Conjuntief

Conjuntief, also called the subjunctive mood, is a grammatical category used to express non-factual or non-real propositions. It signals attitudes such as wishes, doubts, hypotheticals, or commands rather than straightforward statements of fact. The term conjunctief is used in Dutch linguistic tradition to describe this mood, which contrasts with the indicative mood that marks asserted facts.

Across languages, the conjunctive often appears in subordinate clauses after verbs of wishing, fearing, desiring, or necessity, and in dependent clauses introduced by conjunctions that require a non-real or non-definitive valuation. It helps indicate that the proposition is not presented as a definite assertion about reality.

In Romance languages, the subjunctive forms distinctive endings or stem changes. In Spanish present subjunctive: hablar becomes hable, comer becomes coma, venir becomes venga; example: Espero que hables. In French: il faut que tu viennes uses the present subjunctive. In Italian: che tu venga expresses “that you come.” These forms are used in contexts of desire, doubt, emotion, necessity, or hypothetical circumstances.

In German, Konjunktiv I is used primarily in indirect or reported speech (Er sagt, er sei krank), while Konjunktiv II marks unreal or contrary-to-fact conditions (Wenn ich reich wäre). Dutch historically had a conjunctief, but in modern usage the mood is rare and often replaced by other constructions or periphrastic forms.

Overall, the conjunctive is a cross-linguistic mood with varied formal realization. Some languages maintain a robust system; others rely on substitutions or have reduced the mood to largely non-productive uses.