CHAPTER 30
"Perfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive Active and
Passive; Sequence of Tenses; Indirect Questions"
As the title indicates, this chapter has a lot of new information
it. I suggest that you try to digest it in two sittings: the
perfect system subjunctive and the sequence of tenses first, and
then the section on indirect questions -- which draws on the
first two topics.
PERFECT SYSTEM SUBJUNCTIVE
The perfect system tenses, as you know, are the perfect,
pluperfect and future perfect; they are built on the third
principal part of the verb (for the active voice) and the fourth
principal part (for the passive voice). In the subjunctive mood,
however, there is no future perfect tense -- just as there was no
future subjunctive in the present system. The subjunctive abhors
the future. So you'll be learning only two tenses of the
subjunctive for the perfect system: the perfect and the
pluperfect. As Wheelock tells you, and this can hardly be
overemphasized, verbs of all conjugations operate according to
the same rules in the perfect system, so you needn't look at
verbs of the different conjugations to know how they're going to
work. Once you get to the third and fourth principal parts of
the verbs, regardless of their original conjugations, there is
only one set of rules all verbs follow.
PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE ACTIVE
The formula for the perfect subjunctive active is:
3rd principal part + eri + personal endings
The one oddity is that the personal endings used for the
subjunctive mood in the perfect system are not the endings you
learned for the perfect system in the indicative; the endings are
not "-i, -isti, -it, -imus, -istis, -erunt". The perfect system
subjunctive uses the same endings which are used in the present
system: "-m, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt". Linguists use this fact
as evidence that the subjunctive mood is somehow closely related
to the present system of tenses.
PLUPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE ACTIVE
The formula for the pluperfect subjunctive active is:
3rd principal part + isse + personal endings
As Wheelock tells you, this amounts to the perfect infinitive,
which is the third principal part + isse, with personal endings
attached to the end. Again, the personal endings are not "eram,
eras," etc.; they are "-m, -s," etc.
Let's look at the perfect and pluperfect subjunctive active
for a couple of verbs. Write out the forms for the following
verbs.
Duco, -ere, duxi, ductus
PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st ______________________ ______________________
2nd ______________________ ______________________
3rd ______________________ ______________________
1st ______________________ ______________________
2nd ______________________ ______________________
3rd ______________________ ______________________
Audio, -ire, audivi, auditus
PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st ______________________ ______________________
2nd ______________________ ______________________
3rd ______________________ ______________________
1st ______________________ ______________________
2nd ______________________ ______________________
3rd ______________________ ______________________
Rogo (1)
PERFECT PLUPERFECT
1st ______________________ ______________________
2nd ______________________ ______________________
3rd ______________________ ______________________
1st ______________________ ______________________
2nd ______________________ ______________________
3rd ______________________ ______________________
FUTURE PERFECT INDICATIVE AND PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE COMPARED
Wheelock warns you that the perfect subjunctive is very similar
to the future perfect indicative. Let's have a close look. The
future perfect indicative is built on the third principal part
and uses the future of the verb "sum" for its personal endings
(except for the third person plural, where it's "erint" and not
"erunt"). Compare the future perfect indicative with the perfect
subjunctive from the verb "laudo (1)".
FUTURE PERFECT INDICATIVE PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE
1st ______________________ ______________________
2nd ______________________ ______________________
3rd ______________________ ______________________
1st ______________________ ______________________
2nd ______________________ ______________________
3rd ______________________ ______________________
As you can see, there is only one person in which these two
differ: the first person singular. In all the other forms, they
are identical. But you needn't despair. There is an easy way to
tell the difference between the future perfect indicative and the
perfect subjunctive. You simply look at the context. If you see
the form "laudaverint," for example, in a clause where the
subjunctive is required, then the form is perfect subjunctive.
If, on the other hand, you're in a clause where the subjunctive
is not called for, then the form is future perfect indicative.
It's as simple as that. You know of two subordinate clauses
which require the subjunctive already: purpose and result. In
the future you'll be gathering more. This is really the
simpliest way to work with subjunctives, since knowing when a
verb must be, or probably is, subjunctive greatly reduces the
amount of dictionary time spent looking up words. Take this
sentence, for example:
"Haec dixerunt ut hac sapientia uteremur".
