What a purpose clause does
A purpose clause tells you why someone does something. In English we usually say "to" or "in order to": the soldiers hurried to the city to save the citizens. Latin does it with a small clause of its own, introduced by ut and with its verb in the subjunctive.
The clause answers "what for?". It is never a fact: the soldiers may or may not save anyone. That is why Latin uses the subjunctive, the mood for things wished, intended or imagined rather than things that happened.
- ut introduces a positive purpose: "to", "so that".
- ne introduces a negative purpose: "so that ... not", "in order not to". Latin never uses ut non for a purpose.
- The verb of the clause is in the subjunctive and usually comes at the end of the clause.
- se or suus inside the clause refers back to the subject of the main verb: servus tacuit ne dominus se puniret, "the slave kept quiet so that his master would not punish him" (the slave).
The verb: imperfect subjunctive
At GCSE the verb in a purpose clause is always in the imperfect subjunctive, because the stories you translate are told in the past. It is easy to form and easy to spot: take the present infinitive and add the personal endings.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | sum | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | portare | monere | regere | audire | esse |
| imperfect subjunctive, he / she / it | portaret | moneret | regeret | audiret | esset |
| imperfect subjunctive, they | portarent | monerent | regerent | audirent | essent |
Translating it
English has several ways to say the same thing. Any of these earns the mark, as long as the clause reads as a purpose.
- to: ut cives servarent, "to save the citizens". The shortest, and usually the best.
- in order to, so as to: the same, a little more formal.
- so that ... might / could / would: use this when the person doing the purpose is not the subject of the main verb: nuntium misi ut tibi haec diceret, "I sent a messenger so that he might tell you this".
- Negative, with ne: "so that ... would not", "in order not to", "to avoid ...ing".
Not to be confused with
ut has three other common jobs. The subjunctive and the signposts in the main clause tell them apart.
tam fortis erat ut hostes fugerent
dominus servo imperavit ut laboraret
ut dixi, servus fugit
servus fugit ut liber esset
In the exam
- Find ut or ne, then find the imperfect subjunctive that closes the clause. Translate the main clause first, then add the purpose.
- "To" is a complete and correct translation of ut + subjunctive. Do not write "that" for a purpose clause: "the soldiers hurried that they save the citizens" loses the mark.
- ne is not non. "ne ... puniret" is "so that he would not punish", and the "not" belongs to the clause, not to the main verb.
- Check who se is. In a purpose clause it points back to the subject of the main verb.
- In a comprehension question, "why did the soldiers hurry?" is almost always answered by the purpose clause. Quote the Latin from ut to the verb.
Try it
Two short exercises. Type your answer and it is marked against a mark scheme, phrase by phrase, so you can see which part of the sentence you have and which you have not. Nothing is saved.
Translate it
0 of 25 marksTranslate each sentence into English. Any natural wording earns the marks; the scheme is looking for the sense of each phrase.
Fill in the verb
0 of 5 marksType the imperfect subjunctive of the verb in brackets. Watch the ending: singular or plural?