Level 3+; Subjunctive [27] independent uses [5] optative [iv] practice

[1] with the present subjunctive [wishing that something would (not) happen]

Utinam valeās. │ If only you would be strong.

Utinam nē haesitem. │ If only I would not hesitate.

1. Utinam nē dēspērēs.
2. Utinam Lēda ad Galliam veniat.
3. Utinam vincās.
4. Utinam nē doleam.
5. Utinam Calpurnia adsit.
6. Utinam ad Graeciam veniās.
7. Utinam Diāna appāreat.
8. Utinam nē Medūsa timeat.
9. Utinam tibi liceat discēdere.
10. Utinam praesīs.

[2] with the imperfect subjunctive [wishing that something were (not) happening now]:

Utinam potentior essem. │ Would that I were / if only I were more powerful.

1. Utinam Claudia in Italiā studēret.
2. Utinam nē furerēs.
3. Utinam aquam habērēs.
4. Utinam nē timērēs.
5. Utinam domī tempus agerem.
6. Utinam ille potestātem habēret.
7. Utinam illa esset validior.
8. Utinam nē dolērēs.
9. Utinam mihi licēret discēdere.
10. Utinam in Hispāniā prandērem.

[3] with the pluperfect subjunctive [wishing that something had (not) happened]:

Utinam vēnissent. │ If only they had come.

1. Utinam nē āfuissēs.
2. Utinam Carthāginem vēnissem.
3. Utinam perītior fuissēs.
4. Utinam domina fuisset sapientior.
5. Utinam nē discessissēs.
6. Utinam audācior fuissem.
7. Utinam nē rēx dēspērāvisset.
8. Utinam domum vēnissēs.
9. Utinam nē fūgissēs.
10. Utinam mātrī licuisset abīre.

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[1]

1. If only you would not despair.
2. If only Leda would come to Gaul.
3. If only you would win.
4. If only I would not suffer.
5. If only Calpurnia would be present.
6. If only you would come to Greece.
7. If only Diana would appear.
8. If only Medusa would not be afraid.
9. If only it would be permitted to you to depart = If only you’d be allowed to depart.
10. If only you would be in charge.

[2]

1. Would that / if only Claudia were studying in Italy.
2. Would that / if only you were not raging.
3. Would that / if only you had water.
4. Would that / if only you were not afraid.
5. Would that / if only I were spending time at home.
6. Would that / if only he had power.
7. Would that / if only she were stronger.
8. Would that / if only you were not suffering.
9. Would that / if only it were permitted for me to depart.
10. Would that / if only I were having lunch in Spain.

[3]

1. Would that / if only you had not been away.
2. Would that / if only I had come to Carthage.
3. Would that / if only you had been more skillful.
4. Would that / if only the mistress had been wiser.
5. Would that / if only you had not departed.
6. Would that / if only I had been bolder.
7. Would that / if only the king had not despaired.
8. Would that / if only you had come home.
9. Would that / if only you had not fled.
10. Would that / if only it had been permitted for the mother to depart.

Level 3+; Subjunctive [26] independent uses [5] optative [iii] Latin tutorial

The optative is a very good example of the way in which different tenses of the subjunctive convey different meanings

Utinam veniat! │ If only he would come i.e. the speaker is referring to a hope for the future

Utinam venīret! │ If only he were coming (now) i.e. a wish for something to happen in the present

Utinam vēnisset! │ If only he had come; in grammar, this can be called contrary-to-fact i.e. what is wished for can no longer happen

Level 3+; Subjunctive [25] independent uses [5] optative [ii] pluperfect subjunctive

[1] Compare:

Present subjunctive: Utinam veniat │ If only he would come (referring to the future)

Imperfect subjunctive: Utinam venīret │ If only he were coming (now i.e. referring to the present)

Pluperfect subjunctive: Utinam vēnisset │ If only he had come (referring to the past)

The pluperfect subjunctive in this context expresses a contrary to fact idea i.e. it is a wish for something that did not happen:

Utinam tē vīdissem │ If only I had seen you (but I didn’t)

Utinam vēnissēs │ If only you had come (but you didn’t)

[2] From the authors:

Ō utinam in thalamōs invīsī Caesaris īssem (Lucanus) │ O, if only I had gone into the chambers of hated Caesar.

Utinam tēcum fuissem, pater (Seneca the Elder) │ If only I had been with you, father

Utinam intervēnissem (Seneca the Elder) │ If only I had intervened

Utinam et illōs servāre potuissem (Seneca the Elder) │ Would that I had been able to save them too.

Sed utinam tantum ego eī prōdesse potuissem … (Cicero) │ But would that I had been able to help him as much …

Utinam … propius tē accessissem (Cicero) │ How I wish I had got nearer to you

Sīc faciendum est, tibi enim ipsī (cui utinam semper pāruissem!) sīc videō placēre (Cicero) │ It must be done this way, for I see it thus pleases you yourself (whom I wish I had always obeyed).

Ruere et aequārī solō utinam arcuissem (Seneca the Younger) │ Would that I had prevented (it) from collapsing and being leveled to the ground.

Utinam iam ante vīdissēs neque tōtum animum tuum errōrī mēcum simul dedissēs (Cicero) │ If only you had seen (it) before, and had not given your whole mind to error together with me

Utinam mē mortuum vīdissēs (Cicero) │ Would that you had seen me dead

Utinam crēdibilia fīnxissēs! (Quintilianus) │ If only you had made up credible (things / stories)!

