#the subjunctive

New Post has been published on http://www.booksbycarolinemiller.com/musings/the-unspeakable-pronoun/

The Unspeakable Pronoun

This evening (1st Feb 2019) I am reading a story on BBC Radio 3’s The Verb, hosted by Ian McMillan.

The original commission was to write something using the subjunctive mood (roughly, a way of speaking about what didn’t or hasn’t happened).

In recording the programme, with the poets Holly Pester and Mella Elfyn, and listening to grammarian Rob Drummond, I have learned a lot more about this (and…

The subjunctive is that magical tense that makes people cry.

No. Okay.

The subjunctive is a “mood” [fancy way of saying that it’s possible to see the “subjunctive” in different tenses] where most commonly one subject is quietly exerting their influence over another person.

These are often polite suggestions; where a command might be too forceful or extreme. They are called “subjunctive” [related to “subjugate”] because it’s typically an imposition of someone’s will onto another.

(Espero que) tengas un buen día. - (I hope that you) have a good day.

Quiero que pongas la mesa. - I want you to set the table. 

La profesora manda que escribamos un ensayo. - The professor orders us to write an essay.

Ojalá que no llueva. - I hope (to God) it doesn’t rain.

Sugiero que estudies. - I suggest you study.

Le invito que venga. - I’ll invite him/her to come.

And for what’s known as the imperfect subjunctive, these polite commands would then be told in the past.

Esperaba que tuvieras un buen día. - I hoped you would have a good day.

Quería que pusiera la mesa. - I wanted you to set the table.

La profesora mandó que escribiéramos un ensayo. - The professor ordered us to write an essay.

Quería que lloviera. - I wanted it to rain.

Sugerí que estudiaras. - I suggested that you study.

Le invité que viniera. - I invited him/her to come.

The other time subjunctive is used is for various clauses which are listed in most textbooks or websites as “subjunctive clauses”; they imply a timed event or a condition that puts it into subjunctive.

Vamos a cenar antes de que lleguen. - We’re going to eat dinner before they get here.

Cenamos antes de que llegaran. - We ate dinner before they got here.

Después de que cenemos, vamos al cine. - After we eat dinner, we’ll go to the movies.

Después de que cenáramos, fuimos al cine. - After we ate dinner, we went to the movies.

Llamo a mi madre para que pueda ponerla al día. - I’ll call my mother in order to keep her updated.

Llamé a mi madre para que pudiera ponerla al día. - I called my mother in order to be able to keep her updated.

Dudo que nieve. - I doubt it will snow.

Dudaba que nevara. - I doubted it would snow.

Other times these are hypothetical situations, often implying “whenever” instead of “when”. These are a bit softer than regular subjunctive, in that you don’t have to use the subjunctive if you don’t want to… they just imply more doubt in the subjunctive.

Cuando me despierto, como el desayuno. - When I wake up, I eat breakfast. [Present]

Cuando me desperté, comí el desayuno. - When I woke up, I ate breakfast.

Cuando me despierta, como el desayuno. - Whenever I wake up, I eat breakfast. [Subjunctive]

Cuando me despertara, comía el desayuno. - Whenever I would wake up, I would eat breakfast. [Imperfect subjunctive + imperfect; meaning a past habit]

Aunque no sea simpático, no es justo. - Even if he’s not nice, it’s not fair.

Sea lo que sea… - In any event…

Aunque no sepa que son, sé que son peligrosos. - I might not know what they are, but I do know they’re dangerous.

Aunque sean de piedra, parecen que son de verdad. - Although they’re made of stone, they seem like they’re real.

Viniera lo que viniera… - Come what may…

Hice lo que pude. - I did what I was able.

Hice lo que pudiera. - I did what I could. [Implies lack of confidence, OR, “whatever I could”]

And another special function of imperfect subjunctive is to go along with conditional in the “If I were ___ it would___” function. 

Si fuera presidente, haría más por los pobres. - If I were president, I would do more for the poor.

No lo haría si yo fuera tú. - I wouldn’t do that if I were you.

Si estuviera lloviendo, traería el paraguas. - If it were raining, I would’ve brought the umbrella.

Si viniera, ¿estarías aquí? - If I’d come, would you be here?

No sé qué haría si te murieras. - I don’t know what I would do if you died.

Si lo supiera, no lo habría dicho. - If I’d known, I wouldn’t have said it.

Also common is como si fuera/estuviera…

Bésame, bésame mucho como si fuera esta noche la última vez. - Kiss me, kiss me [a lot] as if tonight were the last time.