Subjunctive in Dutch
Encyclopedia
The subjunctive mood
in Dutch
is a verb mood typically used in dependent clauses to express a wish, command, emotion, possibility, uncertainty, doubt, judgment, opinion, necessity, or action that has not yet occurred.
It is also referred to as the conjunctive mood (Dutch: aanvoegende wijs) as it often follows a conjunction. As in English, the subjunctive mood in Dutch has been gradually replaced by modal auxiliary verbs. As a consequence, contemporary use is mostly, but not completely, confined to set phrases and semi-fixed expressions. In older Dutch texts, the use of the subjunctive can be encountered frequently.
The subjunctive was in the past quite common and can often be encountered in older Dutch texts. Its use began a slow but steady decline, first in spoken language and later on in written language. During the early 20th century, it was already noted by linguists that the use of the subjunctive in oral language was rare. By that time, the use of the subjunctive in writing was also dwindling - a process that continued throughout the 20th century.
If the subjunctive is used in accordance with the rules mentioned in this article, it is still considered grammatically correct, but often sounds archaic or formal. In contemporary Dutch, the subjunctive is no longer actively used, save for a few exceptions and a large range of set phrases. Instead the function of the subjunctive has been replaced by a range of auxiliary verb
s, with "zullen" ('will') as the most important one, especially its past tense: "zouden" ('would').
or command
. As such the subjunctive fulfills the function of what is known as the optative mood
in some other languages. The main verb expresses a wish, demand or desire, such as willen (to want), begeren and verlangen (to desire), hopen (to hope), bidden (to pray), smeken (to beg) and waken and zorgen (to take care). Example sentences:
It is also possible to express a wish without using a dependent clause. Example sentences:
In contemporary Dutch, the optative function of the subjunctive has to a large extent been replaced by the auxiliary verb "zullen" ('will') and to a much lesser extent by "laten" ('to let'). Example sentences: Ik hoop dat hij op tijd zal komen. (I hope he will come on time) and "Laat Uw Naam geheiligd worden." (Let Thy Name be hallowed, instead of "Geheiligd 'zij' Uw Naam" or "Hallowed 'be' Thy Name)." Many religious texts and official government or business letters still make use of the optative subjunctive.
or possibility
. The former is also called the conditional mood
or conditionality
; the latter potentialis. Example sentences:
In contemporary Dutch, the conditional function of the subjunctive has almost been completely replaced by the combination of "als" ('if') or "indien" ('if') and the modal auxiliary verb "zouden" ('would'). For example: Als hij koning zou zijn... (If he would be king...) and Indien hij nog zou leven... (If he would still be alive...).
Several conjunctions
were often accompagnied with a subjunctive, because these conjunctions always express a condition. Some examples:
In contemporary usage, these conjunctions are normally always followed by an auxiliary verb and an indicative mood.
or doubt
. Example sentences:
Several conjunctions
were often accompagnied with a subjunctive, because these conjunctions always express a uncertainty or doubt.
In contemporary Dutch, uncertainty is expressed by the modal auxiliary verb "zullen" ('will') and its past tense "zouden" ('would').
. Example sentences:
Several conjunctions
were often accompagnied with a subjunctive, because these conjunctions always express a concession.
were always accompagnied with a subjunctive in the past, because these conjunctions always express a purpose. Some examples:
In contemporary usage, these conjunctions are normally always followed by an auxiliary verb and an indicative mood.
The composite words can also be split in their components and form a full-fledged sentence.
Subjunctive mood
In grammar, the subjunctive mood is a verb mood typically used in subordinate clauses to express various states of irreality such as wish, emotion, possibility, judgment, opinion, necessity, or action that has not yet occurred....
in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
is a verb mood typically used in dependent clauses to express a wish, command, emotion, possibility, uncertainty, doubt, judgment, opinion, necessity, or action that has not yet occurred.
It is also referred to as the conjunctive mood (Dutch: aanvoegende wijs) as it often follows a conjunction. As in English, the subjunctive mood in Dutch has been gradually replaced by modal auxiliary verbs. As a consequence, contemporary use is mostly, but not completely, confined to set phrases and semi-fixed expressions. In older Dutch texts, the use of the subjunctive can be encountered frequently.
Present subjunctive
-
- O.T.T. :
- First Person: present rootRoot (linguistics)The root word is the primary lexical unit of a word, and of a word family , which carries the most significant aspects of semantic content and cannot be reduced into smaller constituents....
