06.07.26; Level 3+; Subjunctive [65] dependent uses [6] indirect questions (3); tense sequences (ii) primary and historic

Compare [1] the primary sequence with [2] the historic sequence

Note that English and Latin operate in a similar way, except that the indirect question in Latin uses the subjunctive.

[1] Primary Sequence (Image part #1):

[i] The present subjunctive is used when the action is happening at the time of the main verb.

I ask him ¦ what he is doing. │ Eum rogō ¦ quid faciat.

I will ask him ¦ what he is doing. │ Eum rogābō ¦ quid faciat.

I have asked him ¦ what he is doing. │ Eum rogāvī ¦ quid faciat.

Ask him ¦ what he is doing. │ Rogā eum ¦ quid faciat.

[ii] The perfect subjunctive refers to an action that happened / has happened before the time of the main verb.

I will ask him ¦ what he did / has done. │ Eum rogābō ¦ quid fēcerit.

• Ego illud sciō ¦ quam doluerit ¦ cordī meō (Plautus) │ I know one thing – how (much) it has grieved my heart.
• Ex mē quaeris ¦ quid dēlīquerīs (Plautus) │ And you ask from me ¦ what you have done wrong.
• Possum scīre … quid vēnerīs? (Plautus) │ Can I know … ¦ why you have come?

Look out for passive and deponent forms:

• Nunc iam summātim expōnam ¦ quibus crīminibus Oppianicus damnātus sit (Cicero) │ Now I shall briefly set out ¦ on what charges Oppianicus was convicted.
• Sed lege indicium et vidē ¦ quem ad modum nōminātus sit (Cicero) │ But read the evidence and see ¦ in what manner he was named.
• 'Nōn indicās' inquit 'quid locūtus sīs.' (Quintilian) │ ‘You do not make known,” he said “What you have said.’

[iii] the construction with the future participle + the subjunctive of esse is used when the action is going to / will happen after the time of the main verb

I ask him ¦ what he is going to / will do. │ Eum rogō ¦ quid factūrus sit.

• Hinc intellegimus, quālis futūrus sīs (Scrīptōrēs Historiae Augustae) │ From this we understand ¦ what kind of man you will be.

[2] Historic Sequence (Image part #2):

[i] The imperfect subjunctive is used when the action was happening at the time of the main verb.

I asked him ¦ what he was doing. │ Eum rogāvī ¦ quid faceret.

• Interrogāvit ¦ quid esset (Seneca the Elder) │ He asked ¦ what it was.
• Interrogāvitque, ¦ quis esset (Vitruvius) │ And he asked ¦ who he was.
• Eum interrogāvit ¦ quid significāret verbum (Gellius) │ He asked him ¦ what the word meant.

[ii] The pluperfect subjunctive is used when the action had already happened before the time of the main verb. Focus, in particular, on the English use of had to emphasise that an action was already completed.

I asked him ¦ what he had done. │ Eum rogāvī ¦ quid fēcisset.

• Interrogāvit, ¦ quis id lignum ita composuisset (Gellius)│ He asked ¦ who had arranged that wood like that.
• Interrogāvit eum pater ¦ ā quō vulnerātus esset (Quintilian) │ The father asked him ¦ by whom he had been injured.

Look out for passive and deponent forms:

• Interrogāvit eum pater ¦ ā quō vulnerātus esset (Quintilian) │ The father asked him ¦ by whom he had been injured.
• At ille etiam proximus torō sēdit, ¦ quō diē quā hōrā nāta esset ¦ interrogāvit (Cicero) │ But he also sat down close to the bed and asked ¦ on what day and at what hour she had been born.

[iii] the construction with the future participle + the imperfect subjunctive of esse is used when the action would  / was going to happen after the time of the main verb

I asked him ¦ what he would do. │ Eum rogāvī ¦ quid factūrus esset.

• Exspectābant hominēs ¦ quidnam āctūrus esset (Cicero) │ People were waiting (to see) ¦ what he intended to do / would do.
• Metellus Pius in Hispāniā interrogātus, ¦ quid posterā diē factūrus esset, ¦ "tunicam meam..." inquit, "combūrerem." (Frontinus) │ Metellus Pius, having been questioned in Spain ¦ about what he would do the next day, said “I would burn … my tunic.’

Bear the image in mind, because it clearly shows how English translates each of the different subjunctive uses. Translators may not always maintain this pattern, but at this stage it is better to keep the translations of each use distinct. You need to take time - and plenty of reading - to "absorb" these constructions. Go slowly and - unlike Metellus Pius - don't burn your tunic!