Indirect Command
All the methods of forming orders in the last units (imperative, negative imperative, negative prohibition, jussive, hortatory) are indepedendent clauses and express a command directly to the person being ordered, whether 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person.
To express a command indirectly, or to filter it through a head verb of ordering (e.g., “He orders that…”, “She commands that…”), we use a complex sentence structure called an indirect command. An indirect command utilizes:
- a main verb of commanding, requesting, encouraging, advising, etc. (e.g., imperō, hortor, moneō, rogō),
- the conjunction ut for a positive command or nē for a negative command,
- and a clause with a subjunctive verb that follows the sequence of tenses.
- imperō ut verba mea audiant. I command that they listen to my words.
- monuit nē mīles in urbem īret. He advised that the soldier not go into the city.
Indirect commands often attract the person being commanded into the main clause as the object of the main verb. In such cases, we can translate the person commanded as the object of the main verb and the substance of the command as an infinitive. Take a look at the following examples:
- hortātus est eam ut ad regem īret. He encouraged her to go to the king.
- rogāvit mē nē nōmen illud dīceret. She asked me not to say that name.
Note that it is easy to mix up indirect commands with purpose clauses because of the conjunctions used (ut, nē). The key differences are in the action of the main verb and the question answered by the clause. If the main verb expresses some sort of command or request and the ut or nē clause explains what that command or request was, you are likely dealing with an indirect command. On the other hand, if the ut/nē clause answers the question “why”, “for what purpose”, or “with what intent”, it is probably a purpose clause. Take a look at the following comparison:
- ea imperāvit eī ut carmen audīret. She ordered him to listen to the song. (What did she order? That he listen to the song.)
- is vēnit ut carmen audīret. He came to listen to the song. (For what purpose did he come? To listen to the song.)
The first sentence contains an indirect command because the main verb indicates an action of commanding and the clause expresses the substance of that command (that he listen to the song). The second sentence, on the other hand, contains a purpose clause because the ut clause answers the question “why” or “for what purpose” did he come (in order to listen to the song). Here are some more comparisons:
- monuimus eōs nē in urbem venīrent. We advised them not to come into the city.
-
pontem perdidimus nē in urbem venīrent. We destroyed the bridge so that they not come into the city.
- rex nōs hortātur ut pecūniam eī dēmus. The king encourages us to give money to him.
- puer canere incipit ut pecūniam eī dēmus. The boy begins to sing so that we might give money to him.
We now know three “indirect” constructions, and it is important to keep their formations and translations distinct in your head:
- indirect statement: head verb + accusative and infinitive, indirectly reports what someone said
- indirect question: head verb + question word + subjunctive clause, indirectly reports what someone asked
- indirect command: verb of commanding or requesting + ut/nē + subjunctive clause, indirectly reports what someone commanded