Subjunctive

Subjunctive adalah bentuk kalimat pengandaian. Namun topik Subjunctive ini berbeda dengan Conditional. Conditional adalah kalimat pengandaian juga namun perbedaannya adalah Conditional dilengkapi dengan syarat-syarat tertentu untuk mengandai-andai. Misalnya "Aku akan mengundanya jika aku jadi kamu.". Berikut ini adalah penjelasan tentang Subjunctives.
Struktur Subjunctive
be (past)

• I were
• you were
• he, she, it were
• we were
• you were
• they were

be (present)

• I be
• you be
• he, she, it be
• we be
• you be
• they be

Kata kerja lain (past & present)

• I work
• you work
• he, she, it work
• we work
• you work
• they work

Penggunaan Subjunctive
Kita menggunakan subjunctives ketika kita berbicara tentang suatu kegiatan yang sebenarnya tidak akan terjadi. Kita menggunakan subjunctive ketika berbicara tentang kegiatan yang seseorang:

• Inginkan agar terjadi
• Harapkan akan terjadi
• Membayangkan akan terjadi

Contoh:

• The President requests that you be present at the meeting.
• It is vital that you be present at the meeting.
• If you were at the meeting, the President would be happy.

Subjunctive biasanya menggunakan kedua struktur berikut:

• Kata Kerja: ask, command, demand, insist, propose, recommend, request, suggest + that
• Ekspresi: it is desirable, essential, important, necessary, vital + that

Contoh:

• The manager insists that the car park be locked at night.
• The board of directors recommended that he join the company.
• It is essential that we vote as soon as possible.
• It was necessary that every student submit his essay by the weekend.

Perhatikan bahwa struktur berikut ini, subjunctive-nya sama. Tidak masalah kalimat itu tenses-nya past atau present. Contoh:

• Present: The President requests that they stop the occupation.
• Past: The President requested that they stop the occupation.

• Present: It is essential that she be present.
• Past: It was essential that she be present.

Kita selalu menggunakan were sebagai pengganti "was" setelah if (dan kata lainnya yang memiliki arti yang sama). Contoh:

• If I were you, I would ask her.
• Suppose she were here. What would you say?

Mengapa kita menggunakan "I were", "he were"?
Kita sering mendengar orang berkata "if I were you, I would go" atau "if he were here, he would tell you". Memang normalnya adalah: I was, he was. Tetapi struktur if I were you tidak melihat Past Tense". Struktur tersebut hanya mengenal past subjunctive untuk "to be" nya. Perhatikan contoh kata-kata/frase di bawah ini untuk struktur di atas:

• if
• as if
• wish
• suppose

• If I were younger, I would go. (FORMAL)
• If I was younger, I would go. (INFORMAL)
• If he weren't so mean, he would buy one for me.(FORMAL)
• If he wasn't so mean, he would buy one for me. (INFORMAL)
• I wish I weren't so slow! (FORMAL)
• I wish I wasn't so slow! (INFORMAL)
• I wish it were longer. (FORMAL)
• I wish it was longer. (INFORMAL)
• It's not as if I were ugly. (FORMAL)
• It's not as if I was ugly. (INFORMAL)
• She acts as if she were Queen. (FORMAL)
• She acts as if she was Queen. (INFORMAL)
• If I were you, I should tell her. (FORMAL)
• If I was you, I should tell her.  (INFORMAL)

Note: We do not normally say "if I was you", even in familiar conversation.

Beberapa ekspresi menggunakan subjunctive. Contoh:

• Long live the King!
• God bless America!
• Heaven forbid!
• Be that as it may, he still wants to see her.
• Come what may, I will never forget you.
• We are all citizens of the world, as it were.