Konjunktivale

Konjunktivale is a term used in certain grammars to describe the subjunctive mood, a grammatical category that marks irrealis meaning rather than factual assertion. The konjunktivale forms are used in subordinate clauses to express wishes, hypotheticals, doubts, possibilities, necessity, or indirect speech. They contrast with the indicative, which states things as facts, and with imperative forms that issue commands.

Across languages, konjunktivale is realized with different forms and mechanisms. In Spanish, the present subjunctive uses distinct endings (for example, hablar -> hable). In French, the subjonctif has its own endings after certain conjunctions (que tu viennes). In English, the subjunctive survives mainly in specific constructions (If I were rich; I suggest that he be present). Other languages mark the irrealis meaning with particles, modal verbs, or periphrastic constructions, or rely on past-tense forms to express present counterfactuals.

Usage patterns typically place konjunktivale clauses after verbs of desire, emotion, doubt, obligation, or after certain conjunctions such as that (English) or que (Spanish, French). The exact tense and person distinctions vary by language, and some languages have reduced or lost productive subjunctive forms in everyday speech, retaining them mainly in formal or literary style.

See also: Subjunctive mood, Indicative, Conditional, Indirect speech.