8.9 Subjunctive

Subjunctive Mood

Instructor Video: Subjunctive

Subjunctive verb forms are generally used to convey desirability, possibility, probability, uncertainty or a wish about some future action or event.

Structure

If we delete the suffix – गा, गे or गी from the future verb forms then the subjunctive verb form is remaining.

Notes:

• The subjunctive form of a verb remains the same regardless of whether it refers to a masculine or a feminine subject.
• Three verbs that are irregular forms in future (लेना to take, देना to give and होना to be) are also have irregular in the subjunctive case.

For examples:

• Future: शायद वह कल दिल्ली जाएगा / जाएगी। “Perhaps he / she will go to Delhi tomorrow.”
• Subjunctive: शायद वह कल दिल्ली जाए। “He / She may go to Delhi tomorrow.”
• Future: अगले साल भी मैं हिन्दी पढूंगी | “I will study Hindi next year too.”
• Subjunctive: शायद अगले साल भी मैं हिन्दी पढूंगी | “Perhaps I may study Hindi next year.”

 Negation of Subjunctive

The negative particle used with the subjunctive is always न.

• शायद वह कल दिल्ली न जाए। “Perhaps S/he may not go to Delhi tomorrow.”
• शायद आज वर्षा न हो | “Perhaps it may not rain today.”

Subjunctive Case in Imperfective and Perfective Aspects

In order to use subjunctive case in imperfective and perfective aspect, a subjunctive form of होना is added as an auxiliary to the habitual, Progressive, or perfective forms of the main verb.

Simple Subjunctive

• शायद हम दिल्ली जायें। “Perhaps we may go to Delhi.”
• शायद बच्चे क्रिकेट खेलें | “Perhaps children may play cricket.”

Subjunctive Habitual

• शायद वह जयपुर में हिन्दी पढ़ता हो। “Perhaps he learns/ used to learn Hindi in Jaipur.”
• शायद वह सारी रात पढ़ाई करती हो | “Perhaps, she studies whole night.”

Subjunctive Progressive 

• शायद हम दिल्ली जा रहे हों। “Perhaps we may be going to Delhi.”
• शायद मेरे दोस्त अभी कोई फ़िल्म देख रहे हों | “Perhaps my friends may be watching some movie.”

Subjunctive Perfective

• शायद उसने वहाँ काम किया हो। “Perhaps S/he may have worked there.”
• शायद उसने तुम से कुछ कहा हो | “Perhaps s/he may have said something to you.”

Uses of Subjunctive Case

To express desirability

• चलो आज कहीं बाहर चलें। “Let’s go out somewhere today.”
• चलो आज हिन्दी में बात करें | “Let’s talk in Hindi today.”

To express advice/permission (may, should)

• मैं अन्दर आऊँ? “May I Come in?”
• मैं घर जाऊँ? “May I go home?”

Let’s Constructions

• चलिए घूमने चलें! “Let’s go for a walk.”
• चलिए खाना खायें ! “Let’s eat food.”

Most polite form of request

• आप मेरे साथ आएँ। “Please come with me.”
• अब खाना खाएँ। “Let’s eat now.”

To express probability/uncertainty

• शायद आज बारिश हो। “Perhaps, it may rain today.”
• शायद कल वह यहाँ आये | “Perhaps, s/he may come here tomorrow.”

To express wishes/blessings/curses

• जन्मदिन मुबारक हो! “Wish you a happy birthday!”
• नया साल मुबारक हो ! “Wish you a happy new year!”

Complex Sentences: Uses of Subjunctive in Subordinate Clauses

Subjunctive case can be used in subordinate clause to express desire and possibility.

For examples:

मैं/ हम/ तुम/ आप/ वह/ वे ….. चाहता/ चाहती/ चाहते/ चाहतीं ….. हूँ / है / हो/ हैं कि …

• मैं चाहती हूँ कि आप हिन्दी पढ़ें। “I want you to study Hindi.”
• माँ चाहती है कि मैं डॉक्टर बनूँ | “Mother wants me to become a doctor.”

मेरी/ तुम्हारी/ आपकी/ उसकी/ उनकी इच्छा है कि…

• मेरी माँ की इच्छा है कि मैं हिन्दुस्तान जाऊँ। “My mother wants me to go to India.”
• उसकी इच्छा है कि हम मिठाई खायें | “S/he wants us to eat sweets.”

More expressions

Other constructions requires subjunctive with conjunctions

ताकि/ जिससे कि……..(so that)

• हिन्दी पढ़ो ताकि/ जिससे कि भारत में हिन्दी बोल सको। “Learn Hindi so that you can speak Hindi in India.”

The subjunctive of possibility is common in Conditional (if…..then construction)

• अगर तुम कहो तो मैं भी तुम्हारे साथ चलूँ (गा)। “If you say than I will also come with you.”

In the sentence with जब तक……न the subjunctive form is generally used (if the reference is to a future action)

• जब तक मैं न बुलाऊँ, (तब तक) अंदर न आना। “Don’t come in until I call you.”

The subjunctive is used in “as if/ as though” clauses that indicate supposition or imagined actions or situations, particularly after expressions such as “it seems as if / as though….” or “it appears as if / as though.”

• हमें ऐसा लगा जैसे हम वहाँ अजनबी हों। “It seemed to us / we felt as if we were strangers there.”
• वह इतनी सुंदर है मानो गुलाब हो। “She is as pretty (that you would think of her) as though she were a rose.”

Activity 1

Activity 2

(a) Food Recipe: Please write a recipe of your favorite Indian/South Asian food. You have done this before using imperative sentences. Here you have to write the recipe using subjunctive sentences.

(b) Giving Direction: Imagine that you have invited a friend to your house for a party. Your friend does not know your the direction from her/his house to your house. Please write a direction in Hindi. [Hint: Please use subjunctive sentences].

(c) Good wishes:

धन्यवाद !