Dependent Clauses
Thus far we have dealt with sentences that consist solely of independent clauses (i.e., a clause [a phrase consisting of a subject and verb] that can stand on its own as a separate sentence). Now we will turn our attention to sentences that contain both independent and dependent clauses - phrases consisting of a subject and verb that cannot stand on their own as a sentence. Dependent clauses always begin with a word (adverb, conjunction, or pronoun) which indicates that they are subordinate to and dependent on another clause in the sentence. Below are some examples of dependent clauses in English (bolded):
- When I was in college, I majored in Biology.
- She was a student who excels in Latin and Math.
- Although the teacher was funny, the students never laughed at his jokes.
These dependent clauses cannot stand on their own; if I were to say “When I was in college”, you’d be left wondering what happened at that time.
As we can see here, the dependent clauses add important information about the circumstances under which the action of the independent clause took place.
Temporal Clauses
Dependent clauses can be classified by the type of information that they add about the independent clause. Dependent clauses that tell us when something occurred is called a temporal clause.
In Latin, temporal clauses are introduced by a temporal conjunction. For example:
- cum, “when”
- postquam, “after”
- antequam, “before”
- priusquam, “before”
After the temporal conjunction come a subject and verb. The verb can be either in the indicative or the subjunctive in mood. If the verb is indicative the clause exactly defines the time when the action of the main clause happened (e.g., “When the clock struck 6, I ate dinner”), but if the verb is subjunctive, it tells us the circumstances around when the action of the main clause happened (e.g. “When I was taking the test, I was working very hard.” Here, “when I was taking the test” doesn’t tell us an exact time, but it describes the circumstance, what was happening, when I was working very hard). Below are some examples of sentence with temporal clauses.
- Cum Hercules infans erat, duōs serpentēs necāvit. (“When Hercules was an infant, he killed two serpents.”)
- Dum urbem caperent, militēs celebrābant. (“While they were taking the city, the soldiers were celebrating.”)
Subjunctive Verbs and the Sequence of Tenses
Whenever a subjunctive verb is used in a dependent clause of any kind, its tense is determined by 1) the tense of the main verb in the dependent clause and 2) the temporal relationship of the dependent clause to the independent clause (just like the tense of an infinitive in indirect statement). The rules that govern these criteria are referred to as the sequence of tenses.
If the verb in the main clause expresses present or future time (i.e., it is in the present, future, future perfect, or rarely the perfect tense), then we are in what is called primary sequence. In primary sequence, the verb of the dependent clause will be:
- present subjunctive, if it expresses an action that is happening at the same time as or after the action of the independent clause, or
- perfect subjunctive, if it expresses an action happened prior to the action of the independent clause.
Below are some examples of the use of primary sequence in temporal clauses (the perfect subjunctive is very rare in these instances):
- Priusquam femina dōnum eī det, ex urbe curret. (Before the woman gives him a gift, he will run out of the city.) (Giving a gift would happen after the running.)
- Dum dux dicat, militēs exspectant. (Until the leader speaks, the soldiers wait.) (Speaking would happen after the waiting.)
If the verb in the main clause expresses past time (i.e., it is in the imperfect, perfect, or pluperfect tense), then we are in what is called secondary sequence. In secondary sequence, the verb of the dependent clause will be:
- imperfect subjunctive, if it expresses an action that is happening at the same time as or after the action of the independent clause, or
- pluperfect subjunctive, if it expresses an action happened prior to the action of the independent clause.
Below are some examples of the use of secondary sequence in temporal clauses:
- Cum militēs Troiam oppugnarent, feminae urbem defendērunt. (When the soldiers were attacking Troy, the women defended the city.) (Attacking is happening at the same time as defending.)
- Cum militēs Troiam oppugnavissent, feminae urbem defendērunt. (After the soldiers had attacked Troy, the women defended the city.) (Attacking happened before defending.)
| Main Verb Tense | Sequence | Subjunctive Verb Tense |
|---|---|---|
| pres., fut., fut. pf., (perf.) | Primary | Present (same time as/after main verb) |
| Perfect (before main verb) | ||
| impf., pf., plupf. | Secondary | Imperfect (same time as/after main verb) |
| Pluperfect (before main verb) |