+ 'e' (ik kom'e) or if the root ends on a vowelVowelIn phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
: root (ik ga) - Second Person: present root +'et' or root +'e': gij nem'et, zij je, u lett'e
- Third Person: present root +'e': hij spel'e
- Plural: present infinitive: wij mog'en
- First Person: present root
- V.T.T.: O.T.T. of hebben or zijn + Past Participle: ik 'hebbe' gespeeld, u 'zij' gegaan.
- O.T.T. :
Past subjunctive
-
- O.V.T.:
- First Person: past root + 'e': Ik kwam'e.
- Second Person: past root + 'e': Hij speeld'e.
- Plural: past infinitive: Wij mocht'en.
- One exception: the past subjunctive of the Dutch verb worden (to become) is wierde(n), not werde(n).
- V.V.T.: O.V.T. of hebben (to have) or zijn (to be) + Past Participle: Ik 'hadde' gespeeld, gij 'waret' gegaan.
- O.V.T.:
Future subjunctive
The future subjunctive is mostly a theoretical construct, which has almost never been used.-
- O.Tk.T.: O.T.T. of zullen + Present Infinitive: ik 'zulle' spelen.
- O.V.Tk.T.: O.V.T. of zullen + Present Infinitive: ik 'zoude' spelen.
- V.Tk.T.: O.Tk.T. of hebben or zijn + Past Participle: Ik 'zulle' gespeeld hebben, gij 'zullet' gegaan 'zijn.
- V.V.Tk.T.: O.V.Tk.T. of hebben or zijn + Past Participle: Ik 'zoude' gespeeld hebben, gij 'zoudet' gegaan 'zijn.
Usage
In Dutch, the conjunctive mood can express a- wish: hence, it fulfills the function of the optative moodOptative moodThe optative mood is a grammatical mood that indicates a wish or hope. It is similar to the cohortative mood, and closely related to the subjunctive mood....
(wensende wijs) in other languages. - command
- condition: hence, it fulfills the function of the conditional moodConditional moodIn linguistics, the conditional mood is the inflectional form of the verb used in the independent clause of a conditional sentence to refer to a hypothetical state of affairs, or an uncertain event, that is contingent on another set of circumstances...
(voorwaardelijke wijs) in other languages. - irreality: hence, it fulfills the function of the irrealis mood in other languages.
- possibility: potentialis
- doubt
- uncertainty
- concession
- purpose
- exhortation: it fulfills the function of the hortative moodHortativeThe hortative is a group of semantically similar deontic moods in some languages, especially English. Hortative moods encourage or urge. There are seven hortative moods in English: the adhortative, exhortative, suprahortative, cohortative, dehortative, inhortative, and infrahortative...
in other languages.
The subjunctive was in the past quite common and can often be encountered in older Dutch texts. Its use began a slow but steady decline, first in spoken language and later on in written language. During the early 20th century, it was already noted by linguists that the use of the subjunctive in oral language was rare. By that time, the use of the subjunctive in writing was also dwindling - a process that continued throughout the 20th century.
If the subjunctive is used in accordance with the rules mentioned in this article, it is still considered grammatically correct, but often sounds archaic or formal. In contemporary Dutch, the subjunctive is no longer actively used, save for a few exceptions and a large range of set phrases. Instead the function of the subjunctive has been replaced by a range of auxiliary verb
Auxiliary verb
In linguistics, an auxiliary verb is a verb that gives further semantic or syntactic information about a main or full verb. In English, the extra meaning provided by an auxiliary verb alters the basic meaning of the main verb to make it have one or more of the following functions: passive voice,...
s, with "zullen" ('will') as the most important one, especially its past tense: "zouden" ('would').
Command or wish
The subjunctive can express a wishWish
A wish is a hope or desire for something. Fictionally, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.-In literature:...
or command
Imperative mood
The imperative mood expresses commands or requests as a grammatical mood. These commands or requests urge the audience to act a certain way. It also may signal a prohibition, permission, or any other kind of exhortation.- Morphology :...
. As such the subjunctive fulfills the function of what is known as the optative mood
Optative mood
The optative mood is a grammatical mood that indicates a wish or hope. It is similar to the cohortative mood, and closely related to the subjunctive mood....
in some other languages. The main verb expresses a wish, demand or desire, such as willen (to want), begeren and verlangen (to desire), hopen (to hope), bidden (to pray), smeken (to beg) and waken and zorgen (to take care). Example sentences:
- Ik hoop dat hij op tijd 'kome'. (I hope he will come on time - In English the dependent clause that follows the verb "to hope" is always in an indicative mood.)
- Hij wenst dat er eendracht tussen ons 'zij'. (He wishes that there 'be' unity among us.)
