RLW: Lesson - Grammar - Subjunctive Mood Review

Subjunctive Mood Review

The subjunctive mood in Latin is formed, not with a new set of inflections, but rather with a set of stems to set apart the mood. The subjunctive mood only appears in four tenses: present, imperfect, perfect and pluperfect. Use the chart below as a reminder for the basics of subjunctive mood formation: the goal for this review should be in building your ability to identify each tense of the subjunctive when you encounter it in a reading or translation assignment.

Subjunctive Mood Review
Tense Stem Formation Examples
Present

Change indicative present stem as follows:

  • 1st conjugation: change a->e
  • All other conjugations: add -a
 Add regular active and passive endings to altered present stem
  • amare (ama->ame): amet (passive: ametur)
  • dicere (dic->dica): dicamus (passive: dicamur)
  • gradi (gradi->gradia): gradiantur
  • vereri (vere->verea): verearis
Imperfect

Regular Verbs: imperfect stem = 2nd PP (present active infinitive)

Deponent: form a "normal" present infinitive (1st, 2nd and 4th: change final i->e; 3rd, change -i to -ere)

 Add regular active and passive endings to imperfect stem
  • amare: amaret (passive: amaretur)
  • dicere: diceremus (passive: diceremur)
  • gradi (gradi->gradere): graderentur
  • vereri (vereri->verere): verereris
Perfect

Active (regular verbs only): add -eri- to perfect stem

Passive (regular and deponent): use perfect participle + present subjunctive form of sum

Active: add active endings to -eri-

Passive: use the correct gender/number for the participle; use forms of sum for person and number
  • amare: amaverit (passive: amatus sit)
  • dicere: dixerimus (passive: dicti simus)
  • gradi: gressi sint
  • vereri: veritus sis
Pluperfect

Active (regular verbs only): Pluperfect stem = perfect active infinitive (perfect stem + isse)

Passive (regular and deponent): use perfect participle + imperfect subjunctive form of sum

Active: add active endings to pluperfect stem

Passive: use the correct gender/number for the participle; use forms of sum for person and number
  • amare: amavisset (passive: amatus esset)
  • dicere: dixissemus (passive: dicti essemus)
  • gradi: gressae essent
  • vereri: verita esses