You don't recognize the verb "uteremur," and just looking at it
in isolation, you can see that the conjugated form here could
have a number of possible sources. It could be
- present indicative from a 2nd conjugation verb with a
stem in "utere-"
- future tense indicative from a 3rd conjugation verb
with a stem in "utere-" (short "-e-")
- present subjunctive from a first conjugation verb, stem
"utera-"
- imperfect subjunctive from a 2nd conjugation verb, stem
"ute-"
- imperfect subjunctive from a 3rd conjugation verb, stem
"ute-"
But if you examine the context of the form, you'll notice that
it's in an "ut" clause, and since all "ut" clause you know so far
take the subjunctive, the verb must be in the subjunctive mood,
thus eliminating possibilities 1, 2, and 3. This is precisely
how Latin is read by even the most advanced readers -- only the
experienced reader goes through these steps almost
instantaneously. Let's move on.
PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
You recall that the perfect indicative passive is formed from the
fourth principal part (the perfect passive participle) with a
conjugated form of the verb "sum" in the present tense. The
perfect subjunctive passive is formed exactly the same way, only
the verb "sum" is in the subjunctive mood instead of the
indicative.
laudatus, -a, -um sim
PLUPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE PASSIVE
How do you imagine Latin forms the pluperfect subjuctive passive?
Remember that the pluperfect indicative passive is the fourth
principal part (the perfect passive participle) with a conjugated
form of "sum" in the imperfect tense. Take a guess.
laudatus, -a, -um essem
Let's practice a couple of verbs in the perfect system passive
subjunctive.
Moneo, -ere,m monui, monitus
PERFECT PASSIVE PLUPERFECT PASSIVE
1st ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
2nd ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
3rd ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
1st ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
2nd ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
3rd ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
Praesto, -are, praestiti, praestitus
PERFECT PASSIVE PLUPERFECT PASSIVE
1st ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
2nd ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
3rd ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
1st ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
2nd ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
3rd ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
SEQUENCE OF TENSES
You now know all four tenses of the subjunctive mood -- there is
no future or future perfect of the subjunctive. Next you need to
know how these four tenses are used. First you need to recall
that verbs show absolute time only when in they're indicative
mood; in every other mood, verb show only time relative to the
verb in the indicative mood. Once again, only the indicative
mood shows real time; when verbs are in the infinitive,
participial or subjunctive mood, they can indicate only whether
their action takes place before, during, or after the action of
the main verb. The rules of the "sequence of tenses" tell you
which tense in the subjunctive mood shows which temporal
relationship. Let's be clear on this: the sequence of tenses are
rules that apply to dependent subjunctives (subjunctive verbs in
subordinate clauses) and only to dependent subjunctives. These
rules have nothing to do with participles or infinitives or any
other form of a verb which has relative tense. This is the
sequence of tense of dependent subjunctives only.
For the purposes of these rules, the tenses of the main verb of a
sentence are divided into two categories: the primary tenses, and
the secondary (or historical) tenses.
Primary Tenses: Present
Future
Future Perfect
Perfect
Secondary Tenses: Perfect
Imperfect
Pluperfect
This means that if the main verb is in one of the primary tenses,
then the sentence is in "primary sequence". If the main verb is
in one of the secondary tenses, then the sentence is in
"secondary sequence". Now the rules.
- In primary sequence
- a present subjunctive shows time contemporaneous
or it may show time subsequent to the action of
the main verb;
- a construction called the "active future
periphrastic" with the present subjunctive of the
verb "sum" may be used to show time subsequent to
the action of the main verb;
- a perfect subjunctive shows time prior to the
action of the main verb.
- In secondary sequence
- an imperfect subjunctive shows time
contemporaneous or it may show time subsequent to
the action of the main verb;
- the active future periphrastic with the imperfect
subjunctive of the verb "sum" may show time
subsequent to the action of the main verb;
- a pluperfect subjunctive shows time prior to the
action of the main verb.
Let's look at this another way:
MAIN VERB SUBORDINATE SUBJUNCTIVE TEMPORAL RELATIONSHIP
FUT. PERI. + SIM TIME AFTER
PRIMARY PRESENT SAME TIME OR AFTER
PERFECT TIME BEFORE
FUT. PERI. + ESSEM TIME AFTER
SECONDARY IMPERFECT SAME TIME OR AFTER
PLUPERFECT TIME BEFORE
Let's have a look at how this works (We'll skip the periphrastic
tenses for now.)
- "Haec dicit ut pericula comprehendamus".
(He is saying these things, so that we may understand the dangers.)
- "Via ita longa est ut ad urbem numquam veniant".
(The road is so long that they never come to the city.)
