Handling a Subjunctive in an Indirect Question
In a prescribed prose passage, a student meets: Rogavit quid milites facerent si hostes appropinquarent. The student translates 'He asked what the soldiers were doing if the enemy were approaching' but is unsure whether facerent is imperfect or present subjunctive in sense, and whether appropinquarent is a condition or part of the indirect question. The teacher asks the student to identify the syntax, explain the sequence of tenses, and produce a translation that respects both clauses. The student must distinguish indirect question from conditional clause.
1. Identify the syntax of *facerent* and *appropinquarent* and explain the sequence of tenses.
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Rogavit is a perfect-tense main verb of asking, introducing an indirect question with quid. In indirect questions Latin uses the subjunctive. Facerent is imperfect subjunctive, and appropinquarent is also imperfect subjunctive. The sequence rule: after a primary-tense main verb (present, future, future perfect, or perfect with present sense), the subjunctive is primary (present or perfect); after a secondary-tense main verb (imperfect, pluperfect, or perfect with past sense), the subjunctive is secondary (imperfect or pluperfect). Here rogavit is a past perfect (secondary), so both subjunctives are imperfect - correct secondary sequence. The student should note that facerent represents what the soldiers were doing at the time of asking, and appropinquarent represents a future-in-the-past condition embedded within the question. The exam rewards naming the construction (indirect question), identifying the sequence, and showing that the imperfect is the expected form, not an arbitrary choice.
2. Produce a translation and explain how the conditional element is embedded, distinguishing it from a standalone conditional sentence.
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A defensible translation is: 'He asked what the soldiers were doing if the enemy were approaching.' The student should explain that si hostes appropinquarent is a subordinate conditional clause inside the indirect question, not an independent conditional sentence. In a standalone conditional, the apodosis would be indicative or subjunctive in the main clause; here the whole question is reported, so the subjunctive appropinquarent reflects both the reported-speech frame and the hypothetical condition. The student should note that Latin can use the subjunctive in such embedded conditions to mark reported or hypothetical thought. The exam expects the candidate to show the nesting: main verb rogavit → indirect question quid... facerent → embedded condition si... appropinquarent. A translation that flattens the nesting (e.g. 'He asked what the soldiers did if the enemy approached') loses the reported hypothetical nuance and should be flagged as less precise.