Download sequence(s) of tenses

SEQUENCE(S) OF TENSES
• Let's recall: a complex sentence is one with at least one
main clause and at least one subordinate clause. It might
have more than one of either or of each.
• Now, the actions or events in these clauses don't
necessarily happen at the same time. For example,
"Because you studied hard last night, you will do well on
the quiz today."
• The main (or leading) clause, "you will do well on the quiz
today," is future, but the subordinate, causal, clause,
"Because you studied hard last night," is past.
• The relationship between the tense of a subordinate and
that of its main (or leading) clause’s verb is called Sequence
of Tenses, in Latin consecutio temporum, a term from the
Middle Ages, not from ancient Rome.
• In this unit we'll be concerned with this tense-relationship
only when a subordinate clause's verb is in the subjunctive
mood.
• But remember that many kinds of subordinate clauses can
or even must have an indicative verb.
• Remember, too, that subordinate and subjunctive are not
the same thing!
• We’ll study only subjunctive subordinate clause verbs for
two reasons:
• because the subjunctive lacks the future and future perfect
• and because the tenses of the subjunctive mood don't
express the times of actions in the fixed way that the
indicative does.
• The tense of a subjunctive subordinate clause verb depends
on a Latin author's need to represent an event or action as
occurring
before,
at the same time as, or
after
the action or event related by the introductory, "superordinate" verb of the clause or phrase on which the subordinate clause depends.
• In Latin, when a dependent verb is subjunctive, the timerelationship of tenses follows a general pattern, shown in
the table on the next slide. The top row is usually referred
to as the "primary" or "present" sequence and the bottom
row the "secondary" or "historical" sequence. This is a
general principle, not a hard and fast rule!
introductory clause verb
Present
Future
Present & Future Imperative
Future Perfect
Present Perfect ("have," "has")
Historical Present
Imperfect
Historical Infinitive
Historical Perfect (simple past)
Historical Present
Pluperfect (“had”)
before
PERFECT
SUBJUNCTIVE
PLUPERFECT
SUBJUNCTIVE
same time as
after
PRESENT
SUBJUNCTIVE
FUTURE
PERIPHRASTIC
(FUTURE ACTIVE
PARTICIPLE + PRES.
SUBJ. of esse)
IMPERFECT
SUBJUNCTIVE
FUTURE
PERIPHRASTIC
(FUTURE ACTIVE
PARTICIPLE + IMPERF.
SUBJ. of esse)
• INDIRECT QUESTIONS show the fullest range of possibilities for
these sequences. Here are two examples. The first has a
present-tense leading verb (sciō) and demonstrates the
primary sequence, while the second has an imperfect
leading verb (sciēbam) and demonstrates the secondary
sequence:
sciō
I know (now)
before
same time as
after
ēgeris
you did
you have done
you were doing
agās
you are doing
actūrus sīs
you are going to do
you will do
ēgissēs
you had done
you did
agerēs
you were doing
actūrus essēs
you were going to do
you would do
quid
what
sciēbam
I knew (then)
• Remember: that's a general rule.
• In fact, different subordinate clause types have their own
tense relationships with their leading (“super-ordinate”)
clause verbs. Here are examples of the major types.
• PURPOSE CLAUSES (including noun purpose or "indirect
command" clauses):
introductory clause verb
after
Present
Future
Present & Future Imperative
Future Perfect
Present Perfect ("have," "has")
Historical Present
PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE
Imperfect
Historical Infinitive
Historical Perfect (simple past)
Historical Present
Pluperfect (“had”)
IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE
Tense sequence in purpose clauses
• Let’s think about it: a purpose is some desired outcome.
• That means that a clause expressing a purpose will always
stand in a “future” or “after” relationship to a leading
clause. Purpose clauses can’t show “before” or “at the
same time” relationships.
• edimus ut vīvāmus, we eat (in order) to live, i. e. we eat so
that we might, in the near future, continue to live. Here the
present subjunctive represents a future state.
• Orgetorix suae civitati persuasit ut de finibus suis exirent,
Orgetorix persuaded his tribe to leave their own territory.
• The indicative imperfect is always a past tense; but an
imperfect subjunctive purpose clause verb represents a
future action relative to the time of the leading clause’s
verb.
• RESULT CLAUSES (including noun or substantive result
clauses, either as subject or object):
introductory clause verb
same time or after
Present
Future
Present & Future Imperative
Future Perfect
Present Perfect ("have," "has")
Historical Present
PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE
Imperfect
Historical Infinitive
Historical Perfect (simple past)
Historical Present
Pluperfect (“had”)
IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE
Tense sequence in result clauses
• Result clauses can’t represent action before a leading verb,
because, by definition, a result is a following consequence;
it must occur either at the same time as or after another
action or state. Consider these examples:
• Cucurrit tantā celeritate ut mox ad urbem pervenerit, He
ran with such speed that he soon reached the city.
• Accidit eā nocte ut lūna esset plēna, “It” happened that
night that the moon was full. Did the “happening” occur
after the full moon? No, they’re the same action.
• Caesar effēcit ut milites pontem facerent, Caesar brought
“it” about that the soldiers built a bridge.
• Erat tam benignus ut omnes eum amarent, He was so kind
that everyone loved him.