wongallo wrote:Dear all;
I have gotten to ch. XXX in Lingua Latina, but I find myself having a lot of difficulty with the subjunctive. I sort of feel like months of effort have slowly come crashing to a halt, and this has started to really frustrate me. Do any of you know where I can find an accessible explanation of subjunctive usage? Ideally, it should sort of complement what Lingua Latina introduces thus far.
Thanks
Although LL (and Adler!) is probably the best way to learn Latin, you still need other books, esp. for grammar. If you're looking for accessibility, try Wheelock's chapters on the subjunctive, cum, etc., or even the Oxford course, volume III.
In general, LL does this:
1. Subjunctive with cum = if "cum" means "when" in past time, the indicative clause is past tense, and the other is past subjunctive
2. Subjunctive with ut = no need to ignore "ut," although "to" is a good, quick translation of the purpose clause.. so, indicative clause + "ut" indicating purpose, followed by the subjunctive, e.g. "vivimus ut discamus," "we live to learn," or "we live in order to learn."
I forget if LL Pars I has other coverage of the subjunctive, like with "dum," and more complex usage, but those two are the most common, in different tenses. So for more practice, get one of those larger grammars (Wheelock, or a standard grammar like Greenough's), look over the exercises, and make up your own exercises.