Latin IV/Imperfect Subjunctive irregular verbs
Salvēte omnēs! Welcome back to Latin for Wikiversity. In our last lesson, we learned how to form the regular imperfect subjunctive. Today we'll look at some important irregular verbs in the imperfect subjunctive that you'll need to know.
New Grammar
Remember that most verbs form the imperfect subjunctive from the present infinitive. However, some of our most common verbs are irregular. Here they are:
| Verb | 1st sg | 2nd sg | 3rd sg | 1st pl | 2nd pl | 3rd pl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sum | essem | essēs | esset | essēmus | essētis | essent |
| possum | possem | possēs | posset | possēmus | possētis | possent |
| volō | vellem | vellēs | vellet | vellēmus | vellētis | vellent |
| nōlō | nōllem | nōllēs | nōllet | nōllēmus | nōllētis | nōllent |
| ferō | ferrem | ferrēs | ferret | ferrēmus | ferrētis | ferrent |
| eō | īrem | īrēs | īret | īrēmus | īrētis | īrent |
Notice how these still follow similar patterns to each other, even though they're irregular!
New Words
| Latin | English | Audio (Classical) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| heri | yesterday | ||
| saepe | often | ||
| rursus | again |
New Sentences
| Latin | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Utinam dīves essem! | If only I were rich! | Simple wish |
| Utinam domī essēs! | If only you were at home! | Simple wish |
| Sī possem cantāre! | If I could sing! | Ability wish |
| Utinam venīre vellēs! | If only you wanted to come! | Complex wish |
| Sī nōllet labōrāre! | If he didn't want to work! | Negative wish |
| Utinam librum ferrem! | If only I were carrying the book! | Action wish |
| Sī ad lūdum īrēmus! | If we were going to school! | Movement wish |
| Utinam heri adesset! | If only he had been here yesterday! | Past reference |
| Sī saepe fēlīx essēs! | If you were often happy! | With time word |
| Utinam rursus venīret! | If only he would come again! | With time word |
Practice
| Practice and learn the words and phrases in this lesson | |
|---|---|
| Step one | First learn the words using this lesson: |
| Step two | Next try learning and writing the sentences using this: |
| Note that the Memrise stage covers the content for all lessons in each stage. If you are skipping previous stages you may need to manually "ignore" the words in previous levels (use the 'select all' function) | |
Next time, we'll learn how to use these forms in more complex sentences. Until then, utinam fēlīcēs essētis! (If only you all were happy!)