Independent Subjunctive

Most of the verbs in the subjunctive mood you encounter are in the subordinate clause. When the verb in the main clause is in the subjunctive, it is one of the four independent uses of the subjunctive.

A. Jussive (Hortatory): shut up! Taceas! (negative: ne taceas)

B. Potential: You would believe they had learned Latin. Credas didicisse illos linguam Latinam.

C. Optative: I wish I was a bird! Ut avis sim! (negative: ne avis sim)

D. Deliberative: Should I stay, or should I go? Maneam? Aut excedam? (Medea)�

Context will help you decide which of the independent subjunctive you should translate.

The Independent Subjunctive is ultimately the origin of all uses of the subjunctive mood in the subordinate clause. For example, the purpose clause is in fact the optative subjuncitve attached to a main verb.

Studeo linguam Latinam ut ingeniosior sim. = Studeo linguae Latinae. + Ut ingeniosior sim!

(I study Latin so that I become smarter=I study Latin. + Would that I become smarter!) �

Note. Ancient grammarians gave the name subjunctive (subiunctiuus, subordinate) because they saw that the majority of subjunctives were in the subordinate clause; however, as we can see from this and the following examples, the truth is the other way around--subjunctives in the subordinate clause developed from the Independent Subjunctive.

Indirect Command

A direct command in Latin can be expressed by the imperative mood or the Jussive Subjunctive.

Tace! Shut up! (Imperative; more direct) Taceas! Shut up! (Jussive; more polite)

The Indirect Command is the Jussive Subjunctive attached to a verb of command.

oro ut taceas. I order that you shut up. = oro ut + taceas!

Since there is a class of Latin verbs (impero, iubeo, mando, rogo, oro, peto, postulo, precor, hortor, exhortor, moneo, etc.) that regularly employs this construction, the subjunctive mood is better explained as Indirect Command rather than Jussive Subjunctive.

The negative of the Indirect Command is introduced by ne.

Sum deprecatus ne quis me argueret. I entreated people not to accuse me.

Note. Some of these verbs can also be used with the infinitive+acc construction.

oro te tacere. I order that you shut up.

Fear Clause

A clause introduced by a verb of fearing (timeo, vereor, metuo, periculum erat, etc) is in the subjunctive introduced by ne or ne non.

Origin: negative hortatory subjunctive. Ne ueniat. May he not come.

This is attached to the verb of fearing: Timeo ne ueniat. I fear that he may come.

The negative of the fear clause is introduced by ne non, the negative of ne: Timeo ne non ueniat. I fear that he may not come.

Translation Tip. It might be confusing at first sight to the reader of English since the Latin ne seems to conduct a negative thought while in the English translation, it is the positive fact that "he may come" is to be feared. While it is helpful to just memorize that uereor ne...is translated as "I fear that..." and uereor ne non... as "I fear that ...not..", an understanding of the origin of the expression should dispel the fear of mistranslation.

Worksheet

Identify the type of subjunctive in each sentence and translate:

petis ut scribam mihi.

uolo scire quando apud me ueniat.

uelim scire quando apud me ueniat.

Si quid in historiis meis legis aliter ac uelis, rogo ut id ignoscas.

Di te perdant!

ne animum eius offenderet uerebatur.