… mihi vērō mēns integra est. Atque utinam tam in perīculō fuisset (Cicero) │ My mind, indeed, is pure. And would that it had been so in such danger

Quod utinam ipse fēcisset (Quintilianus) │ If only he had done it himself.

Utinam istuc pugnī fēcissent tuī (Plautus) │ If only your fists had done that

Utinam illud nōn verē respondissent (Apuleius Madaurensis) │ If only they had not answered that truthfully

Rōmānīs utinam patuissent castra puellīs! (Propertius) │ If only camps had been open to Roman girls! [ = Would that camps admitted Roman girls!]

Level 3+; Subjunctive [24] independent uses [5] optative [i] present and imperfect subjunctive

From La: optō, -āre [1]: wish

We’ll begin again with some lines from the student song Gaudeāmus igitur. This is what the students wish to happen.

Vīvat Acadēmia, │ May the Academy live [= long live the Academy]

Vīvant professōrēs, │ May the professors live [= long live the professors]

Vīvat Acadēmia,

Vīvant professōrēs,

Vīvat membrum quodlibet, │ May each member live

Vīvant membra quaelibet, │ May all members live

Semper sint in flōre! │ May they always be in bloom!

Semper sint in flōre!

Alternative versions have the following lines:

Pereat trīstitia, │ May sorrow perish,

Pereant ōsōrēs, │ May the haters perish,

Pereat diabolus, │ May the devil perish,

[1] The optative subjunctive is used to express wishes or hopes.

In English, statements such as May he rest in peace or May all your wishes come true can be expressed in Latin using the present subjunctive, for example:

Requiēscat in pāce│ May he rest in peace

May you learn the optative subjunctive from the King!

Vīvat rēgīna / rēx │ Literally: May the Queen / King live = Long live the Queen / King

From the coronation of Charles III and the Queen Consort (with a real OMG! Look on her face) in Westminster Abbey; Anglicised / English ceremonial Latin pronunciation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxMTI1YbAxw

The construction is most often used with utinam (if only):

Utinam veniat │ If only he would come; the present subjunctive expresses a wish for the future i.e. wishing that something would happen

Utinam mīlitēs vincant │ If only the soldiers would win.

Utinam fēlīx sīs │ Literally: if only you would be happy; would that you may be happy > I hope you may be happy

[2] The negative optative is formed with nē (although it sometimes can be found with nōn):

Utinam nē hoc accidat │ If only this would not happen

[3] Translations may vary from the ‘model’ above, but they still all express the idea of wishing or hoping.

From Plautus:

Dī immortālēs, utinam conveniam domī Periphanem │ By the immortal gods, if only I could meet Periphanes at home

Utinam mea mihi modo auferam, quae adtuli, salva │ If only I might just carry off my own things, which I brought, safe

Utinam audīre nōn queās │ If only you couldn’t hear

Utinam nunc stimulus in manū mihi sit. │ Literally: If only an ox goad would be in my hand now = Oh, if I could only get hold of an ox goad now!

From Cicero:

Utinam illum diem videam │ If only I may see that day / Would that I may see that day

Utinam quidem Antōnium conveniam │ If only / I wish I could meet Antony

Utinam prōficere possim │ If only I could make progress

Utinam modo cōnāta efficere possim │ If only I could just accomplish what I’ve attempted

Atque utinam continuō ad complexum meae Tulliae, … possim currere │ And I only wish I could run straight to the embraces of my Tullia

Quamquam dē ipsā Siciliā utinam sit vērum │ However, I do hope the news about Sicily may prove true

Atque utinam ipse Varro incumbat in causam! │ If only Varro himself were to / I only wish Varro himself would throw his weight into my cause

Utinam … Cotta Sardiniam teneat │ I only hope Cotta may hold Sardinia

Utinam īdem maneat Hortēnsius │ If only Hortensius may stay the same [in context: … may keep the same mind]

Atque utinam potius per populum agat quam per senātum │ And if only he would act through the people rather than through the Senate

Take a second look at the Cicero quotations above: all of them use the present subjunctive and all of them refer to Cicero’s hopes / wishes for something in the future. 

[2] A common phrase on a holiday postcard is “Wish you were here” i.e. English uses ‘were’ to express a situation that the speaker / writer wants to exist now in the present.

Latin does the same: it uses an imperfect subjunctive to convey a wish for something to be happening now, but isn’t; in grammar this is sometimes referred to as an unreal or hypothetical  present.

Utinam hīc nunc essēs, mī amīce. │ If only you were here now, my friend

Utinam mē intellegere posset. │ Would that he could understand me!

Utinam rēs melior esset. │ If only the situation were better

Utinam nōs līberī essēmus! │ If only we were free!

Utinam nē vērē scrīberem! │ If only I were not writing truthfully!

Utinam rēx Eumenēs, utinam Asiae omnēs cīvitātēs adessent (Livy) │ If only King Eumenes, if only all the cities of Asia were present.

From Plautus:

Homō hic ēbrius est, ut opīnor. │ The man is drunk, I do believe

Utinam ita essem. │ I wish I was [ = literally: If only I were (now)]

Utinam lēx esset eadem quae uxōrī est virō │ Would that the law were the same for the woman as it is for the man / If only the law were / would be the same for the wife as for the husband.

From Cicero:

Utinam meō sōlum capite dēcernerem (Cicero) │ Literally: If only I were deciding with my head alone = Would that I had only to decide for myself

Utinam ulcisci possem (Cicero) │ I wish I could take my revenge

Iterum dīcō “utinam adessēs” (Cicero) │ I repeat, I wish you were here [ = if only you were here].

Quod utinam ita esset! (Cicero) │ And if only that were true / so