Latin for beginners (1911)/Part III/Lesson LXIII

by Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge

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LESSON LXIII

INFLECTION OF THE IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE
THE SEQUENCE OF TENSES

354. The imperfect subjunctive may be formed by adding the personal endings to the present active infinitive.

Conj. I	Conj. II	Conj. III		Conj. IV
ACTIVE
1. amā´rem	monē´rem	re´gerem	ca´perem	audī´rem
2. amā´rēs	monē´rēs	re´gerēs	ca´perēs	audī´rēs
3. amā´ret	monē´ret	re´geret	ca´peret	audī´ret
1. amārē´mus	monērē´mus	regerē´mus	caperē´mus	audīrē´mus
2. amārē´tis	monērē´tis	regerē´tis	caperē´tis	audīrē´tis
3. amā´rent	monē´rent	re´gerent	ca´perent	audī´rent
PASSIVE
1. amā´rer	monē´rer	re´gerer	ca´perer	audī´rer
2. amārē´ris(-re)	monērē´ris(-re)	regerē´ris(-re)	caperē´ris(-re)	audīrē´ris(-re)
3. amārē´tur	monērē´tur	regerē´tur	caperē´tur	audīrē´tur
1. amārē´mur	monērē´mur	regerē´mur	caperē´mur	audīrē´mur
2. amārē´minī	monērē´minī	regerē´minī	caperē´minī	audīre´minī
3. amāren´tur	monēren´tur	regeren´tur	caperen´tur	audīren´tur

a. In a similar way inflect the imperfect subjunctive, active and passive, of cūrō, iubeō, sūmō, iaciō, mūniō. 355. The imperfect subjunctive of the irregular verb sum is inflected as follows:

Sing.	es´sem	Plur.	essē´mus
	2. es´sēs		2. essē´tis
	3. es´set		3. es´sent

356. The three great distinctions of time are present, past, and future. All tenses referring to present or future time are called primary tenses, and those referring to past time are called secondary tenses. Now it is a very common law of language that in a complex sentence the tense in the dependent clause should be of the same kind as the tense in the principal clause. In the sentence He says that he is coming, the principal verb, says, is present, that is, is in a primary tense; and is coming, in the dependent clause, is naturally also primary. If I change he says to he said,—in other words, if I make the principal verb secondary in character,—I feel it natural to change the verb in the dependent clause also, and I say, He said that he was coming. This following of a tense by another of the same kind is called tense sequence, from sequī, “to follow.” I.Latin the law of tense sequence is obeyed with considerable regularity, especially when an indicative in the principal clause is followed by a subjunctive in the dependent clause. Then a primary tense of the indicative is followed by a primary tense of the subjunctive, and a secondary tense of the indicative is followed by a secondary tense of the subjunctive. Learn the following table:

357. Table for Sequence of Tenses

	Principal Verb in the Indicative	Dependent Verbs in the Subjunctive
		Incomplete or Continuing Action	Completed Action
P r i m a r y	Present Future Future perfect	Present	Perfect
S e c o n d a r y	Imperfect Perfect Pluperfect	Imperfect	Pluperfect

358. Rule. Sequence of Tenses. Primary tenses are followed by primary tenses and secondary by secondary.

359.

EXAMPLES

I. Primary tenses in principal and dependent clauses:

		Mittit Mittet Mīserit	hominēs ut agrōs vāstent
He	sends will send will have sent		men	that they may in order to to	lay waste the fields

II. Secondary tenses in principal and dependent clauses:

		Mittēbat Mīsit Mīserat	hominēs ut agrōs vāstārent
He	was sending sent or has sent had sent		men	that they might in order to to	lay waste the fields

360.

EXERCISES

I.

1. Vēnerant ut	dūcerent, mitterent, vidērent, audīrent, dūcerentur, mitterentur, vidērentur, audirentur
2. Fugiēbat nē	caperētur, trāderētur, vidērētur, necārētur, raperētur, resiteret.
3. Misit nūntiōs quī	dīcerent, audīrent, venīrent, nārrārent, audīrentur, in conciliō sedērent.
4. Castra mūnīvērunt quō facilius	sēsē dēfenderent, impetum sustinērent, hostīs vincerent, salūtem peterent.

II.

1. Cæsar encouraged the soldiers in order that they might fight more bravely.
2. The Helvetii left their homes to wage war.
3. The scouts set out at once lest they should be captured by the Germans.
4. Cæsar inflicted punishment on them in order that the others might be more terrified.
5. He sent messengers to Rome to announce the victory.

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References