Original Post by: linguafiqari: https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/8783716 | Archived original page: https://archive.ph/NTFc0
The subjunctive (Il congiuntivo) can be tricky to grasp for English speakers, as it's rare in our language. I'm putting this guide together in the hopes that it will help those who struggle with this aspect of Italian.
What is the subjunctive?
The subjunctive is a verb mood. What does that mean? A verb mood, of which there are four, shows the meaning behind a verb, not the time at which it occurred - the subjunctive ≠ a tense. The four verb moods which exist are the indicative, the subjunctive, the conditional, and the jussive. The indicative is the easier form which is learnt first - used for things like facts or definite situations, like “He was here”. The conditional is used for situations which are dependent on other situations to be able to occur, like “I would go, if I had the time“. The jussive is the form used for the “Let's ...“ and imperative forms of the verb, like “Let's eat” and “Eat!”. The subjunctive, however, is used in situations of doubt, desire, opinion, and others, which will be shown later.
How to conjugate the subjunctive - Present Tense
To conjugate the subjunctive in the present tense, take the io form of the verb, remove the final -o, then add the personal endings:
Note that for io, tu, lui/lei & loro for -ire verbs, the -isca/-iscano form is used when the verb ends in -isco in the io form of the indicative (e.g. “Finire“ - “Finisco“), and the -a/-ano form when the io form of the indicative doesn't end in -isco (e.g. “Dormire“ - “Dormo“).
So, let's look at these endings on some verbs:
There are, of course, irregular verbs in the subjunctive. Some of these are:
- Essere: Regular = Si-; For noi & voi = S- (For example, “Io sia“, “Noi siamo“)
- Stare: Regular = Sti-; For noi & voi = St- (For example, “Lui stia“, “Loro stiano“)
- Avere: Regular = Abbi-; For noi & voi = Abb- (For example, “Tu abbia“, “Voi abbiate“)
- Andare: Regular = Vad-; For noi & voi = And- (For example, “Io vada“, “Noi andiamo“)
- Dovere: Regular = Debb-; For noi & voi = Dobb- (For example, “Lei debba“, “Voi dobbiate“)
- Fare: This verb acts like an -ere verb. Regular = Facci-; For noi & voi = Facc- (For example, “Tu faccia“, “Noi facciamo“)
Regular = io, tu, lui/lei & loro
There are other irregular verbs; these are just some of them and how they work.
How the present subjunctive is used
The use of the present subjunctive can be hard to get the hang of at first, as it appears so seldom in English (an example being “I suggest that he go“). If you've already encountered the subjunctive in other languages like French, it will be a bit easier, as many of the “subjunctive phrases” will carry over to Italian. Likewise, getting familiar with the subjunctive in Italian first will help when it comes to using it in other languages.
1. Doubt
If there is doubt within a situation, the subjunctive is used. For example, phrases like “Credo che...“ (I believe that...), “Penso che...“ (I think that...), “Non sono certo che...“ (I'm not sure that...) all use the subjunctive. Let's look at some example sentences - words in Italics are “subjunctive phrases“, and words in Bold are verbs in the subjunctive.
- Credo che il suo compleanno sia in agosto - I think his birthday is in August
- Non penso che loro vadano domani - I don't think they'll go tomorrow
- Suppongo che debba aiutarti - I suppose I ought to help you
- Dubito che ci sia abbastanza tempo - I doubt there is enough time
Note that after these types of “subjunctive phrases“, the “che“ can be omitted:
- Credo (che) abbia ragione - I think you're right
- Penso (che) sia bella - I think she is pretty
2. Wishes/Orders
If there is a wish or an order, something which may not end up happening, the subjunctive is used. Some phrases which require the subjunctive are “Voglio che...“ (I want (that)...), “Desidero che...“ (I wish (that)...), and “Insisto che...“ (I insist (that)...). Let's look at some example sentences of this use:
- I miei genitori vogliono che io impari il tedesco - My parents want me to learn German
- Insistiamo che mangiate qualcosa - We insist that you eat something
- Mio fratello spera che non piova domani - My brother hopes it doesn't rain tomorrow
3. Impersonal statements
Statements like “È bene che...“ (It's good that...), “È difficile che...“ (It's unlikely that...), and “È necessario che...“ (It's necessary that...) use the subjunctive. “È“ can be replaced with “Sembra“ for the same effect. However, remember that the subjunctive is used where there is uncertainty - so statements like “È certo che...“ (It's certain that...) wouldn't be used with the subjunctive. Also, if you use “Mi sembra che...“ (It seems to me that...), the subjunctive isn't used. Here are some example phrases:
- È strano che non possa venire - It's strange that she not be able to come
- Sembra difficile che io vada con te - It seems unlikely that I'll go with you
- È necessario che tutti lavorino insieme - It's necessary that everyone work together
Here is a list of phrases which use the subjunctive:
4. Direct effect
If an action affects you directly (e.g. “I don't like that...“), the subjunctive is used. Some phrases which use the subjunctive in this way are “Mi disturba che...“ (It bothers me that...), “Mi piace che...“ (I like that...), and “Mi sconvolge che...“ (It upsets me that...). Some examples are:
- Non mi piace che stia sempre aspettando - I don't like that I'm always waiting
- Mi disturba che non si ricordi di me - It bothers me that he doesn't remember me
- Mi sconvolge che alcune persone non abbiano abbastanza da mangiare - It upsets me that some people don't have enough to eat
5. Fixed expressions
Some fixed expressions use the subjunctive. Some examples of such expressions are “Benché...“ (Although...), “Nonostante che...“ (Despite...), and “A meno che...“ (Unless...). Here are some examples:
- Benché mi piaccia il gelato, non ne voglio nessuno - Although I like ice cream, I don't want any
- Lei va alla festa nonostante che sia molta stanca - She is going to the party despite the fact that she is very tired
- A meno che non mi rompa la gamba, giocherò a calcio - Unless I break my leg, I'll play football
- Inviagli un messaggio prima che sia troppo tardi! - Send him a message before it's too late!
