The potential subjunctive is an independent use of the
subjunctive that expresses a possible or conceivable action. It often
corresponds in English to might, could, would, should, or may, typically in the
sense of opinion or hypothetical action rather than statement of fact.
[1] Present Subjunctive: present / future (often general) potential
The present subjunctive expresses what might be thought or done, often in a general or timeless sense, not necessarily tied to a specific future moment.
Contrast with the indicative (statement of fact):
Quis hoc putat? │ Who thinks this?
Subjunctive:
Quis hoc putet? │ Who would think this?
Aliquis dīcat (Terence) │ Someone may say.
Nōn ausim id facere │ I would not dare
to do this.
Fortūnam citius reperiās quam retineās.
(Publius Syrus) │ You may sooner find fortune than (you may)
keep it.
Crēdās nōn dē puerō scrīptum sed ā puerō (Pliny) │
You would think that it was written not about a boy but by a boy.
Note the use of forsitan, which can be a “marker”
of a potential subjunctive.
Forsitan hoc etiam gaudeat ipsa cinis (Calvus)
│ Perhaps the very ash may rejoice in this.
Forsitan quaerātis… (Cicero) │ Perhaps you
may ask …
Forsitan occurrat illud │ That may perhaps happen.
Biting example from Cicero:
“Domum,” inquit, “ēmistī.” “Putēs,” inquam,
“dīcere: Iūdicēs ēmistī.”
“You’ve bought a house,” he said. “One might think,” I said, “you meant
to say: You bought the judges.”
[2] Perfect subjunctive: tentative Assertion / Modest
Judgment
The perfect subjunctive can express the same idea as the
present, often conveying tentative, cautious, or modest assertion rather than a
factual statement.
Dīxerim pauca │ I could say a few things
Crēdiderim │ I should believe.
Id fēcerīs │ You could do this.
Aliquis dīxerit │ Somebody might say.
In this context it often expresses a rather tentative
idea:
Dixerim hoc satis esse │ I would say that’s
enough.
Dē istō hactenus dīxerim (Cicero) │ Literally:
Thus far I may say about this = I
need only say this much.
Not every sentence fits the “rules”: in the next example,
the perfect subjunctive conveys a tentative statement about a past action
rather than the usual present or future potential:
Forsitan temerē fēcerim (Cicero) │ Perhaps I
may have acted rashly.
[3] Imperfect Subjunctive: hypothetical / unreal circumstances
The prisoners in Kander and Ebb’s “Chicago” – justifying
the murders of their partners – sing (in bold) a further example of a potential
subjunctive!
If you had been there
If you had seen it
I bet you, you would have done the same.
(Cell Block Tango)
Take away the “if’s”:
“You would have done the same.” Even on its own, that
sentence refers to unreal circumstances.
Pliny expresses the same idea with the imperfect
subjunctive:
Audīrēs
ululātūs fēminārum, infantum quirītātūs, clāmōrēs virōrum (Pliny) │ You
would have heard the wailing of women, the shrieks of children, the
shouting of men.
Here, Pliny is describing what someone would have
experienced if they had been present during the Vesuvius eruption.
The imperfect subjunctive (audīrēs)
expresses the past hypothetical / unreal circumstances, just like the English
example.
The imperfect subjunctive expresses what might have
happened in the past, under unreal or hypothetical circumstances. The action
did not actually occur; it is purely imagined.
Present subjunctive: Crēdās eum hominem bonum esse
│ You might believe that he is a good man.
Imperfect subjunctive: Crēderēs eum hominem bonum
esse │ You might have believed that he was a good man.
Other examples:
Crēderēs victōs (Livy) │ You would have thought
them defeated.
Reōs dīcerēs (Livy) │ You would have said they were culprits.
Vidērēs susurrōs (Horace)│ You might have seen
them whispering.
Cēnam coquerēs │ You could have cooked the
dinner.
[4] Important Note: as you learn more tenses and uses of
the subjunctive, you will see that a single subjunctive form can have different
interpretations depending on context.
Example: Vīvāmus Rōmae
[i] Hortatory: Let’s live in Rome
[ii] Potential: We could live in Rome
Context determines whether the speaker is urging action
(hortatory) or expressing potential.
Similarly:
Maneās in villā meā
[i] Jussive: You may / should stay in my
house; Stay in my house: giving a command or strong suggestion. The
speaker wants this to happen.
[ii] Potential: You could stay in my house:
expressing possibility or hypothetical action. The speaker is considering or
stating what could happen, without urging it.
Id fēcerīs
[i] Jussive: You may / should do this.
[ii] Potential: You could do this.
However, at this stage, it is best not to go into too
much detail or interpret subtle nuances based on context. It is enough to be
aware that such nuances exist.
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