- Zorg dat dit 'geschiede'.
- Hij smeekte dat de misdadiger gestraft 'wierde'.
It is also possible to express a wish without using a dependent clause. Example sentences:
- Lang 'leven' de kinderen! (Long live the children!)
- Mogen' zij in vrede rusten. (May they rest in peace.)
- Het 'ga' je goed! (May things go well for you!)
- God 'zegene' en 'beware' je. (May God bless and save you.)
- Het geluk 'zij' met u! (May luck be with you!)
- Hiermede 'moge' ik u berichten dat wij uw brief goed hebben ontvangen. (I may inform you that we have received your letter.)
- Ware' hij toch verstandiger geweest! (I wish he would have been wiser!)
- U 'gelieve' gepast te betalen.
In contemporary Dutch, the optative function of the subjunctive has to a large extent been replaced by the auxiliary verb "zullen" ('will') and to a much lesser extent by "laten" ('to let'). Example sentences: Ik hoop dat hij op tijd zal komen. (I hope he will come on time) and "Laat Uw Naam geheiligd worden." (Let Thy Name be hallowed, instead of "Geheiligd 'zij' Uw Naam" or "Hallowed 'be' Thy Name)." Many religious texts and official government or business letters still make use of the optative subjunctive.
Exhortation
The subjunctive can express an exhortation. Normally the 3rd person is used.- U 'neme' drie eieren. (You should take three eggs.)
- De lezer 'bedenke' wel dat dit boek vijftig jaar geleden geschreven is. (The reader should keep in mind that this book has been written fifty years ago.)
- Men 'zegge' het voort. (One should tell others.)
- Men 'herleze' mijn brief. (One should reread my letter.)
- De gebruiker 'lette' hierop. (The user should take note of this.)
Condition or possibility
The subjunctive can be used to imply a conditionCondition
-Logic:* Logical conditional* Necessary and sufficient condition, condition of another means that the former statement is true if and only if the latter is true-Computer programming:* Conditions, a generalization of exceptions in exception-handling...
or possibility
Possibility
Possibility is the condition or fact of being possible. The Latin origins of the word hint at ability. Possibility also refers to something that "could happen", that is not precluded by the facts, but usually not probable...
. The former is also called the conditional mood
Conditional mood
In linguistics, the conditional mood is the inflectional form of the verb used in the independent clause of a conditional sentence to refer to a hypothetical state of affairs, or an uncertain event, that is contingent on another set of circumstances...
or conditionality
Conditionality
Conditionality is a concept in international development, political economy and international relations and describes the use of conditions attached to a loan, debt relief, bilateral aid or membership of international organizations, typically by the international financial institutions, regional...
; the latter potentialis. Example sentences:
- Ware' hij koning... (If he 'were' king...)
- Hadde' hij de kracht gehad... (If he would have had the strength...)
- Vinde' ik hem, ik zou... (If I would find him, I would...)
- Ware' de hulp op tijd gekomen, dan was de ramp niet geschied. (If help would have arrived in time, the disaster would not have occurred.)
- Leefde' hij nog, ik zou... (If he 'were' still alive, I would...)
- Hij 'ware' een rijk man geworden, 'hadde' hij langer geleefd. (He would have become a rich man if he had lived longer - the first sentence contains a subjunctive that expresses a doubt, see below.)
- Sloege' ik hem dood, ik 'dede' een zonde. (If I would have hit him to death, I would have committed a sin.)
In contemporary Dutch, the conditional function of the subjunctive has almost been completely replaced by the combination of "als" ('if') or "indien" ('if') and the modal auxiliary verb "zouden" ('would'). For example: Als hij koning zou zijn... (If he would be king...) and Indien hij nog zou leven... (If he would still be alive...).
Several conjunctions
Conjunctions
Conjunctions, is a biannual American literary journal based at Bard College. It was founded in 1981 and is currently edited by Bradford Morrow....
were often accompagnied with a subjunctive, because these conjunctions always express a condition. Some examples:
- Mits: Ik wil haar graag in mijn huis ontvangen mits ze niet voor morgen 'kome'.
- Tenzij: Als je niet tevreden bent, tenzij ik je vraag 'beantwoorde', weet dan nu al dat ik dat niet doen zal.
In contemporary usage, these conjunctions are normally always followed by an auxiliary verb and an indicative mood.