6. Che...
The last use of the subjunctive is starting a sentence or clause with “Che“, then using the subjunctive. This is used to show desires and thoughts. For example:
- Che nessuno mi faccia ridere! - No one make me laugh!
- Lei non è venuta a scuola oggi. Che abbia la febbre? - She didn't come to school today. Could it be that she has a fever?
How to conjugate the subjunctive - imperfect tense
The subjunctive also directly exists in the imperfect tense. To conjugate it, take the io form of the verb in the imperfect tense, remove the -evo, and add the following endings:
Here are the endings on the verbs we looked at for the present tense:
The verb Avere is regular in the imperfect subjunctive, however the verb Essere isn't. To conjugate Essere, remove the i- at the beginning of the -ire conjugation, then add fo- add the beggining of the new endings. For example, the -ire imperfect subjunctive conjugation for noi is -issimo. Remove the i-, which leaves us with -ssimo. Then add fo-, which gives us “fossimo“ - the imperfect subjunctive conjugation of Essere for noi.
How the imperfect subjunctive is used
The imperfect subjunctive is used, for the most part, in the same cases as the present subjunctive. Generally, the preceding phrases are either in the conditional or imperfect tenses. So while the present subjunctive would be used with “Voglio che...“ (I want (that)...), the imperfect subjunctive would be used with “Vorrei che...“ (I would like (that)...) and “Volevo che...“ (I wanted (that)...). This carries across for all aspects:
- Non credevo che avesse diciotto anni - I didn't think he was eighteen
- Vorremmo che venissi alla partita - We'd like you to come to the game
- Sarebbe essenziale che bevessimo acqua - It'd be essential that we drink water
- Mi piacerebbe che le vacanze fossero più lunghe - I'd like the holidays to be longer
However, if a structure like the “impersonal statements“ is used to refer back to a past event, this will remain in the present tense:
- È bene che tutti potessero venire - It's good that everyone was able to come
- Non penso che mi vedesse - I don't think he saw me
Se + Conditional
Unique to the imperfect subjunctive is the “Se + Conditional“ sentence. This is used to state hypothetical actions - which is why the subjunctive is used. This type of sentence is the only sentence where the subjunctive is still fairly identifiable in English - “If I were rich, I'd buy a mansion“. This type of sentence works exactly the same in Italian:
- Se potessi imparare qualsiasi lingua in soltanto un giorno, quale sarebbe? - If you could learn any language in a day, which would it be?
The sentence structure can also be flipped, starting with the conditional clause and then using the imperfect subjunctive. For example:
- Mi piacerebbe il congiuntivo se fosse più facile! - I'd like the subjunctive if it were easier!
Come se...
“Come se“ is the translation of “As if“ in Italian, which always uses the imperfect subjunctive. It works in the exact same ways as in English:
- È come se non mi conoscesse - It's as if she didn't know me
- Come se io non sapessi quella cosa! - As if I didn't know that!
Perfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive
The perfect and pluperfect subjunctive tenses also exist in Italian. These are formed by either using the present subjunctive of Avere/Essere + Past Participle, or the imperfect subjunctive of Avere/Essere + Past Participle. For example:
- È raro che tanta gente sia andata in spiaggia - It's rare that so many people have gone to the beach
- Se mi avessi detto la verità, ti avrei potuto credere - If you'd told me the truth, I would have been able to believe you
I hope this helps!/Spero che questo aiuti!
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