ch. 43-44

HW: 43A 5,7,9,10 44A 1,2,3,4

CONDITIONS 43 & 44

Conditions have two clauses the main- or then-clause (also called the apodosis) and the subordinate if-clause (also called the protasis). Usually the if-clause (protasis) comes first, e.g.: "If you saw, you would agree." But it doesn't have to, e.g.: "I will leave, if he comes." English if-clauses (protases) are marked in one of these ways, with "if", with "unless" (for negative clauses), with "whether", or by putting the verb first in the clause.

Examples of conditions in English:

With if
If you leave, I will too.
If he had died, we would have cried.

With whether
Whether you come or go, we will be happy.

With unless
Unless he has left, we will not attend.

By putting the verb first in the clause
Were you doing good, I would applaud you.
Had he fought, he would have won.

TWO MAIN KINDS OF CONDITIONS

In both Latin and English there are two main kinds of conditions. Simple or general conditions that use regular indicative verbs and ideal or imaginary conditions that use subjunctive verbs.

Simple conditions are constructed in the same way in English and Latin for present and past tenses. In Latin si = if and nisi = unless/if not.

Examples:
If he left, I followed. {Past general = Whenever he left, I followed.
Si discessit, secutus sum.
If you are coming, we are coming too.
Si venis, quoque venimus.
Unless he is leaving, we are not staying.
Nisi discedit, non manemus.

However, future or future perfect simple conditions (which are also called future more vivid conditions) have a present or perfect tense verb in the if-clause in English while Latin follows the logical sequence and uses future or future perfect tense for both clauses.

Examples:
If they come, I will see them.
Si venient(fut.)/venerint(fut. perf.), eos videbo(fut.).
If you build it, they will come.
Si id aedificabis(fut.)/aedificaveris(fut. perf.), venient(fut.).
Unless you remind them, they won't remember.
Nisi eos admonebis(fut.)/admonueris(fut. perf.), non meminerint(fut. perf.).


Subjunctive Ideal/Imaginary Conditions

First, I should give you an overview of the subjunctive in English. In most cases English uses a modal helping verb (also called auxiliary verb) to indicate subjunctive. Here are some common ones: may, might, could, would, and should.

However, English still has a present subjunctive and has some left overs of the old past/preterite subjunctive forms.

English present subjunctive is the same as the English present infinitive without the "to".

to come } come
to see } see
to be } be

Examples of usage:
Be(subj.) that as it may.
Come(subj.) what will.
We fear lest he come(subj.)*. {Correct but archaic sounding
*Note that the English present subjunctive has no final -s for the 3rd s. forms (he/she/it), whereas the English present indicative does: He comes.

English preterite/past subjunctive:
were
would
should
could
might

Note that all the above past subjunctives are also past tense indicative forms for be, will, shall, can, and may. This is because Old English past subjunctive forms have combined with past indicative forms. They used to have a slightly different vowel sound which is still preserved in German which is a more conservative Germanic language. Because there is no difference between past indicative and subjunctive forms we always usually use one of the above modal verbs to note the subjunctive flavor a verb.

Examples:
Were(subj.) he only here!
Would(subj.) that she had come!
You might(subj.) believe me.


That concludes the English subjunctive interlude.

Now time for the subjunctive conditions

There is somewhat of a difference between what your book calls future ideal conditions and present or past ideal conditions.

Many other books would call a future ideal condition either a future less vivid (because it is not as vivid as the future more vivid which has future indicative) or a "should-would" condition (because it can be translated with should and would). Such conditions refer to a possible, but not strongly stated, future condition.

Typically the if-clause has "should" or "were to" and the then-clause has "would" in English.

Examples:
If he should come (or "were to come"), we would greet him warmly.
If you should leave (or "were to leave"), I would go too.
*Note the difference between the above future less vivid and the future more vivid: If he DOES come, we WILL greet him warmly. If you LEAVE, I WILL go too.

The present and past ideal conditions are often called unreal or contrafactual or contrary-to-fact conditions. A present contrary-to-fact condition states a present condition that is impossible or unreal. A past contrary-to-fact condition states a past condition that is impossible or unreal.

Typically a present contrary-to-fact condition has "were verbing"/"verbed" for the if-clause and "would verb" or "would be verbing" for the then-clause.
Typically a past contrary-to-fact condition has "had been verbing"/"had verbed" for the if-clause and "would have verbed" or "would have been verbing" for the then-clause.

Examples:
If he were leaving, we would go too. (but neither is true)
Were he coming, I would wait. (but neither is true)
We would not have left if he had gone. (but neither is true)
If you had come, I would not have joined in. (but neither is true)

English and Latin Examples of Subjunctive Conditions

Future Ideal/Future Less Vivid/"Should-Would": present subjunctive in Latin
If you should leave, I would follow.
Si discedas, sequar.
If he were to go, they would too.
Si eat, quoque eant.

Present Ideal/Present Unreal/Present Contrary-to-Fact: imperfect subjunctive in Latin
Unless you were leaving, you would not be sad.
Nisi discederes, non esses maestus.
If she were running (ran), she would win.
Si ea curreret, vinceret.


Past Ideal/Past Unreal/Past Contrary-to-Fact: pluperfect subjunctive in Latin
If you had run, you would have won.
Si cucurrisses, vicisses.
Unless he had left, we would have left soon.
Nisi discessisset, mox discessissemus.

One may mix present and past unreal:

If he had come, we would see him now.
Si venisset, eum nunc videremus.

Section 444

This just shows that an imperfect subjunctive could be translated as pluperfect in the company of tum (a time expression). This is a situation which is similar to something I have mentioned before. Where we say "I have been doing this for a long time" Latin might use present tense and say "hoc iam pridem facio". The time expression ("iam pridem") affects the way the Latin speaker and audience think of the verb.