| Primary Sequence: main verb is in the present,
future, or future perfect (and sometimes the perfect tense counts
as primary sequence); imperatives also count as primary sequence |
| contemporary action (incomplete) |
present subjunctive |
| prior action (completed action) |
perfect subjunctive |
| Secondary Sequence: main verb is in the past,
meaning the perfect, imperfect, and pluperfect |
| contemporary action (incomplete) |
imperfect subjunctive |
| prior action (completed action) |
pluperfect subjunctive |
Present Subjunctive:
Quid facit ille? Nescio. (What is that man doing? I don't know.)
Nescio quid ille faciat. (I don't know what that man is doing.)
... Nescio: present tense = primary sequence.
... The man has not completed what he is doing; he is doing something
at the same time that I am unable to describe it = contemporary action.
Perfect Subjunctive:
Quid viderunt mulieres? Exponam. (What did the women see? I will
explain.)
Exponam quid viderint mulieres. (I will explain what the women
saw.)
... Exponam: future tense = primary sequence.
... The women saw something prior to my explaining it = prior
action.
Imperfect Subjunctive:
Quid optant? Omnes dixerunt. (What do they want? Everybody said.)
Omnes dixerunt quid optarent. (Everybody said what they wanted.)
... Dixerunt: perfect tense = secondary sequence.
... The wanting is not a completed action, everybody was still wanting
something when they said what they wanted = contemporary action.
Pluperfect Subjunctive:
Quis pecuniam perdidit? Marcus rogavit. (Who lost the money? Marcus
asked.)
Marcus rogavit quis pecuniam perdidisset. (Marcus asked who lost
the money.)
... Rogavit: perfect tense = secondary sequence.
... The losing of the money happened before Marcus asked his question
= prior action.
