Subjunctive
The subjunctive is a special, relatively rare verb form in English.
Structure of the Subjunctive
The structure of the subjunctive is extremely simple. For all verbs except the past tense of be, the
subjunctive is the same as the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to"):
be (past) be (present) all other verbs (past & present)
I were I be I work
you were you be you work
he, she, it were he, she, it be he, she, it work
we were we be we work
you were you be you work
they were they be they work
The subjunctive does not change according to person (I, you, he etc).
Use of the Subjunctive
We use subjunctives mainly when talking about events that are not certain to happen. For
example, we use the subjunctive when talking about events that somebody:
wants to happen
hopes will happen
imagines happening
Look at these examples:
The President requests that you be present at the meeting.
It is vital that you be present at the meeting.
If you were at the meeting, the President would be happy.
The subjunctive is typically used after two structures:
the verbs: ask, command, demand, insist, propose, recommend, request, suggest + that
the expressions: it is desirable, essential, important, necessary, vital + that
Here are some examples with the subjunctive:
The manager insists that the car park be locked at night.
The board of directors recommended that he join the company.
It is essential that we vote as soon as possible.
It was necessary that every student submit his essay by the weekend.
Notice that in these structures the subjunctive is always the same. It does not matter whether the
sentence is past or present. Look at these examples:
Present: The President requests that they stop the occupation.
Past: The President requested that they stop the occupation.
Present: It is essential that she be present.
Past: It was essential that she be present.
The use of the subjunctive as above is more common in American English than in English,
where should + infinitive is often used:
The manager insists that the car park should be locked at night.
It was essential that we should vote as soon as possible.
We usually use the subjunctive were instead of "was" after if (and other words with similar
meaning). Look at these sentences:
If I were you, I would ask her.
Suppose she were here. What would you say?
Why do we say "I were", "he were"?
We sometimes hear things like "if I were you, I would go" or "if he were here, he would tell
you". Normally, the past tense of the verb "to be" is: I was, he was. But the if I were you
structure does not use the past simple tense of the verb "to be". It uses the past subjunctive of
the verb "to be". In the following examples, you can see that we often use the subjunctive form
were instead of "was" after:
if
as if
wish
suppose
Formal Informal
(The were form is correct at all (The was form is possible in informal, familiar
times.) conversation.)
If I were younger, I would go. If I was younger, I would go.
If he weren't so mean, he would buy
If he wasn't so mean, he would buy one for me.
one for me.
I wish I weren't so slow! I wish I wasn't so slow!
I wish it were longer. I wish it was longer.
It's not as if I were ugly. It's not as if I was ugly.
She acts as if she were Queen. She acts as if she was Queen.
Note: We do not normally say "if I was you", even in
If I were you, I should tell her.
familiar conversation.
Some fixed expressions use the subjunctive. Here are some examples:
Long live the King!
God bless America!
Heaven forbid!
Be that as it may, he still wants to see her.
Come what may, I will never forget you.
We are all citizens of the world, as it were.
terdapat 3 bentuk pengandaian Utuk Subjective wish..
Biasanya dimulai dengan ,, “IF ” ,, “AS IF” DAN “I WISH”
Pertama-tama mari kta bahas tentang “IF”
Terdapat 3 conditional Untuk bentuk “IF”
I. If yang berhubungan degan kenyataan yang sesungguhnya ( tidak melakukan
pengandaian)
bentuk If pertama rumusnya ialah
IF + SUBJECT + TO BE (IS,AM,ARE) / VERB(s/ed),, + subjecy + will+ verb
contoh ,,
jika kamu banyak makan kamu akan gemuk,
If you eat to muuch you will get fat
Pehatikan ,,,pada bentuk pertama ini tidak ada bentuk pengandaian sama sekali,,
karna itu memang sesuai kenyataan , kalau kita makan pasti kita akan gemuk,,
contoh lagi
jika kita memasak air, dia akan mendidih
if we boil water, it will boil
II. IF bentuk pengandaian yang dilakukan di masa sekarang (present tense)
bentuk ke 2 jika kita berandai2,,, dimsa sekarang ,, tetapi andai2 kita tidak bisa jadi
kenyataan..
Rumus,,
If +subject + were / verb 2 + ,,,,,.. + subject + would + verb 1 …
contoh
1.Jika saya kamu,, maka saya akan ke hongkong//
if I were you , I would go to hongkong,,
disini fakta asli berlawanan dengan pengandaian,,
fakta : saya bukan kamu dan saya tidak pergi ke hongkong..\
disini kita memakai bentuk ke dua karna dia berandai dimasa sekarang, bukan masa
lampau,,
2. jika dia kaya, saya akan keluar negri..
If she were rich , she would go abroad,,
fakta : dia tidak kaya,,,dan dia tidak pergi keluar negri
lihat,, walaupun dia she ( subject tungga)l, dia tetap pakai ” were”
3. jika saya menyerangl dia, maka dia akan marah
if I attacked hm , he would be angry
fakta : saya tidak menyerang dia , dan dia tidak marah,,
III. If pengandaian di bentuk masa lalu,,.
Bentuk pengandaian If,,, yang ke 3 sebenranya sama dengan bentuk ke II, tetapi dia
terjadi “dimasa lalu”,,
Rumus ,;
If + Subject + Had been/verb 3 ,,, Subject + Would have been/verb 3
contoh,,
1. jika dia datng ke pestamu kemarin ,, pestanya akan lebih interseting
if he had come to your party yesterday.. the party would have been more interseting,,
fact : he did not come to party yesterday and the party was less intersting
lihat diatas,, ketika dia berandai dimasa lampau maka dia memakai bentuk IF ke 3 , dan
faktanya akan berbentuk masa lampau,,
2. jika saya dirumahmu semalam, ayahmu akan marah kepadaku,,
If I have been at yor home last night,, your father would have been angry with me,,
fact : I was not at yor home last night, your father was not angry with me..
Jadi IF pada betuk Ke II dan III, ialah pengandaian dan tidak sesuai dengan Fakta
Aslinya,…,
sedankan bentuk “AS IF” juga ialah bentuk pengandaian,,,
artinya Seolah2 ,,,
He is angry at me as if he were my father
liha setelah as if maka masuk pengandaian ( masa sekarang)..
jika bentuk masa lalu,,
he was angry as me as if he had been my father
Bentuk I wish juga sama ,, yaitu bentuk pengandaian,,
contoh,,
I wish You were here…
mau saya kamu disin ( faktanya dia tidak sisini)
I wish I would be part of your world ( facr : I am not part of your world )
I wish I were Special ( fact : I am not Special)…
Sekian pembahasan tentang if..
