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Subjunctive mood
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===Celtic languages=== ====Welsh==== {{See also|Literary Welsh morphology|Colloquial Welsh morphology}} In [[Welsh language|Welsh]], there are two forms of the subjunctive: present and imperfect. The present subjunctive is barely ever used in spoken Welsh except in certain fixed phrases, and is restricted in most cases to the third person singular. However, it is more likely to be found in literary Welsh, most widely in more old-fashioned registers. The third-person singular is properly used after certain conjunctions and prepositions but in spoken Welsh the present subjunctive is frequently replaced by either the infinitives, the present tense, the conditional, or the future tense (this latter is called the present-future by some grammarians). {| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan=2|Present indicative ! colspan=2|Present subjunctive |- !English !Welsh !English !Welsh |- | I am | {{Lang|cy|(Ry)dw i/... ydw i}} | (that) I be | {{Lang|cy|bwyf, byddwyf}} |- | Thou art | {{Lang|cy|(R)wyt ti/... wyt ti}} | (that) thou be[est] | {{Lang|cy|bych, byddych}} |- | He is | {{Lang|cy|Mae e/... ydy e<br />Mae o/...ydy o}} | (that) he be | {{Lang|cy|bo, byddo}} |- | One is | {{Lang|cy|Ydys}} | (that) one be | {{Lang|cy|bydder}} |- | We are | {{Lang|cy|(Ry)dyn ni/...dyn ni<br /> (Ry)dan ni/... dan ni}} | (that) we be | {{Lang|cy|bôm, byddom}} |- | You are | {{Lang|cy|(Ry)dych chi/...dych chi<br /> (Ry)dach chi/... dach chi}} | (that) you be | {{Lang|cy|boch, byddoch}} |- | They are | {{Lang|cy|Maen nhw/...dyn nhw}} | (that) they be | {{Lang|cy|bônt, byddont}} |- |} {| class="wikitable" |- ! Literary English ! Literary Welsh ! Spoken English ! Spoken Welsh |- | When need be | {{Lang|cy|Pan fo angen}} | When there'll be need | {{Lang|cy| Pan fydd angen}} |- | Before it be | {{Lang|cy|Cyn (y) bo}} | Before it's | {{Lang|cy|Cyn iddi fod}} |- | In order that there be | {{Lang|cy|Fel y bo}} | In order for there to be | {{Lang|cy|Er mwyn bod}} |- | She left so that she be safe | {{Lang|cy|Gadawodd hi fel y bo hi'n ddiogel}} | She left so that she'd be safe | {{Lang|cy|Gadawodd hi fel y byddai hi'n ddiogel}} |- | It is time that I go | {{Lang|cy|Mae'n amser yr elwyf}} | It's time for me to go | {{Lang|cy|Mae'n amser imi fynd}} |} The imperfect subjunctive, as in English, only affects the verb {{Lang|cy|bod}} ("to be"). It is used after {{Lang|cy|pe}} (a form of "if") and it must be accompanied by the conditional subjunctive e.g. {{Lang|cy|Pe '''bawn''' i'n gyfoethog, teithiwn i trwy'r byd.}} = "If I '''were''' rich, I would travel throughout the world." {| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan=2|Imperfect indicative ! colspan=2|Conditional subjunctive ! colspan=2|Imperfect subjunctive |- ! English !Welsh ! English !Welsh ! English !Welsh |- | I was | {{Lang|cy|(R)oeddwn i}} | I would be | {{Lang|cy|byddwn i}} | (that) I were | {{Lang|cy|bawn i}} |- | Thou wast | {{Lang|cy|(R)oeddet ti}} | Thou wouldst be | {{Lang|cy|byddet ti}} | (that) thou wert | {{Lang|cy|baet ti}} |- | He was<br />She was | {{Lang|cy|(R)oedd e/o<br /> (R)oedd hi}} | He would be<br />She would be | {{Lang|cy|byddai fe/fo<br /> byddai hi}} | (that) he were<br />(that) she were | {{Lang|cy|bai fe/fo<br /> bai hi}} |- | One was | {{Lang|cy|(R)oeddid}} | One would be | {{Lang|cy|byddid}} | (that) one were | {{Lang|cy|byddid}} |- | We were | {{Lang|cy|(R)oeddem ni}} | We would be | {{Lang|cy|byddem ni}} | (that) we were | {{Lang|cy|baem ni}} |- | You were | {{Lang|cy|(R)oeddech chi}} | You would be | {{Lang|cy|byddech chi}} | (that) you were | {{Lang|cy|baech chi}} |- | They were | {{Lang|cy|(R)oedden nhw}} | They would be | {{Lang|cy|bydden nhw}} | (that) they were | {{Lang|cy|baent hwy}} |} For all other verbs in Welsh, as in English, the imperfect subjunctive takes the same stems as do the conditional subjunctive and the imperfect indicative. ====Scottish Gaelic==== In [[Scottish Gaelic]], the subjunctive does exist but still takes the forms from the indicative: the present subjunctive takes the (dependent) future forms and the past subjunctive takes the conditional forms. The subjunctive is normally