2.15 - Healthy Recommendations in the Subjunctive
I am totally lost on this lesson. The English is not any English I have ever heard before. Like she sleep. What am I missing here if any one knows. Could someone point me in the right direction for an explanation? Thanks.
I am probably going to be sorry I ask this.
8 Answers
No. You are not reading this wrong. The correct form for the third person singular subjunctive in English would be "she sleep" which would correspond with the Spanish "duerma."
Interestingly, it is only in the third person singular that present subjunctive exhibits any morphological (relating to form) differences from the indicative. It might also be beneficial to realize that the present subjunctive is so-named not because of any relationship to the present (it can actually be used equally for both unrealized present, and future actions) but rather it is due to the morphological similarity between it and the present indicative. For example, note the following:
| Indicative | Subjunctive | |
| I | sleep | sleep |
| we | sleep | sleep |
| you | sleep | sleep |
| he | sleeps | sleep |
| she | sleeps | sleep |
| they | sleep | sleep |
In terms of morphology, in English the present subjunctive is formed by simply taking the bare infinitive of the verb (that is, the infinitive without its "to" marker, i.e. sleep vs. to sleep). Semantically (relating to meaning), the difference can better be illustrated by way of example. Let's compare the following two sentences, paying close attention to the verb sleep:
1). I asked that she sleep with me on rainy nights [subjunctive]
2). She sleeps with me on rainy nights [indicative]
Notice that in the indicative (2) above, there is an outright declaration. The declarative nature of the indicative can often be highlighted by noting the emphasis that can be added by including the auxiliary verb do. Note the following:
She does (indeed) sleep with me on rainy nights.
In the subjunctive (1), no such declaration is made. That is, if you isolate the subjunctive clause containing the word sleep, it is clear that the speaker is not declaring this as a statement of fact, but as a hypothetical situation that may or may not occur. Namely, it is not clear whether or not she will sleep with him on rainy nights or not. The only thing that is clear (or that has been declared) is that the speaker asked that she do so. In English, because of a general lack of morphological diversity between the subjunctive and indicative, the subjunctive is often avoided in preference of other constructions, most notable among these are the following three types:
Infinitive Verb Preceded by the subject and often by the preposition for
1). I asked (for) Mary to sleep with me on rainy nights [proper noun as subject]
2). I asked (for) her to sleep with me on rainy nights [disjunctive pronoun as subject]
Modal Auxiliary
1). I asked that she might/would sleep with me on rainy nights.
If-clauses
1). I asked if she would/might sleep with me on rainy nights.
In this case, the infinitive would probably be the more common construction, but ultimately, the choice of form is generally dictated by the verb employed. That is to say that each of the above constructions is possible; however, actual usage varies with the verb being used.
Just to follow up on the idea of modal auxiliaries and infinitive verb forms vs. the use of a designated subjunctive verb form, it might help to compare the following sets of sentences:
| Type of Expression | Modal Auxiliary | Subjunctive Verb Form | Infinitive |
| A wish | I wish that she would sleep with me | It is my wish that she sleep with me | I wish (for) her to sleep with me. |
| A requirement/demand | In order for her to live here, she must sleep with me | In order for her to live here, it is required that she sleep with me/I demand that she sleep with me | In order for her to live here, it is required for her to sleep with me |
| A recommendation or suggestion | She ought to sleep with me/She should sleep with me | I recommend that she sleep with me | I recommend for her to sleep with me. |
| Permission | Since she is afraid of the dark, she can/may sleep with me | Because she is afraid of the dark, I will permit that she sleep with me | Since she is afraid of the dark, I will permit/allow her to sleep with me |
| Possibility | The next time we are together, she might sleep with me | The next time that we are together, it may be that she sleep with me | The next time that we are together, it might be possible for her to sleep with me |
Caution - This answer is wrong - Izanoni's answer is correct - Moe
, Dcalienz
Well, Dave, I had a look at the Transcript of the lesson here ----> link text, and I also looked at the Lesson's Flashcards. It is card #15 Flashcards that is causing your confusion.
I agree with Ray, the card should state, 'in English', either 1) she sleeps, or 2) she is sleeping.
I am changing this question's catagory to "Website Questions and Feedback" so there is a better chance it will be looked at with a view to changing it.
Muchos Saludos/Best regards,
Moe.
Wait till you get to the weirdo lesson.. the first one in unit 3.. Oh my goodness! I can't follow it at all!
I need subtitles.
Are you sure it was not "She sleeps" ?
Like she sleep.
I'm confused about this example.
The subjunctive is more common in English than many people think. The problem (as Izanoni mentioned) is the lack of morphological distinction in most cases). Thus, even people who actually use/hear the subjunctive do not recognize it as such. Add to this, the people who do not use it, and you have a lot of people who think it (almost) doesn't exist in English.
I hope that the original poster (and other readers) appreciates the comprehensiveness of Izanoni's response and was not hoping for/expecting a one/two sentence explanation. The subject can be complicated (especially for those who are unfamiliar with the grammar of their own language. My daughter (as a child) used to ask me questions such as "How does a computer work?" and then lose patience when my response ran to more that two/three sentences. Now that she's an adult, she either doesn't ask such "open-ended" questions or realizes that the question may be complicated and is more patient with the answer.
When I posted this, I was just ready to go to bed, and did not give much information. Thanks for the answers. I came here to learn Spanish, and now I know I do not even speak English.
I am glad I asked the question now.
