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A story begins and it always passes from the subjunctive to the declarative. And Italians don't seem to care about making a fine distinction between that which is speculation and that which is fact.
Donna Leon

Meaning of "subjunctive" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD SUBJUNCTIVE

Via Late Latin subjunctīvus, from Latin subjungere to subjoin.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF SUBJUNCTIVE

subjunctive  [səbˈdʒʌŋktɪv] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SUBJUNCTIVE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Subjunctive can act as a noun and an adjective.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES SUBJUNCTIVE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Subjunctive mood

The subjunctive is a grammatical mood found in many languages. Subjunctive forms of verbs are typically used to express various states of unreality such as wish, emotion, possibility, judgment, opinion, necessity, or action that has not yet occurred – the precise situations in which they are used vary from language to language. The subjunctive is an irrealis mood – it is often contrasted with the indicative, which is a realis mood. Subjunctives occur most often, although not exclusively, in subordinate clauses, particularly that-clauses. Examples of subjunctive use can be found in the English sentences "I suggest that you be careful" and "It is important that he stay by your side." Subjunctive may be denoted by the glossing abbreviation sjv or sbjv. It is sometimes referred to as the conjunctive mood, as it is mostly found in clauses introduced by a conjunction.

Definition of subjunctive in the English dictionary

The first definition of subjunctive in the dictionary is denoting a mood of verbs used when the content of the clause is being doubted, supposed, feared true, etc, rather than being asserted. The rules for its use and the range of meanings it may possess vary considerably from language to language. In the following sentence, were is in the subjunctive. Other definition of subjunctive is the subjunctive mood. Subjunctive is also a verb in this mood.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH SUBJUNCTIVE


active
ˈæktɪv
adjunctive
əˈdʒʌŋktɪv
attractive
əˈtræktɪv
collective
kəˈlɛktɪv
conjunctive
kənˈdʒʌŋktɪv
contradistinctive
ˌkɒntrədɪˈstɪŋktɪv
defunctive
dɪˈfʌŋktɪv
disjunctive
dɪsˈdʒʌŋktɪv
distinctive
dɪˈstɪŋktɪv
effective
ɪˈfɛktɪv
extinctive
ɪkˈstɪŋktɪv
indistinctive
ˌɪndɪˈstɪŋktɪv
injunctive
ɪnˈdʒʌŋktɪv
instinctive
ɪnˈstɪŋktɪv
interactive
ˌɪntərˈæktɪv
nondistinctive
ˌnɒndɪsˈtɪŋktɪv
perspective
pəˈspɛktɪv
respective
rɪˈspɛktɪv
unconjunctive
ˌʌnkənˈdʒʌŋktɪv
undistinctive
ˌʌndɪˈstɪŋktɪv

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SUBJUNCTIVE

subjective intension
subjective probability
subjectively
subjectiveness
subjectivise
subjectivism
subjectivist
subjectivistic
subjectivistically
subjectivity
subjectless
subjectship
subjoin
subjoinder
subjugable
subjugate
subjugation
subjugator
subjunction
subjunctively

WORDS THAT END LIKE SUBJUNCTIVE

addictive
alternative
constrictive
constructive
cost-effective
defective
destructive
detective
directive
inactive
predictive
proactive
productive
prospective
protective
reactive
reflective
reproductive
retrospective
selective
subjective

Synonyms and antonyms of subjunctive in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «subjunctive» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF SUBJUNCTIVE

Find out the translation of subjunctive to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of subjunctive from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «subjunctive» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

虚拟语气
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

subjuntivo
570 millions of speakers

English

subjunctive
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

संभाव्य
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

شرطي
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

сослагательное
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

subjuntivo
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

সংযোজক
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

subjonctif
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Subjunctive
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Konjunktiv
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

仮定法の
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

가정법
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Subjunctive
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

thuộc về tiếp tục pháp
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

subjunctive
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

उपनियम
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

dilek kipi
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

congiuntivo
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

subjunctive
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

сослагательное
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

conjunctiv
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

υποτακτική
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

subjunktief
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

konjunktiv
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

konjunktiv
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of subjunctive

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SUBJUNCTIVE»

The term «subjunctive» is regularly used and occupies the 58.818 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
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100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
73
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «subjunctive» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of subjunctive
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «subjunctive».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «SUBJUNCTIVE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «subjunctive» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «subjunctive» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about subjunctive

EXAMPLES

QUOTES WITH «SUBJUNCTIVE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word subjunctive.
1
Donna Leon
A story begins and it always passes from the subjunctive to the declarative. And Italians don't seem to care about making a fine distinction between that which is speculation and that which is fact.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SUBJUNCTIVE»

