The Subjunctive
The subjunctive is a mood, not a tense. It expresses actions that are uncertain, intended, or indirect. In GCSE Latin you need to recognise and translate subjunctives in purpose clauses, result clauses, indirect commands, cum clauses, and indirect questions.
How the Subjunctive is Formed
Present subjunctive (active)
The present subjunctive is formed by changing the stem vowel. A useful mnemonic: "We are subj." → 1st conj. uses -e- (amem); others use -a- (moneam, ducam, audiam).
Imperfect subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive = present infinitive + personal endings. For amō: amāre → amārem, amārēs, amāret… This is the easiest to form: if you know the infinitive, you know the imperfect subjunctive.
Pluperfect subjunctive
The pluperfect subjunctive = perfect stem + -isse- + personal endings. For amō: amāv- → amāvissem, amāvissēs, amāvisset…
Passive forms
Subjunctive passive forms follow the same pattern: replace the active personal endings with passive endings (-r, -ris, -tur, -mur, -minī, -ntur). The pluperfect passive subjunctive is compound: PPP + essem/essēs/esset/essēmus/essētis/essent.
Sequence of Tenses
Which subjunctive tense you use depends on the tense of the main verb:
| Main verb tense | Sequence | Subj. tense used |
|---|---|---|
| Present or future | Primary | Present subjunctive |
| Past (imperfect, perfect, pluperfect) | Secondary | Imperfect subjunctive |
Mīlitēs pugnant ut vincant. — The soldiers are fighting in order to win. (present main → present subj.)
Mīlitēs pugnābant ut vincērent. — The soldiers were fighting in order to win. (imperfect main → imperfect subj.)
The pluperfect subjunctive appears in secondary sequence when the subordinate action happened before the main verb: cum hostēs advenissent, cīvēs fūgērunt. (When the enemy had arrived, the citizens fled.)