indicativus

Indicativus is the Latin term for the indicative mood, the grammatical mood used to state facts or beliefs. In a broader linguistic sense, the indicative denotes statements that are asserted as real rather than hypothetical, which are typically expressed by other moods such as the subjunctive or imperative. The name derives from Latin indicare, “to indicate” or “to show.”

In Latin, the indicative is the default mood for most declarative clauses. Classical grammars distinguish six tenses within the indicative: present, imperfect, and future; and perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect. Verbs are conjugated for person and number, and the endings signal tense and voice. Examples in the active voice include: present amō “I love,” imperfect amābam “I was loving,” and perfect amāvī “I loved.”

Across Romance languages, the mood exists with similar function and is usually called indicativo (Spanish), indicatif (French), or indicativo (Italian and Portuguese). The indicative contrasts with the subjunctive, used for non-factual or contingent statements, and with the imperative, used for commands. Some languages also recognize additional moods or evidential distinctions that interact with the basic indicative system.

Historically, the indicative mood derives from Proto-Indo-European and forms the core of verb conjugation in Latin and many descendant languages, underpinning tense and aspect systems in grammars and dictionaries.