Unit 5 Exercise I, No. 11

[phil96]

I'm having trouble with part (c). The first two conditions fit the patterns M & F have dealt with previously, but part (c) seems to be the first independent use of the subjunctive in the book. It's not a condition, not a clause of purpose, nor an indirect command. So do you just fall back on their general comments about the subjunctive and go for uncertainty, potentiality, intent etc?

Something like:
The sailor who is capturing the well-known/familiar/famous town with a crowd of allies might be/would like to be famous.

Or have I missed something obvious?

[paulusnb]

It might be helpful to post the Latin problem. I, for one, do not have this book.

[phil96]

Sorry. That was very inconsiderate of me. The three sentences from M & F are:

(a) Si nauta cum turba sociorum oppida nota capere possit, clarus sit.
(b) Si nauta cum turba sociorum oppida nota capiat, clarus sit.
(c) Nauta cum turba sociorum oppida nota capiens clarus sit.

(Still haven't mastered typing macrons)

[spiphany]

Hi, I believe (if I recall this kind of exercise correctly, I'll have to track down my notes) the three sentences have approximately the same meaning.
In this case, look at section B of the lesson for this unit:

The participle can be translated into English with causal ("since"), concessive ("although"), temporal ("when", or conditional "if") force. The participle alone, then, can stand for the if-clause (protasis) of a conditional sentence.

I thought this was what might be going on here given the content of the sentence (i.e., the reference to the Aeneid), but I didn't want to answer you until I had a chance to check. This is a fairly common construction in Greek with the relative pronoun.

[phil96]

Thank you. I'd missed that comment about the present participle. M&F is packed with so much information I'll have to read it several times for it to sink in.