Latin II
Study Guide
Chapters 52-54
The test will focus on the following items:
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The Present and Perfect Tense Subjunctive
Impersonal verbs
The subordinate conjunctions ut and ne
Functions of the Subjunctive (indirect commands, purpose cluses, etc.)
Vocabulary from Chapters 52-54
The Present Subjunctive
As you’ve seen the subjunctive mood only exists in four tenses: the present,
imperfect, perfect, and pluperfect. There are no future or future perfect forms. The
present subjunctive is formed by using a vowel shift; which means that the theme vowel
for each conjugation will change. To remember this shift use the mnemonic:
Let’s eat caviar.
The first syllable ‘e’ shows the new theme vowel for the new theme vowel for the
first conjugation (normally it would be ‘a’.) The second vowel group ‘ea’ shows the new
theme vowel group for the second conjugation (normally it would be ‘e’.) The third
vowel ‘a’ shows the new theme vowel for the third conjugation (normally an ‘i’.) And
finally, the fourth vowel group ‘ia’ shows the new theme vowel for the 3rd –io and fourth
conjugations (normally ‘io’, ‘ie’, and ‘iu’.)
Here is the complete present subjunctive present tense fully conjugated:
First Person
Second Person
Third Person
First Conjugation
Singular
Plural
amem
amemus
ames
ametis
amet
ament
Second Conjugation
Singular
Plural
caveam
caveamus
caveas
caveatis
caveat
caveant
First Person
Second Person
Third Person
Third Conjugation
Singular
Plural
agam
agamus
agas
agatis
agat
agant
Fourth Conjugation
Singular
Plural
sciam
sciamus
scias
sciatis
sciat
sciant
Remember that the 3rd –io verbs (such as ‘facio, -ere’) follow the pattern of the fourth
conjugation.
The verb sum has an irregular conjugation in the subjunctive, as you might expect:
First Person
Second Person
Third Person
Singular
sim
sis
sit
Plural
simus
sitis
sint
Passive Present Subjunctive
For the passive of the present sunjunctive you merely replace the primary endings
with the passive endings:
First Conjugation
Singular
Plural
amer
amemur
ameris
amemini
ametur
amentur
First Person
Second Person
Third Person
Second Conjugation
Singular
Plural
cavear
caveamur
cavearis
caveamini
caveatur
caveantur
Perfect Subjunctive
For the active of the perfect subjunctive you simply add the endings –erim, -eris,
-erit, -erimus, -eritis, -erint. to the 3rd principle part of the verb. Notice how close the
resulting form is to the indicative future perfect:
First Person
Second Person
Third Person
Singular
amaverim
amaveris
amaverit
Plural
amaverimus
amaveritis
amaverint
For the passive of the perfect you combine the fourth principle part of the verb with the
present subjunctive of the verb sum (which you learned above):
First Person
Second Person
Third Person
Singular
amatus sim
amatus sis
amatus sit
Plural
amati simus
amati sitis
amati sint
Impersonal Verbs
Impersonal verbs are verbs that have no forms except 3rd person singular forms
and infinitive forms. For this reason when listed in vocabulary entries the first principle
part will be the 3rd person singular present tense active (rather than the 1st person singular
present tense active) and the third principle part will be the 3rd person singular perfect
tense active (rather than the 1st person singular perfect tense active)
The following verbs and verbal phrases that you’ve met are impersonal:
necesse est = it is necessary
licet, licere, licuit = it is allowed
placet, placere, placuit = it is pleasing, it was decided (that)
decet, decere, decuit = it is becoming, it is fitting
oportet, -ere, oportuit = it is right, it is fitting
taedet, taedere, taesum est = it bores, it tires
pluit, pluere, pluvit = it rains
advesperascit, advesperascere, advesperacit = it gets dark
lucet, lucere, luxit = it shines, it is day
ningit, ningere, ninguit = it snows *
grandinat, grandinare, grandinavit = it hails *
The Subordinate Conjunctions ‘ut’ and ‘ne’
The subordinate conjunction ‘ut’ is a useful word that introduces several types of
subjunctive clauses. Depending on context it can be translated as “that”, “in order to”,
“to”, “so that”, “when” or “although”.
Ancillae huc illuc concursabant ut omnia pararent.
= The maids were running to and fro so that they might prepare everything.
= The maids were running about to and fro in order to prepare everything.
When used with a subjunctive the negative of ‘ut’ is ‘ne’, which can be translated as “so
that... not” or somple as “lest”:
Super limen sublata est ne laberetur.
= She was carried over the threshold so that she would not stumble.
= She was carried over the threshold lest she stumble.
Uses of the Subjunctive
There are ten uses of the subjunctive in Latin:
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Purpose Clauses
Casual Subjunctive
Circumstantial Subjunctive
Indirect Commands
Indirect Questions
Result Clauses
Hortatory Subjunctive *
Jussive Subjunctive *
Optative Subjunctive *
Fear/Danger Clauses *