Uncertainty or doubt
The subjunctive can be used to express a uncertaintyUncertainty
Uncertainty is a term used in subtly different ways in a number of fields, including physics, philosophy, statistics, economics, finance, insurance, psychology, sociology, engineering, and information science...
or doubt
Doubt
Doubt, a status between belief and disbelief, involves uncertainty or distrust or lack of sureness of an alleged fact, an action, a motive, or a decision. Doubt brings into question some notion of a perceived "reality", and may involve delaying or rejecting relevant action out of concerns for...
. Example sentences:
- Al 'kwame' hij nu, het zou reeds te laat zijn. (Even if he would come now, it would be too late.)
- Ik vrees dat hij reeds overleden 'zij'. (I fear that he would already have died.)
- Ik twijfel of u daaraan wel voldoende moeite besteed 'hebbe'. (I doubt that you have spent enough effort.)
- Hij 'ware' een rijk man geworden, 'hadde' hij langer geleefd. (He would have become a rich man if he had lived longer - the second sentence contains a subjunctive that expresses a condition, see above.)
Several conjunctions
Conjunctions
Conjunctions, is a biannual American literary journal based at Bard College. It was founded in 1981 and is currently edited by Bradford Morrow....
were often accompagnied with a subjunctive, because these conjunctions always express a uncertainty or doubt.
- Of: Ik twijfel of hij mijn vriend wel 'zij'.
- Alsof: Het leek alsof hij op nieuw jong geworden 'ware'.
In contemporary Dutch, uncertainty is expressed by the modal auxiliary verb "zullen" ('will') and its past tense "zouden" ('would').
Irreality
The subjunctive can be used to express an irrealis situation. Example sentences:- De man sprak over de bankoverval als 'ware' het een zondaguitstapje. (The man spoke about the bank robbery as if it were a Sunday trip.)
Concession
The subjunctive can express a concessionConcession
Concession may refer to:* Concession : failure to challenge or cessation of challenging, as in "conceding an election" or "conceding a game".* Concession : a contracted-out service, as in concession stand....
. Example sentences:
- Hij 'ga' waar hij wil. (He can go wherever he wants)
- Wie hij ook 'zij'. (Whoever he may be.)
- Wat hij ook 'moge' doen. (Whatever he may do.)
- Hoe het ook 'zij'. (However it may be.)
- Ik ben het met zijn standpunten eens, 'zij' het niet geheel van harte.
Several conjunctions
Conjunctions
Conjunctions, is a biannual American literary journal based at Bard College. It was founded in 1981 and is currently edited by Bradford Morrow....
were often accompagnied with a subjunctive, because these conjunctions always express a concession.
- Hoewel: Hoewel hij een graag gezien figuur 'ware', besteedde hij niet veel aandacht aan zijn vrienden. (While he was popular, he did not spend a lot of time with his friends.)
- Ofschoon or schoon: Hij zoude niet genoeg hebben, schoon hij een miljoen frank 'bezate'. (He would not have enough, though he had a million francs.)
Purpose
Several conjunctionsConjunctions
Conjunctions, is a biannual American literary journal based at Bard College. It was founded in 1981 and is currently edited by Bradford Morrow....
were always accompagnied with a subjunctive in the past, because these conjunctions always express a purpose. Some examples:
- Opdat: Ik zal hem helpen opdat hij zijn doel 'bereike'.
- Ten einde: De boer vraagt naar regen ten einde zijn akker besproeid 'worde'.
In contemporary usage, these conjunctions are normally always followed by an auxiliary verb and an indicative mood.
Set phrases
In contemporary Dutch, a wide range of fixed expressions that make use of the conjunctive exist. Some examples are mentioned here.Proverbs
Some examples:- Gebeure' wat gebeuren zal.
- Kome' wat komen zal.
- Koste' wat het kost.
- Redde' wie zich redden kan.
Formal and religious language
Some examples:- Lord's Prayer: Onze Vader Die in de Hemelen zijt, geheiligd 'zij' Uw Naam, Uw Rijk 'kome', Uw Wil 'geschiede' op aarde als in de Hemel. (Our Father in heaven, hallowed 'be' your name, your kingdom 'come', your will 'be' done, on earth as in heaven.)
- Oath phrase: Zo waarlijk 'helpe' mij God almachtig.
Set words
In some words, the use of the subjunctive can be seen:- Dankzij from "dank 'zij" (thanks to)
- Hetzij from "het 'zij" (either)
- Tenzij from "ten 'zij" (unless)
- Godbetert from "God 'betere' het".
- Godverdomme from "God 'verdoeme' (het)" (God'damn'(it))
- Godzijdank. from "God 'zij' dank".
The composite words can also be split in their components and form a full-fledged sentence.