Both of these sentences are in primary sequence because the tense
of the main verb is one of the primary tenses. Therefore any
subordinate subjunctives in the sentence can be either in the
present or perfect tense: the present tense for action
contemporaneous or subsequent to the main verb, the perfect for
action prior. The subordinate clause in the first sentence "ut
pericula comprehendamus" obviously cannot be depicting an action
that occurred before the action of the main verb -- it we already
understood the dangers, then there would be no reason for him to
be speaking. Therefore the tense of the subjunctive is present.
In the second sentence, the result of an activity or state can
never be prior to the event or the state. Consequently, a result
clause, just a purpose clause, can never be prior to the action
of the main verb of the sentence. Therefore, "veniant" is a
present subjunctive, showing time contemporaneous or subsequent
to the main verb "est" in primary sequence.
Now let's change the sequence of these sentences from primary to
secondary by changing the tense of the main verb to one of the
secondary tenses: the imperfect. What will happen to the tense
of the subordinate subjunctives?
- Haec dicebat ut pericula ____________________.
- Via ita longa erat ut ad urbem numquam ____________________.
The temporal relationships of the subordinate subjunctive and the
main verb are still the same: they're both still showing time
contemporaneous or subsequent. But now we're in secondary
sequence, so the tense of the subjunctive must change to the
imperfect, since the imperfect subjunctive shows time
contemporaneous or subsequent in subordinate subjunctives in
secondary sequence. The forms will be "comprehenderemus" and
"venirent". You'll see many more examples of this soon.
INDIRECT QUESTIONS
The title of this section tells it all: just as statements can be
the object of a verb -- becoming "indirect" statements -- so also
direct questions can be objects of verbs -- becoming indirect
questions. Here are some example of how this is done in English.
Rewrite these direct questions as indirect questions after the
leading verb "I wonder".
DIRECT QUESTIONS:
- "What are you doing"?
- "Why are they here"?
- "Are you coming"?
- "How is this done"?
INDIRECT QUESTIONS:
- I wonder _________________________________________________.
- I wonder _________________________________________________.
- I wonder ________________________________________________.
- I wonder _________________________________________________.
Notice the the original direct question is changed very little
when we make it indirect. The only change we make in English is
to "uninvert" the subject and verb: from "what are you doing" to
"what you are doing". Let's look at some more complicated
examples of indirect question in English, because sometimes more
of a change is required to go from direct to indirect questions.
Let's your native English sensitivities guide you in the
following examples.
DIRECT QUESTIONS:
- "Did you see her"?
- "When will he come to help us"?
- "How many times have they told you this"?
- "What kind of trouble were they in"?
INDIRECT QUESTIONS:
(a) I wanted to know
_______________________________________________________.
(b) She asked
_______________________________________________________.
(c) They couldn't say
_______________________________________________________.
(d) They don't remember
_______________________________________________________.
As you can see, when the tenses start varying, the original
direct question is often reshaped when it becomes indirect.
Notice also that there is a variety of verbs which can introduce
indirect question -- not just verbs which are asking a question
like "to ask" to "inquire" etc.
In Latin, as in English, an indirect question is a finite
construction -- that is, the verb of the indirect question has
person. This is unlike the indirect statement in Latin, where
the original finite verb becomes an infinitive, and the original
nominative subject becomes the accusative subject of the
infinitive. The mood of the original verb, however, changes from
the indicative to the subjunctive. Here are some simple examples
to show you how this works.
Dir. Quest.: | Cur venis? | (Why are you coming?) |
Indir. Quest.: | Nescio cur venias. | (I don't know why
you're coming.) |
Dir. Quest.: | Veniuntne nostri amici? | (Are our friends coming?) |
Indir. Quest.: | Rogat veniantne nostri amici. | (He is asking whether our
friends are coming.) |
Dir. Quest.: | Quanta pericula sunt? | (How great are the dangers?) |
Indir. Quest.: | Video quanta pericula sint. | (Now I see how great
the dangers are.) |
OBSERVING SEQUENCE OF TENSE IN INDIRECT QUESTION
As you can see, a sentence with an indirect question embedded in
it is essentially a complex sentence, with a subordinate
subjunctive in a dependent clause. The part of the sentence
which introduces the indirect question is the main clause, and
the indirect question itself is a subordinate clause, in which
the verb happens to be in the subjunctive verb. So, because this
question involves a dependent subjunctive, the rules of the
sequence of tenses come into play.