used in proverbs or truisms in phrases that start with 'May...' For example, * '''''Gum bi''' Rìgh Ruisiart beò fada!'' – Long live King Richard (lit. May King Richard live long). * '''''Gum bi''' beanachd Dè oirbh uile!'' – May God bless you all! * '''''Gun gabh''' e a fhois ann sìth'' – May he rest in peace. Or when used as the conjunction, the subjunctive is used, like every other language, in a more demanding or wishful statement: * ''Se àm '''gum fàg''' e a-nis.'' – It is time that he leave now. * ''Tha e riatanach '''gun tèid''' iad gu sgoil gach là.'' – It is necessary that they go to school every day. * ''Dh'fhaighnich e '''nach faic''' mi ise.'' – He asked that I not see her. The subjunctive in Gaelic will sometimes have the conjunction ''gun'' (or ''gum'' before verbs beginning with labial consonants: ''p'', ''b'', ''m'' or ''f'') can be translated as 'that' or as 'May ...' while making a wish. For negatives, ''nach'' is used instead. Note that the present subjunctive is identical to the dependent future tense form, which lacks the ending ''-idh''! {| class="wikitable" |- !colspan=2| Present indicative !colspan=2| Future !colspan=2| Present subjunctive |- ! English !Gaelic ! English !Gaelic ! English !Gaelic |- | I am |''Tha mi/ Is mise'' | I will be |''Bidh mi'' | (that) I be |''(gum) bi mi'' |- | Thou art |''Tha thu/ Is tusa'' | Thou wilt be |''Bidh tu'' | (that) thou be[est] |''(gum) bi thu'' |- | He is |''Tha e/ Is e'' | He will be |''Bidh e'' | (that) he be |''(gum) bi e'' |- | One is |''Thathar'' | One will be |''Bithear'' | (that) one be |''(gum) bithear'' |- | We are |''Tha sinn/ Is sinne'' | We will be |''Bidh sinn'' | (that) we be |''(gum) bi sinn'' |- | You are |''Tha sibh/ Is sibhse'' | You will be |''Bidh sibh'' | (that) you be |''(gum) bi iad'' |- | They are |''Tha iad/ Is iadsan'' | They will be |''Bidh iad'' | (that) they be |''(gum) bi iad'' |} In Scottish Gaelic, the past subjunctive of the verb ''bi'' 'be' is ''robh'', exactly the same as the dependent form of the preterite indicative. {| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan=2|Preterite indicative ! colspan=2|Conditional ! colspan=2|Past subjunctive |- ! English !Gaelic ! English !Gaelic ! English !Gaelic |- | I was |''Bha mi/ Bu mhise'' | I would be |''Bhithinn'' | (that) I were |''(gun) robh mi'' |- | Thou wast |''Bha thu/ Bu tusa'' | Thou wouldst be |''Bhiodh tu'' | (that) thou wert |''(gun) robh thu'' |- | He was |''Bha e/ B' e'' | He would be |''Bhiodh e'' | (that) he were |''(gun) robh e'' |- | One was |''Bhathar'' | One would be |''Bhite'' | (that) one were |''(gun) robhas'' |- | We were |''Bha sinn/ Bu sinne'' | We would be |''Bhiodh sinn'' | (that) we were |''(gun) robh sinn'' |- | You were |''Bha sibh/ Bu sibhse'' | You would be |''Bhiodh sibh'' | (that) you were |''(gun) robh sibh'' |- | They were |''Bha iad/ B' iadsan'' | They would be |''Bhiodh iad'' | (that) they were |''(gun) robh iad'' |- |} For every other verb in Gaelic, the past subjunctive is identical to the conditional. Examples: * '''''Nan robh''' mi beairteach, shiubhlainn air feadh an t-saoghail.'' - If I were rich, I would travel all over the world. * '''''Mura dèanainn''' m' obair-dhachaigh, bhithinn ann an trioblaid.'' - If I had not done my homework, I would have been in trouble. Or: '''''Mura robh''' mi air m' obair-dhachaigh a dhèanamh, bhithinn (air a bhith) ann an trioblaid.'' ====Irish==== In the [[Irish language]] (Gaeilge), the subjunctive, like in Scottish Gaelic (its sister language), covers the idea of wishing something and so appears in some famous Irish proverbs and blessings. It is considered an old-fashioned tense for daily speech (except in set phrases) but still appears often in print.