CI: Lesson - Dependent Clauses with ut - Purpose Clauses

Image: a Roman teacher helps a student to study

Dependent Clauses with ut - Purpose Clauses

In Latin, there is a particle that frequently introduces dependent clauses and especially is used with subjunctive dependent clauses: ut. We have already seen ut when we learned about indirect commands in the Matrimonium Selenes module. Now, we will learn two more clauses that are introduced by ut.

You can almost hear the magister instructing his discipulus in the image: "Study this text to learn about Roman history." Why should the student study the text? What is the purpose of studying? Before we explore purpose clauses closely, let's review Latin clauses.

Independent vs. Dependent - How the Subjunctive is Used in Latin

In Latin, the subjunctive mood is used in two distinctive ways: there are independent uses and there are dependent uses. How you approach the translation of a subjunctive verb will depend very much on which of these two uses is in effect.

  1. Independent Uses - an independent subjunctive is being used in an independent clause, which is a clause that can stand alone as its own sentence. Independent clauses are also called main clauses. For independent uses, the subjunctive mood is used as the verb in an independent clause. The subjunctive verb does not require (or depend) on other verbs to support it. The independent uses include:
    • Potential Subjunctives
    • Imperative Subjunctives
    • Optative Subjunctives (wishes)
    • Deliberative Questions
  2. Dependent Uses - a dependent subjunctive is being used in a dependent clause, which is a clause that cannot stand alone as its own sentence. Dependent clauses are also called subordinate clauses. For dependent uses, the subjunctive verb is used to further explain, describe or set conditions on the independent clause. These uses include: indirect commands and questions, purpose clauses, result clauses, circumstantial clauses and conditional clauses. The focus of this module is to learn two dependent uses of the subjunctive mood:
    • Purpose Clauses
    • Result Clauses

Regardless of whether working with independent or dependent subjunctive verbs, there will only be four tenses used: present, imperfect, perfect or pluperfect.

Purpose Clauses

A purpose clause is used to explain the reason why an action happened:

  • We study Latin to become better at it.
  • We study Latin so that we might get better at it.

In Latin, the purpose clause is introduced by ut when it is positive and ne when it is negative. The verb in the dependent clause is formed in the subjunctive mood. The action in a purpose clause will always be incomplete, so will be present tense in the primary sequence and imperfect tense in the secondary sequence. In English, purpose is often expressed with an infinitive like the first example above, but ut may also be translated so that, so as, in order to/that while ne can be translated so that not or lest.

Purpose Clauses - Examples
Latin Example English Translation Notes

Non haec facio ut te commoveam.
  • I am not doing this to upset you.
  • I am not doing this so that I upset you.
  • Sequence:
    primary (main verb is present tense)
  • What is the main action:
    I am (not) doing
  • What is the purpose of the main action:
    to upset

Non haec feci ut te commoverem.
  • I did not do this to upset you.
  • I did not do this so as to upset you.
  • Sequence:
    secondary (main verb is perfect tense)
  • What is the main action:
    I did (not) do
  • What is the purpose of the main action:
    to upset

Pseudolus faciem suam celat ne Iuba eum videat.
  • Pseudolus hides his face so that Juba may not see him.
  • Pseudolus hides his face lest Juba see him.
  • Pseudolus hides his face in order that Juba not see him.
  • Sequence:
    primary (main verb is present tense)
  • What is the main action:
    hiding
  • What is the purpose of the main action:
    to not be seen

Pseudolus faciem suam celabat ne Iuba eum videret.
  • Pseudolus was hiding his face so that Juba would not see him.
  • Pseudolus was hiding his face lest Juba see him.
  • Pseudolus was hiding his face to avoid Juba seeing him.
  • Sequence:
    secondary (main verb is imperfect tense)
  • What is the main action:
    hiding
  • What is the purpose of the main action:
    to not be seen

Pseudolus cum Selena in templo conveniet ut de investigatione dicant.
  • Pseudolus will meet with Selene to talk about the investigation.
  • Pseudolus will meet with Selene in order to talk about the investigation.
  • Pseudolus will meet with Selene so that they may talk about the investigation.
  • Sequence:
    primary (main verb is future tense)
  • What is the main action:
    meeting
  • What is the purpose of the main action:
    to talk

Pseudolus cum Selena in templo convenerat ut de investigatione dicerent.
  • Pseudolus had met with Selene to talk about the investigation.
  • Pseudolus had met with Selene so that they could talk about the investigation.
  • Sequence:
    secondary (main verb is pluperfect tense)
  • What is the main action:
    meeting
  • What is the purpose of the main action:
    to talk

Nota Bene

The difference in translation for primary and secondary sequence is often either minor or non-existent. Compare:

  • so that they may talk about the investigation (primary sequence)
  • so that they could talk about the investigation (secondary sequence)

The reason: all purpose clauses are by nature incomplete, so they always reflect this nature in translation. Additionally, since English often translates a purpose with the infinitive, there is no need to distinguish between near future and far future (incomplete action = action that could be completed at some future time).