You remember that the tense of the main verb determines the
sequence of the sentences, and hence determines the tenses
subordinate subjunctives in the sentence can be in. If the main
verb is in one of the primary tenses, then the sentence follows
the primary sequence: the subordinate subjunctives can be in the
present or perfect tenses. If the main verb is in one of the
secondary tenses, then the sentence follows the secondary
sequence: the subordinate subjunctives can be in the imperfect or
pluperfect tenses. Now let's apply these rules to indirect
questions.
TIME CONTEMPORANEOUS
When the indirect question is depicting an event that is
conceived of as contemporaneous with the action of the main verb,
then the subordinate subjunctive is either in the present tense
(primary sequence) or in the imperfect tense (secondary
sequence).
- "Nescio quid facias"?
(I don't know what you're doing.)
- "Nescivi quid faceres"?
(I didn't know what you were
doing.)
- "Rogat veniantne nostri amici".
(He asks whether our
friends are coming.)
- "Rogaverunt venirentne nostri amici"?
(They asked whether
our friends were coming.)
TIME PRIOR
When the indirect question is depicting an event that is
conceived of as having been undertaken before the action of the
main verb, then the subordinate subjunctive is either in the
perfect tense (primary sequence) or in the pluperfect tense
(secondary sequence).
- "Nescio quid feceris".
(I don't know what you did.)
- "Nescivi quid fecisses".
(I didn't know what you had done
(or did).)
- "Rogat venerintne nostri amici".
(He asks whether our
friends came.)
- "Rogaverunt venissentne nostri amici".
(They asked whether
our friends had come (or came).)
TIME SUBSEQUENT (AFTER)
When the indirect question is depicting an event that is
conceived as coming after the action of the main verb, then the
subordinate subjunctive is the active future periphrastic with
the present subjunctive of "sum" in the present tense (primary
sequence) or the active future periphrastic with the imperfect
subjunctive of "sum".
- (a) "Nescio quid facturus sis".
(I don't know what you will do
(you're going to do).)
- (b) "Nescivi quid facturus esses".
(I didn't know what you were
going to do (would do).)
- (c) "Rogat sintne venturi nostri amici".
(He asks whether our
friends will come (are going to come).)
- (d) "Rogaverunt essentne venturi nostri amici".
(They asked
whether our friends were coming (would come).)
Let's summarize all this in one place:
PRIMARY SEQUENCE
quid facturus sis (what you will do)
Nescio quid facias (what you are doing)
quid feceris (what you did)
sintne venturi nostri amici (whether our friends will come)
Rogo veniuntne nostri amici (whether our friends are coming)
venerintne nostri amici (whether our friends came)
SECONDARY SEQUENCE
quid facturus esses (what you would do)
Nescivi quid faceres (what you were doing)
quid fecisses (what you did)
essentne venturi nostri (whether our friends would come)
amici
Rogavi venerentne nostri amici (whether our friends were
coming)
venissentne nostri amici (whether our friends had
come)
SOME ADDITIONAL WORK
It's going to take some time, and a lot of practice, to master
all the material in this chapter. I suggest you start by working
through Wheelock's answered exercises for this chapter. Read the
entire sentence before you get down to translating it. Pass you
eyes over every word of it, and don't top until you get to the
end of the setnece. Try to size up the architecture of the
sentence. Identify the main clause, the main verb, look for
subordinate clauses and try to identify them as relative,
purpose, result, indirect statement, indirect question, etc.
Once you've seen the entire sentence, and once you have a feel
for where all the parts of it are heading, then you can begin the
work of translating with greater direction. Struggle with the
sentence for a while before you look up the answers. Try to make
them make sense. (And constantly ask youself what sequence of
tense the sentence is following.)
VOCABULARY PUZZLES
cognosco The "-sc-" inserted before the ending of the verb
is call the "inceptive" or "inchoative" infix. It
denotes the sense that the action of the verb is
only in the process of being realized or in the
very beginning stages. "Cognosco," therefore,
means "to get to know" or "to become acquainted
with," not "to know". In the perfect tense, the
verb means "to have gotten to know" or "to have
become acquainted with," and this amounts to our
present tense "to know". Therefore, we translate
"cognovi" not "I knew" but "I know" ("I got
know.").
comprehendo Look at the range of meanings for this verb. All
the meanings are related to the idea of getting
hold of something. Also, check the third
principal part, "comprehendi". Some of the forms
of the perfect tense will be identical to those of
the present tense: "comprehendit" (he grasps), and
"comprehendit" (he grasped); "comprehendimus" (we
grasped), and "comprehendimus" (we grasped).
01/10/93