CL210: Intermediate Latin
Skidmore College/Spring, 2008
C. Welser
What is the Sequence of Tenses?
As you know by now, certain kinds of subordinate clauses in Latin require the
subjunctive mood. With practice, you’ll learn to recognize these kinds of clauses and to
understand the significance of the subjunctive in them. But the tenses in which the
subjunctive appears in subordinate clauses can seem confusing at first. The sequence
of tenses explains why subjunctives in subordinate clauses are in the tenses that they’re
in, and it provides insight as to how they ought to be translated.
I. Primary and Secondary Tenses of the Indicative
Actually Latin has two “sequences of tenses,” one primary and one secondary. The
secondary sequence is also called the “historical” sequence.
►The primary sequence includes all forms of the indicative whose action is NOT YET
COMPLETE when the sentence containing the verb is spoken or written. Thus, the indicatives
in the primary sequence are normally the present, future, and future perfect.*
►The secondary or historical sequence includes all forms of the indicative whose action
IS COMPLETE when the sentence containing the verb is spoken or written. The indicatives in
primary sequence are normally the imperfect, perfect, and pluperfect.*
II. Subjunctives in Primary and Secondary Sequence
The tense of a subjunctive in a subordinate clause is determined by two things:
(1) Whether the verb in the main clause is a primary- or secondary-tense verb. If
it is the former, the subjunctive follows the rules for the primary sequence. If it is the
latter, the subjunctive follows the rules for the secondary sequence.
(2) Whether the action of the verb in the subordinate clause is seen as being
accomplished before that of the verb in the main clause, or whether the action of the verb
in the subordinate clause is seen as being accomplished at the same time as, or subsequent
to, the action of the verb in the main clause.
*
Sometimes the perfect tense, when it refers unmistakably to the present situation created by a past action, can also
be a primary tense. The verb vēnimus, for example, may mean in English either “we came” OR “we have come.” If
it clearly has the second meaning, which is equivalent to “we are here,” then vēnimus could be treated as a primarytense verb: contrast vēnimus ut dōna tibi dēmus (primary sequence: we have come that we may give you gifts) with
vēnimus ut dōna tibi darēmus (secondary sequence: we came that we might give you gifts).
1
The tense of a subjunctive verb in a subordinate clause will reflect these two
considerations. The chart below shows how they combine to uniquely determine the
tense of a subjunctive verb in a subordinate clause.
SEQUENCE
Primary
(Present, Future, or Future
Perfect Indicative in the main
clause)
Secondary/Historical
(Perfect, Imperfect, or Pluperfect
Indicative in the main clause)
Completion of action of verb in
subordinate clause relative to
completion of action of verb in
the main clause.
TENSE OF
SUBJUNCTIVE IN
SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
Same Time /After
Present
Before
Perfect
Same Time / After
Imperfect
Before
Pluperfect
EXAMPLES USING INDIRECT QUESTIONS:
Primary Sequence
He is asking…
He will ask…
He will have asked…
He is asking…
He will ask…
He will have asked…
what you are doing.
Rogat…
Rogābit…
Rogāverit…
quid faciās.
what you did.
Rogat…
Rogābit…
Rogāverit…
quid fēceris.
Secondary Sequence
He asked
He used to ask
He had asked…
He asked…
He used to ask…
He had asked…
what you were doing
(i.e., when he was asking)
what you had done
(i.e., before he asked)
2
Rogāvit…
Rogābat…
Rogāverat… quid facerēs.
Rogāvit…
Rogābat…
Rogāverat… quid fēcissēs.