19.03.26: Level 3; Subjunctive; introduction (1)

The subjunctive is often left until (almost) last in a standard Latin grammar book, and there are sound reasons for that:

[1] The subjunctive is formed from endings that you have already seen. However, they are used differently and so it’s important to be familiar with the endings before you apply them to the subjunctive.

[2] For native English speakers at least, the term ‘subjunctive’ can seem like a closed book.

[3] Unlike many other grammatical features of Latin, the subjunctive performs a whole range of functions. At first this can seem overwhelming but keep it slow and steady!

The Strawberry Fields Subjunctive

We all remember things in different ways. Some memory aids are well known — Mr. Roy G. Biv for the colours of the rainbow (Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo and Violet), or Every Good Boy Deserves Favour for the notes on the line of the treble clef. Others are very personal, even a bit peculiar, but that doesn’t matter. If it helps you remember, it works.

For example, in Malay kiri means “left” and kanan means “right”. By inserting an extra n, I used the name of the opera singer Kiri te Kana(n)wa to remember which was which: kiri to the left of her name, kana(n) to the right. Bizarre, perhaps — but unforgettable!

When faced with so many different subjunctive uses, which can initially feel unrelated or difficult to translate precisely,  two phrases – one a movie title and one a line from a Beatles’ song – summarised, for me, two important connecting features of this lengthy and sprawling subject.

[1] Harrison Ford & Michelle Pfeiffer: What Lies Beneath (to be fair, the subjunctive isn’t as creepy as the film poster!) i.e. What attitude or underlying meaning lies beneath a subjunctive?

[2] Beatles:

Let me take you down / 'Cause I'm going to strawberry fields / Nothing is real

The idea of something “vague”, “not clearly defined”, or “not presented as real” fits the subjunctive perfectly.

Therefore, the meaning that lies beneath the subjunctive is not real even if that is not always directly expressed in the English translation.

As the posts progress we will look slowly at the subjunctive, how it is formed and how it’s used.