, and the main verb picks the tense.

purpose: ut, neresult: signpost and utthe subjunctive's tense signWhat do the colours mean?
ClauseLatinEnglish
purpose .He/she comes to see the king.
purpose .He/she fled so as not to be captured.
result .He/she was so brave that he/she did not flee.
result .So great was the shout that nobody heard a voice.

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Tap the subjunctive the main verb needs.

  1. He/she sends soldiers to guard the city: Mittit milites ut urbem .

  2. He/she sent soldiers to guard the city: Misit milites ut urbem .

  3. I write so that everyone may understand: Scribo ut omnes .

is the third conjunction that takes a subjunctive; it has its own page.

ut is not one word

purpose: ut, nethe subjunctive's tense signWhat do the colours mean?

Before anything else, check the mood of the verb in the clause.

ut withLatinEnglish
indicative , .As I said, the king is dead.
indicative , .When he/she came into the city, he/she saw the king.
subjunctive .He/she comes to see the king.

The indicative rules out the whole subjunctive family at once. Only a subjunctive verb makes a purpose, a result or a reported command.

Purpose: ut and ne

purpose: ut, nethe subjunctive's tense signWhat do the colours mean?

A purpose clause is plus the subjunctive; so as not to is , never .

WordLatinEnglish
.He/she comes to see the king.
.I write so that everyone may understand.
.He/she fled so as not to be captured.
.Soldiers were sent so that the city would not be taken.

English has half a dozen ways to say it (to, in order to, so as to, so that he might), and Latin has one. Write whichever English is least awkward.

Quintilian's example of a neat reversal is two purpose clauses back to back:

, .

I do not live to eat; I eat to live. (Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria 9.3.85)

Purpose with qui and quo

purpose: qui, quothe subjunctive's tense signWhat do the colours mean?

Two other words can open a purpose clause:

  • . - He/she sent envoys to ask for peace (literally who should ask).
  • facilius . - He/she gives examples so that they may understand more easily.

agrees with : masculine plural, and nominative as the subject of its own clause. replaces when the clause holds a comparative such as facilius, more easily.

The sequence in a purpose clause

the subjunctive's tense signWhat do the colours mean?

The main verb decides the tense. A present or future main verb takes the present subjunctive; a past one takes the imperfect.

present subjunctive after mittit, imperfect after misit
Main verbLatinEnglish
present .He/she sends soldiers to guard the city.
future .He/she will send soldiers to guard the city.
perfect (did) .He/she sent soldiers to guard the city.
imperfect .He/she kept sending soldiers to guard the city.

The imperfect subjunctive is the infinitive plus the personal ending ( becomes ), which is why -- is the sign to look for. A perfect meaning have done can count as present ( , he/she has sent them to guard it), but Latin writers more often treat every perfect as past.

A purpose always lies ahead of the verb that aims at it, so a purpose clause does not take the perfect or pluperfect subjunctive. The full table is on the perfect and pluperfect subjunctive page.

Result: ut and its signposts

result: signpost and utthe subjunctive's tense signWhat do the colours mean?

A result clause reports what actually followed. It is plus the subjunctive with the negative ( , , ), and a signpost in the main clause usually announces it.

SignpostGoes withMeaning
adjective, adverbso
verbin such a way, so
verbso, thus
anythingto such a degree
nounso great
nounsuch, of such a kind
plural nounso many
SignpostLatinEnglish
.There were so many enemies that nobody could flee.
.He/she wrote in such a way that everyone understood.
.The road was so long that many did not arrive.

is the imperfect subjunctive of , built on the infinitive . You spot the signpost several words before the , and you know what is coming. The most quoted result clause in Latin uses :

dilexit , unigenitum .

For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son. (John 3:16, Vulgate)

Purpose or result? Three tests

purpose: ut, neresult: signpost and utthe subjunctive's tense signWhat do the colours mean?
TestPurposeResult
negative , ,
signpostusually none, , ,
senseaimed athappened
  • . - He/she came to see the king (aimed at; perhaps never managed).
  • . - He/she came so quickly that he/she saw the king (it happened).

Apply the tests in that order. The negative and the signpost are matters of form; the sense is a judgement, and can be argued about.

