February 14th, 2012

Formation of the Perfect Subjunctive Active and Passive

Perfect Subjunctive Active = Perfect Stem + eri + personal endings (-m, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt); cf. Wheelock, p. 453.

Perfect Subjunctive Passive = Perfect Participle Passive (i.e. 4th Principal Part) + Present Subjunctive of sum; (cf. Wheelock, p. 455).

Perfect Subjunctive a relative tense.

Formation of Pluperfect Subjunctive Active and Passive

Pluperfect Subjunctive Active = Perfect Stem + isse + personal endings (i.e. –m, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt); cf. Wheelock, p. 453.

Pluperfect Subjunctive Passive = Perfect Participle Passive + Imperfect Subjunctive of sum; cf. Wheelock, p. 455.

Relative tense.

Indirect Questions A direct question is a simple interrogative statement (i.e. Quid Gaius

facit? – What is Gaius doing?).

An indirect question is an interrogative statement in indirect speech (i.e. Rogant quid Gaius faciat? – They ask what Gaius is doing).

The verb of the interrogative statement in indirect speech is always in the subjunctive mood.

The subjunctive verb in an indirect question is usually translated as though it were an indicative (i.e. not with auxiliary verbs such as may, might, would, should etc.).

The tense of the subjunctive verb in an indirect question (or any dependent use of the subjunctive) is relative (i.e. dependent on the main verb) and subject to the rules for the “Sequence of Tenses”.

Sequence of TensesGroup Main Verb Dependent

Subj.(Simultaneous

or Later Action)

Dependent Subj. (Action

Before)

Primary Present Tense (Present Indicative)

Present Subjunctive

Perfect Subjunctive

Primary Future Tense (Future Indicative)

Present Subjunctive

Perfect Subjunctive

Historical All Past Tenses (Imperfect, Perfect, Pluperfect Indicative)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pluperfect Subjunctive

Examples Id facit ut me iuvet = He is doing this to help me. Id faciet ut me iuvet = He will do this to help me. Id fecit ut me iuvaret = He did this to help me. Id faciebat ut me iuvaret = He was doing this to help me. Rogant quid faciat = They are asking what he is doing. Rogabunt quid faciat = The will ask what he is doing. Rogant quid fecerit = They are asking what he did. Rogabunt quid fecerit = They will ask what he did. Rogant quid facturus sit = They are asking what he will do. Rogabant quid facturus sit = They will ask what he will do. Rogaverunt quid faceret = The asked what he was doing. Rogabant quid faceret = They were asking what he was doing. Rogaverunt quid fecisset = They asked what he had done. Rogabant quid fecisset = They were asking what he had done. Rogaverunt quid facturus esset = The asked what he would do. Rogabant quid facturus esset = They were asking what he would do.