CI: Lesson - The Subjunctive Mood - Present Tense
The Subjunctive Mood - Present Tense
The present tense has the most complex construction, because the conjugation group of the verb determines the way that the present tense is formed. For each conjugation, there is a change to the stem vowel. To understand these alterations, we must review the verb stems for each conjugation. We will call this stem the Present Subjunctive Stem.
Generally, to form the present subjunctive stem, you simply add -a to the regular present stem. The only exception to this rule is in the 1st conjugation, in which you change the stem vowel from -a to -e. The table below demonstrates this change for each conjugation using the following verbs:
- amo, amare, amavi, amatus - to love
- video, videre, vidi, visus - to see
- duco, ducere, duxi, ductus - to lead
- capio, capere, cepi, captus - to take
- audio, audire, audivi, auditus - to hear
| Conjugation Number | Present Stem | Vowel Change | Present Subjunctive Stem |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Conjugation | amare - re = ama- | a changes to e | ama- becomes ame- |
| 2nd Conjugation | videre - re = vide- | add -a to stem | vide- becomes videa- |
| 3rd Conjugation | duco - o = duc- | add -a to stem | duc- becomes duca- |
| 3rd-io Conjugation | capio - o = capi- | add -a to stem | capi- becomes capia- |
| 4th Conjugation | audire - re = audi- | add -a to stem | audi- becomes audia- |
Let's Eat Caviar
There are other methods of remembering the changes that occur to the present stem. A popular mnemonic device tells us: Let's Eat Caviar.
- Let's: the -e reminds us that 1st conjugation changes from -a to -e (ame-)
- Eat: the ea- reminds us that 2nd conjugation adds an -a to the stem vowel -e (videa-)
- Caviar:
- the -a reminds us that regular 3rd conjugation verbs add an -a to the consonant stem (duca-)
- the -ia reminds us that both 3rd-io and 4th conjugation verbs add an -a to the stem vowel -i (capia-, audia-)
Present Tense Formation - Subjunctive Active and Passive
Once you have mastered the formation of the present subjunctive stem, all that remains is adding the regular active and passive personal endings to form the present tense for the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive present stem does not change - simply add the active and passive endings and you've got your present tense subjunctive forms. So, for example, for the verb amare (subjunctive present stem: ame), you will have:
- Active
- amem, ames, amet, amemus, ametis, ament
- Passive
- amer, ameris, ametur, amemur, amemini, amentur
Nota Bene:
- The present active subjunctive 1st person singular form for 3rd and 4th conjugation verbs is identical to the future active indicative 1st person singular form. Example:
- 1st person singular, future active indicative: ducam
- 1st person singular, present active subjunctive: ducam
- Deponent and semi-deponent verbs will use the same method to change the present stem. In the present tense, deponent verbs will use passive personal endings, while semi-deponent verbs will use active personal endings.
- Focus on learning the forms, and recall the meanings of the personal endings, which will not change:
- m/r = I
- s/ris = you
- t/tur = He, she, it
- mus/mur = we
- tis/mini = you (pl)
- nt/ntur = they
Irregular Verbs - Present Tense, Active Voice - Subjunctive Mood
The five major irregular Latin verbs can also be used in the subjunctive mood. Because they are irregular, the formation of the subjunctive present stem is less clear, so please take careful notes:
- sum, esse, fui - to be
- Subjunctive Present Stem: si-
- eo, ire, ii (ivi), itus - to go
- Subjunctive Present Stem: ea-
- volo, velle, volui - to want
- Subjunctive Present Stem: veli-
- fero, ferre, tuli, latus - to bear, bring
- Subjunctive Present Stem: fera-
- fio, fieri, factus sum - to be made; become
- Subjunctive Present Stem: fia-
To these stems, you can simply add your personal endings - like regular verbs, the stem will be used consistently throughtout the conjugation. Recall: esse, ire, velle and fieri use active endings only in the present tense, while ferre can use either active or passive endings.
Take special note of the forms of esse, as these subjunctive forms will be used to form the perfect passive tense of the subjunctive mood:
- Present, active forms of esse:
- sim, sis, sit, simus, sitis, sint
Nota Bene:
- Most of these verbs either have no present stem for the indicative mood, or the present stem is highly irregular or inconsistent. For instance:
- sum, esse, fui
- Present Stem: es? su? It is easier to simply mark the present stem as "N/A" (not available)
- sum, esse, fui
Examples
Below is a table containing four verbs: a regular verb, an irregular verb, a deponent verb and a semi-deponent verb. Use this table to review the formation rules above but also take note of how consistent the present tense is in the subjunctive mood.
- Regular Verb: capio, capere, cepi, captus - to take
- Subjunctive Present Stem: capia-
- Irregular Verb: fero, ferre, tuli, latus - to bring, bear
- Subjunctive Present Stem: fera-
- Deponent Verb: loquor, loqui, locutus sum - to say
- Subjunctive Present Stem: loqua-
- Semi-deponent Verb: audeo, audere, ausus sum - to dare
- Subjunctive Present Stem: audea-
| Personal Endings | Regular Verb | Irregular Verb | Deponent Verb | Semi-Deponent Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Personal Endings | capiam capias capiat capiamus capiatis capiant |
feram feras ferat feramus feratis ferant |
N/A | audeam audeas audeat audeamus audeatis audeant |
| Passive Personal Endings | capiar capiaris capiatur capiamur capiamini capiantur |
ferar feraris feratur feramur feramini ferantur |
loquar loquaris loquatur loquamur loquamini loquantur |
N/A |