Result clauses can break the sequence

result: signpost and utWhat do the colours mean?

After a past main verb, a result clause sometimes takes the perfect subjunctive instead of the imperfect, to stress that the result really happened, once:

  • . - So great was the fear that they all fled.

That is deliberate and idiomatic, not a slip. A purpose clause never does it.

cum clauses, in brief

ablativecum clauseWhat do the colours mean?

is the other conjunction behind most subjunctives in Latin prose. With a noun in the ablative it is the preposition with; with a clause it means when, since or although.

cum withLatinEnglish
ablative with the soldiers
indicative , .When he/she comes, we shall see.
subjunctive , .When he/she had said this, he/she left.
subjunctive , .Although he/she was brave, he/she still fled.

The forms, the three meanings and how to choose between them are on the cum clauses page.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
(prose) Prose says purpose with
needs a subjunctive
(so as not)Purpose negates with
... ... After a signpost: result,
... ... A past main verb takes the imperfect
: so thatas I said with the indicative is as or when

The third row needs its cue: is good Latin for he/she fled, with the result that he/she was not caught. As a purpose, so as not to be caught, it needs .

What to do next

  1. Learn the signpost table and say each signpost with a result clause after it.
  2. In your next Latin passage, sort every by mood, then by negative and signpost.
  3. Then read cum clauses, and after them the ablative absolute.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/6

Purpose or result? Check the negative and look for a signpost.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/4

Tap the subjunctive the main verb needs.

  1. He/she sends soldiers to guard the city: Mittit milites ut urbem .

  2. He/she sent soldiers to guard the city: Misit milites ut urbem .

  3. I write so that everyone may understand: Scribo ut omnes .

  4. He/she fled so as not to be captured: Fugit ne .

Spot the mistake

0/3

One word breaks the clause. Tap it.

Pick the right one

0/4

Tap the signpost word that sets up the result.

  1. There were so many enemies that nobody could flee: erant hostes ut nemo fugere posset. (So many, with a plural noun. It never changes its ending.)

  2. So great was the shout that nobody heard a voice: erat clamor ut nemo vocem audiret. (So great, agreeing with clamor.)

  3. He was so brave that the soldiers followed him: fortis erat ut milites eum sequerentur. (The signpost that goes in front of an adjective.)

  4. He/she wrote in such a way that everyone understood: scripsit ut omnes intellegerent. (The signpost that goes with a verb.)

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Frequently asked questions

How do you tell a Latin purpose clause from a result clause?
Both are plus the subjunctive, so the alone cannot tell you. Look at the negative first: purpose negates with , result with , or . Then look for a signpost in the main clause: , , sic, , , or points forward to a result. Last, ask whether the thing was aimed at (purpose) or actually followed (result). is he/she came to see the king; is he/she came so quickly that he/she saw the king.
What is the sequence of tenses in a Latin purpose clause?
The tense of the main verb decides the tense of the subjunctive. After a primary main verb (present, future, or a perfect meaning have done) a purpose clause takes the present subjunctive: , he/she sends soldiers to guard the city. After a historic main verb (imperfect, a perfect meaning did, pluperfect) it takes the imperfect: . A purpose always lies ahead of the verb that aims at it, so a purpose clause does not use the perfect or pluperfect subjunctive.
Why is the negative sometimes and sometimes ?
Because is the negative of intention and the negative of fact. A purpose clause says what somebody wanted, so a wanted -event takes : , he/she fled so as not to be captured. A result clause reports what actually happened or failed to happen, so it takes a plain factual : , he/she was so brave that he/she did not flee. It is the most reliable test between the two, because it is a matter of form, not of judgement.
Does always mean so that in Latin?
No. with the indicative means as or when: , as I said. with the subjunctive is a purpose or result clause, but it also reports a command after verbs of asking and advising ( , he/she advises them to come) and, after a verb of fearing, means that not. Check the mood of the verb first, then the main verb and the negative.
What does mean with the subjunctive?
When, since or although. with an ablative noun is the preposition with ( , with the soldiers). As a conjunction, with the indicative only dates the action, while with the subjunctive describes the circumstances: when in a story, since when it gives the reason, although when it names an obstacle (often with in the main clause). The clauses page has the full set.