subjunktív

Subjunktív is a grammatical mood used in many languages to express actions or states that are not presented as factual statements. It marks uncertainty, desire, emotion, doubt, possibility, necessity, or unreality, and typically occurs in subordinate clauses after verbs, conjunctions, or expressions that require non-indicative forms. The exact forms and functions vary by language; the term is used across languages to name this mood rather than to describe a single, universal ending system.

In usage, the subjunktív contrasts with the indicative mood, which asserts facts. In many Romance languages it has distinct present and past tenses and is used after verbs of wishing, hoping, fearing, or after expressions of necessity, opinion, or reason, and after certain conjunctions. For example: Spanish: quiero que hables (present subjunctive) and si yo fuera rico (imperfect subjunctive); French: il faut que tu viennes; Italian: spero che tu studi.

English uses a more limited subjunktív, primarily in formal contexts or in set phrases: It is essential that he be informed; If I were you. Some languages have merged the subjunktív with other moods or rely on periphrasis rather than dedicated endings.

Historically, the term derives from Latin subjunctivus, and its realization in different languages reflects a variety of morphological and syntactic strategies across the Indo-European family and beyond.