Subjunctive mood

Any general investigation of mood must deal with the business of speakers making assertions with different degrees of certainty or authority, but the topic is not of central concern here. We are going to focus on (4) and (2) above. The examples in (4) relate to what is called the subjunctive mood. It is unfortunate that ‘mood’ is applied to this concept, although it is a very old usage and difficult to change. It also has some justification because it is connected with the mode in which speakers choose to present a situation. The term ‘subjunctive mood’ relates to special sets of verb forms. English used to have such forms; indeed, in a sense it still does have them, but they have fallen into disuse and are now almost archaic. They occur in examples such as If I were in such difficulties, I would take to my bed, where were occurs with the singular subject. Most speakers and writers nowadays use was. Another example, even more unusual, is be in If this be true, the plan should be abandoned.

The subjunctive forms were used in order to present a situation as remote from reality – the speaker being in difficulties – or as possibly remote from reality – this being true. The technical term is ‘non-factual’. Why the mysterious term ‘subjunctive’? The examples just given involve subjunctive forms in subordinate clauses – if I were in such difficulties and if this be true. Subordinate clauses were said to be ‘subjoined’ to the main clause in a sentence, or to be ‘subjuncts’. Hence ‘subjunctive’. This brings us back to (4.) and the presentation of situations as the objects of hopes, fears and wishes. To present a situation thus, speakers have to construct a main clause containing a verb such as hope or wish with a subordinate complement clause expressing the hoped-for situation. This type of construction has disappeared from English but is found in French, as shown in (3).

The relevant contrast is between est (is) in (3a) and soit (is) in (3b). In the latter, the speaker states that someone has a wish – il veut (he wants) – and states the content of the wish by means of the complement clause que sa fille soit première en tout (that his daughter is first in everything). The wished-for situation does not exist at the moment, and this is signaled both by the verb veut and by the subjunctive mood. Est in (3a) is said to be in the indicative mood. The speaker indicates or refers to a situation which does exist.