Level 3+; Subjunctive [2] the tenses [1] the present subjunctive [i]

The subjunctive has different tenses and those tenses are not confined to specific uses i.e. you will see them operating in a range of contexts. We will begin with the present subjunctive before looking at some uses where it frequently occurs.

[1] All forms of the present subjunctive have the same personal endings as other verb forms:

-m

-s

-t

-mus

-tis

-nt

[2] Image #1: the stems to which those endings are added are different, and the most common way of remembering them is the phrase wE fEAr A lIAr. Note the vowel lengthening in the 2^nd person singular and the 1^st / 2^nd person plural:

1^st conjugation: -E- (-ē-)

“wE”: amEm, amēs, amet, amēmus, amētis, ament

2^nd conjugation: -ea- (-eā-)

“fEAr”: habEAm, habeās, habeat, habeāmus, habeātis, habeant

3^rd conjugation: -a- (-ā-)

“A”: vīvAm, vīvās, vīvat, vīvāmus, vīvātis, vīvant

3^rd-iō / 4^th conjugation -ia- (-iā-)

“lIAr”: capIAm, capiās, capiat, capiāmus, capiātis, capiant

“lIAr”: audIAm, audiās, audiat, audiāmus, audiātis, audiant

[3] Image #2: Irregular verbs also form their present subjunctives from a single stem + the personal endings:

[i] eō, īre: go

eām, eās, eat, eāmus, eātis, eant

And compounds will be formed in the same way:

[ii] sum, esse: be

sim, sīs, sit, sīmus, sītis, sint

[iii] possum, posse: be able (i.e. formed from sum, esse)

possim, possīs, possit, possīmus, possītis, possint