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eirefirst.com/lesson14.html|title=Ireland First! - Gaelic/Irish lessons: lesson 14|website=www.eirefirst.com|access-date=5 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011020000/http://www.eirefirst.com/lesson14.html|archive-date=11 October 2017}}</ref> The subjunctive is normally formed from "Go" (which eclipses, and adds "n-" to a verb beginning with a vowel), plus the subjunctive form of the verb, plus the subject, plus the thing being wished for. For instance, the subjunctive form of "téigh" (go) is "té": * Go dté tú slán. – May you be well. (lit: may you go well) Or again, the subjunctive of "tabhair" (give) is "tuga": * Go dtuga Dia ciall duit. – May God give you sense. Or to take a third example, sometimes the wish is also a curse, like this one from Tory Island in Donegal: * Go ndéana an Diabhal toirneach de d'anam in Ifreann. – May the Devil make thunder of your soul in Hell. The subjunctive is generally formed by taking the stem of the verb and adding on the appropriate subjunctive ending depending on broad or slender, and first or second conjugation. For example, to the stem of '''bog''' ''(to move)'' is added '''-a''' giving as its subjunctive in the first person '''boga mé''': '''First conjugation:''' {| class="wikitable" |- | '''mol''' ''(to praise)''|| mola mé || mola tú || mola sé/sí || molaimid || mola sibh || mola siad |- | '''bris''' ''(to break)''|| brise mé || brise tú || brise sé/sí || brisimid || brise sibh || brise siad |} '''Second conjugation:''' {| class="wikitable" |- | '''beannaigh''' ''(to bless)'' || beannaí mé || beannaí tú || beannaí sé/sí || beannaímid || beannaí sibh || beannaí siad |- | '''bailigh''' ''(to collect)'' || bailí mé || bailí tú || bailí sé/sí || bailímid || bailí sibh || bailí siad |} E.g. "go mbeannaí Dia thú" – May God bless you. There is also some irregularity in certain verbs in the subjunctive. The verb '''bí''' ''(to be)'' is the most irregular verb in Irish (as in most Indo-European languages): {| class="wikitable" |- | '''Present indicative''' || tá mé/táim || tá tú || tá sé/sí || tá muid/táimid || tá sibh || tá siad |- | '''Present subjunctive''' || raibh mé || raibh tú || raibh sé/sí || rabhaimid || raibh sibh || raibh siad |} The Irish phrase for "thank you" – go raibh maith agat – uses the subjunctive of "bí" and literally means "may there be good at-you". Some verbs do not follow the conjugation of the subjunctive exactly as conjugated above. These irregularities apply to verbs whose stem ends already in a stressed vowel and thus due to the rules of Irish orthography and pronunciation, cannot take another. For example: {| class="wikitable" |- ! !! Present indicative !! Present subjunctive |- | '''téigh''' ''(to go)'' || t'''é'''ann tú || té tú |- | '''sáigh''' ''(to stab)''|| s'''á'''nn tú || sá tú |- | '''luigh''' ''(to lie down)'' || lu'''í'''onn tú || luí tú |- | *'''feoigh''' ''(to decay; wither)'' || feonn tú || feo tú |} * Although '''feoigh''' doesn't have a ''síneadh fada'' (accent), the 'o' in this position is stressed (pronounced as though it is '''ó''') and thus the subjunctive is irregular. Where the subjunctive is used in English, it may not be used in Irish and another tense might be used instead. For example: * If I '''were''' (past subjunctive) you, I would study for the exam tomorrow. – Dá '''mba''' (past/conditional of the [[Copula (linguistics)|copula]]) mise tusa, dhéanfainn (conditional) staidéar le haghaidh an scrúdaithe amárach.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.teanglann.ie/ga/fgb/staid%C3%A9ar|title=Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (Ó Dónaill): staidéar|website=www.teanglann.ie|access-date=5 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106075723/http://www.teanglann.ie/ga/fgb/staid%c3%a9ar|archive-date=6 November 2017}}</ref> * I wish *(that) you '''were''' (past sub.) here. – Is mian liom go '''raibh''' (present sub.) tú anseo. * It is important that he '''choose''' (present sub.) the right way—Tá sé tábhachtach go '''roghnóidh''' (future indicative) sé ar an mbealach ceart. *** When '''you're older''' (present ind.), you'll understand – Nuair a '''bheidh'''/'''bheas''' (future ind.) tú níos sine, tuigfidh tú. ** Note that in English, the relative pronoun '''that''' can be omitted; in Irish, the corresponding '''go''' must be retained. *** Note that in English, the present tense is often used to refer to a future state whereas in Irish there is less freedom with tenses (i.e. time is more strictly bound to the appropriate tense, present for present, past for past, future for future). In this particular example, ''you will be older'' and it is then that ''you will understand''.
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