Discover the use of subjunctive in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to subjunctive and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Practice Makes Perfect The French Subjunctive Up Close
The book also features a unique answer key that gives you more than just a listing of correct answers; it clues you in on the "why" behind them.
Annie Heminway, 2011
2
The Subjunctive Mood in Arabic Grammatical Thought
In The Subjunctive Mood in Arabic Grammatical Thought Arik Sadan outlines the grammatical theories on the na?b (subjunctive mood) in Classical Arabic.
Arik Sadan, 2012
3
Kierkegaard and Levinas: The Subjunctive Mood
The Danish Christian existentialist Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) and the Jewish Lithuanian-born French interpreter of modern phenomenology Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995) have enabled theology and philosophy to illuminate and confront one ...
Patrick Sheil, 2010
4
Colloquial Spanish in Context: Beyond Subjunctive Barriers
Colloquial Spanish in Context examines subtle and difficult grammar points as they naturally appear: in normal, everyday Spanish as seen in comic strips.
Gunnar Anderson, 2003
5
Expressing the Same by the Different: The Subjunctive Vs the ...
This volume offers an alternative, sign-oriented analysis of the distribution of the French Indicative and Subjunctive.
Igor Dreer, 2007
6
Modality and Subordinators
This book connects two linguistic phenomena, modality and subordinators, so that both are seen in a new light, each adding to the understanding of the other.
Jackie Nordstrom, 2010
7
Practice Makes Perfect: The Spanish Subjunctive Up Close
With plenty of opportunities for practice, practice, practice, Practice Makes Perfect: The Spanish Subjunctive Up Close helps you better understand the nuances of this often-confusing grammar element and develop your skills and confidence ...
Eric Vogt, 2008
8
Grammar Lessons: Translating a Life in Spain
In. the. Subjunctive. Mood. Think. of it this way: Learning to use the subjunctive mood islike learning to drive a stick shift. It's like falling in love with a car that isn't new or sporty but has a tilt steering wheel and a price you can afford. It's like ...
Michele Morano, 2007
9
Working in the Subjunctive Mood: Exhibitions as Education, ...
Since the late 19th century, the American museum has viewed exhibitions primarily as a medium of education or, as one scholar notes, museums offer the "commodity of knowledge.
Leslie Bedford, 2008
10
Metalinguistic Knowledge and the Acquisition of the Spanish ...
One of the most controversial topics in Applied Linguistics is the role of learners' explicit knowledge (including metalinguistic knowledge) and explicit instruction in second language (L2) learning and teaching.
Maite Correa, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SUBJUNCTIVE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term subjunctive is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Language can add a dimension of imagination
I persist by waving my banner: people should care, I say, because the subjunctive is how we can express important things with our language, like “what if.” Also ... «The News-Press, Jul 15»
2
How third conditionals differ from subjunctive sentences
YOU are given this sentence, “Franz didn't take that job he was offered,” and you are asked to assume that you are Franz. How do you construct the statement in ... «The Manila Times, Mar 15»
3
god save the subjunctive
The subjunctive mood, for those who are not already intimately acquainted, is used to express counterfactuals, wishes, doubt, and desires. For example, “I wish ... «The Brown Daily Herald, Feb 15»
4
MP Charlotte Leslie: Teach Latin in all schools to bring back English …
In many ways, the subjunctive, which I only appreciated through Latin, divides man from beast. The subjunctive is a linguistic form of expressing wishes, ... «Western Daily Press, Dec 14»
5
Johnson: Grammar
One reason the subjunctive is tricky is that it almost always looks just like the indicative. Only with a third-person singular subject (he, she, it, Mike, the tenant. «The Economist, Sep 14»
6
Get your tongue around German to master speaking English
To add to the confusion, the difference between the imperfect past tense and the subjunctive is invisible with other verbs. So: “He spoke German” and: “If he ... «The Conversation UK, Sep 14»
7
Whither the subjunctive?
In the Bezos reference, though, the indicative “is” rather than the subjunctive “be” conveys a different meaning. There's room for honest confusion, in other words. «Christian Science Monitor, Aug 14»
8
Zach Braff's Biggest Offense: His Grammar
Braff's latest movie bares a title that gives a big middle finger to the subjunctive mood, and people are mad. In an interview with Vulture posted today, Braff ... «The Wire, Jul 14»
9
Word Crimes! Zach Braff's “Wish I Was Here” and the death of the …
“What do you have against the subjunctive?” Empire magazine asked Zach Braff, discussing the Kickstarter for his new movie, “Wish I Was Here,” out this ... «Washington Post, Jul 14»
10
Can you pass the grammar test for 11-year-olds?
Which option completes the sentence below so that it uses the subjunctive mood? I wish I ______ free to come to your party, but I am afraid I will be busy. Were «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Subjunctive [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/subjunctive>. Jun 2026 ».
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