Ch. 45

HW: 45A 1,5,6,7,8,9 45B 8,9 and compose the following for extra credit:
a sentence with a temporal clause with prius quam or ante quam showing intent (give English and Latin versions).


Adverbial Clauses of Time

Typically these have an indicative verb if just reflecting a temporal relationship of the clauses. However, if another connection is operative (for example, if the clause shows cause or purpose), the verb is often subjunctive. The most conjunctions most commonly used this way with subjunctive are dum, antequam, and priusquam.

See section 451 for a list of the main adverbs used for temporal clauses and their usual translations.

For this chapter do NOT use the conjunction cum (when/since/although) which is covered in ch. 46.

Section 452

Warns you that cum can take subjunctive in a past tense temporal clause (we will learn more about this in ch. 46) and that Postquam + perfect indicative means the same thing as Ubi/Quando + pluperfect indicative. In other words, "after...verbed" is the same thing as saying "when...had verbed." See examples below to understand what I mean.

Examples:
English: When they had left, we came out of the house.
Latin: Ubi discesserant(plup.), e domo venimus.
Different English with same meaning: After they left, we came out of the house.
Different Latin with same meaning: Postquam discesserunt(perf.), e domo venimus.

Also note that when the main clause is future a before-clause with ante quam in Latin will use present indicative instead of future. This is special because Latin usually uses future for subordinate clauses in a future context--remember the future more vivid conditions that we just studied: if you come (venies future in Latin), I will see you.

Examples:
English: Before you leave, I will tell you.
With ante quam: Ante quam discedis(pres.), tibi dicam(fut.).
With other word for before: Prius quam discedes(fut.), tibi dicam(fut.).

Section 453

The two parts of postquam, antequam, and priusquam may be placed together (written as one or two words) or separated by several words. This is because ante and prius literally mean "earlier" and post literally means "later" while "quam" means "than". Thus "ante...quam" is "earlier...than" and "post...quam" is "later...than".

Examples:
Before you went, I saw you.
Either: Antequam (or "priusquam") iisti, te vidi.
Or: Prius/ante te vidi quam iisti. {Literally: I saw you earlier than you went.

After I come, you leave.
Either: Postquam venio, discedis.
Or: Post discedis quam venio. {Literally: You leave later than I come.

You should use the separate way if you need to insert a specific expression such as "three days before" or "two years after". These will be constructed with an ablative of degree or measure of difference, i.e. "earlier by three days" or "later by two years".

Examples:
He left four hours before you arrived.
Rephrased: He left earlier by four hours than you arrived.
Good Latin: Quattuor ante/prius horis(abl.) discessit quam advenisti.
One year after you arrived, you left again.
Rephrased: You left again later by one year than you arrived.
Good Latin: Iterum discessisti uno post anno quam advenisti.

Section 454

Subjunctive verb in a temporal clause indicates that something more is going on. Perhaps the clause hints at intention/purpose or cause. Usually these clauses will take imperfect subjunctive (if secondary) and present subjunctive (if primary).

Examples:
Before you arrived, he left. {He left because he did not want to see you.
Latin: Antequam advenires(impf. subj.), discessit.
They left before we arrived. {They did not want to stick around with us.
Latin: Prius discesserunt quam adveniremus.
*Note a literal translation of the above Latin subjunctives makes it more clear that there is a specific intention here: Before you might/should arrive, he left. They left earlier than we might/would arrive.

Section 455

Until must be translated with priusquam or antequam with a negative main clause IF AND ONLY IF until can be replaced by before in English. Otherwise use dum. Note that until- or till-clauses almost always show intention and thus need subjunctives.

He was staying until we left. {Can't replace until with before.
Latin: Manebat dum discederemus. {Subj. because shows intention/purpose
He did not want to come until he learned that I was coming. {Can substitute before for until.
Latin: Venire noluit antequam/priusquam me venire novit. {No intention involved, the situation was a surprise, so indicative more likely here.