The International Auxiliary Language Esperanto Part 28

The Conditional or US mood has no tenses (see par. 192). We can show its meaning best by using the conjunction se, which frequently introduces it. It has no time value in itself, and may relate to the past, present, or future.

Sing. (Se) Mi estus = _(If) I should be_, _were_, _had been_.

(Se) Vi estus = _(If) you would_, _were_, _had been_.

(Se) Li, etc. estus = _(If) he would_, _were_, _had been_.

Plural. (Se) Ni estus = _(If) we would_, _were_, _had been_.

(Se) Vi estus = _(If) you would_, _were_, _had been_.

(Se) Ili estus = _(If) they would_, _were_, _had been_.

IMPERATIVE MOOD.

The imperative or U mood has no tenses.

The following is its form and meaning in a chief proposition (see par. 199).

Singular. Mi estu = _Let me be._ Estu = _Be_, or, _be you_, or, _be thou_.

Li, si, gi, estu = _Let him_, _her_, _it be_.

Plural. Ni estu = _Let us be._ Estu = _Be_, or, _be you_, or, _be ye_.

Ili estu = _Let them be_.

The following is its meaning in a dependent proposition, which is usually introduced by the conjunction ke = _that_ (par. 200).

Sing. (Ke) Mi estu = _(That) I_ } (Ke) Vi estu = (That) _you_ } (Ke) Li, etc. estu = (That) _he_ }(_may_, _might_, _should_) _be_.

Plural. (Ke) Ni estu = (That) _we_ } (Ke) Vi estu = (That) _you_ } (Ke) Ili estu = (That) _they_ }

168. CONJUGATION OF AN ACTIVE VERB.

The conjugation of the compound forms is given in par. 169. When simple forms sufficiently convey the meaning, they are preferable to the compound forms.

INFINITIVE MOOD.

Simple _Present_, Teni = _To hold._ Compound _Present_, Esti tenanta = _To be holding._ Compound _Past_, Esti teninta = _To have held._ Compound _Future_, Esti tenonta = _To be about_ (or, _going_) _to hold_.

PARTICIPLES.

_Present_, Tenanta = _Holding._ _Past_, Teninta = _Having held._ _Future_, Tenonta = _About_ (or, _going_) _to hold_.

INDICATIVE MOOD.

Present (Simple).

Sing. Mi tenas = _I hold_, _am holding_, _do hold_.

Vi (or, ci) tenas = _You hold_, _are holding_, _do hold_.

Li, si, gi tenas = _He_, _she_, _it holds_, _is holding_, _does hold_.

Plural. Ni tenas = _We hold_, _are holding_, _do hold_.

Vi tenas = _You_ (or, _ye_) _hold_, _are holding_, _do hold_.

Ili tenas = _They hold_, _are holding_, _do hold_.

N.B.--Ci = _thou_ is rarely used. Vi = _you_ is used, as in English, for both singular and plural; but when vi is plural, the participle in compound tenses takes the plural _J_.

Past (Simple).

Mi, vi, etc., tenis = _I_, _you_, etc., _held_, _have_ (or, _had_) _held_, _was holding_, _did hold_.

Future (Simple).

Mi, vi, etc., tenos = _I_, _you_, etc., _shall hold_, or, _shall be holding_.

CONDITIONAL MOOD (OR "US" MOOD).

The translation of this mood into English depends upon the context, viz., whether we use the auxiliaries "should," "would," "were,"

"had," or simply the English past tense. It is frequently introduced by the conjunction se = _if_ (see pars. 190-194).

(Se) mi tenus = (_If_) _I held_, or, _should hold_, or, _should be holding_, or, _were holding_, or, _were to hold_, or, _had held_.

IMPERATIVE MOOD (OR "U" MOOD).

Singular. Mi tenu = _Let me hold._ Tenu = _Hold._ Li, si, gi, tenu = _Let him, her, it hold._ Plural. Ni tenu = _Let us hold._ Tenu = _Hold._ Ili tenu = _Let them hold._

Sing. (Ke) mi tenu = (_That_) _I_ } (Ke) vi (or, ci) tenu = (_That_) } _you_ (or, _thou_) } (Ke) li tenu = (_That_) _he_ }_may_, _might_, _should hold._ Plural. (Ke) ni tenu = (_That_) _we_ } (Ke) vi tenu = (_That_) _you_ } (or, _ye_) } (Ke) ili tenu = (_That_) _they_ }

(See remarks on the Imperative mood, pars. 195-202).

CONJUGATION OF THE COMPOUND FORMS OF ACTIVE AND Pa.s.sIVE VOICES.

169. The following shows the compound tenses in the active and pa.s.sive voices, and the compound forms of the conditional and imperative moods:--For the three persons of the plural add _J_ to the participle (see pars. 173, 174, 235, 236).

The Present in the Present Mi estas tenanta = _I am holding._ Mi estas tenata = _I am_ (_being_) _held._ Past Mi estis tenanta = _I was holding._ Mi estis tenata = _I was_ (_being_) _held._ Future Mi estos tenanta = _I shall be holding._ Mi estos tenata = _I shall be_ (_being_) _held._

The Past in the Present Mi estas teninta = _I have held._ Mi estas tenita = _I have been_, or, _was held._ Past Mi estis teninta = _I had held._ Mi estis tenita = _I had been held_, or, _was held_, if the action is completed.

Future Mi estos teninta = _I shall have held._ Mi estos tenita = _I shall have been held._

The Future in the Present Mi estas tenonta = _I am about_ (or, _going_) _to hold._ Mi estas tenota = _I am about_ (or, _going_) _to be held._ Past Mi estis tenonta = _I was about_ (or, _going_) _to hold._ Mi estis tenota = _I was about_ (or, _going_) _to be held._ Future Mi estos tenonta = _I shall be about to hold._ Mi estos tenota = _I shall be about to be held._

CONDITIONAL, OR "US" MOOD.

Active Voice (Compound Form) and the Pa.s.sive Voice.

Se mi estus tenanta = _If I should be_, or, _were_, _holding_.

Se mi estus tenata = _If I should be_ or, _were (being) held_, or, _if I be held._ Se mi estus teninta = _If I should have held_, or, _if I had held._ Se mi estus tenita = _If I should have been held_, or, _if I had been_, or, _were, held._ Se mi estus tenonta = _If I should be_, or, _were, about to hold._ Se mi estus tenota = _If I should be about to be held._

N.B.--In the active voice use the simple form instead of the present and past participle, unless the compound form is necessary to emphasize the meaning. For instance, in the sentence "He would not have struck me if you had held him," we use the past participle to show the anteriority, but we need not use it for the first clause; so we say:--_Li ne frapus min, se vi estus teninta lin_. If we use the simple form, _Li ne frapus min, se vi tenus lin_, it would be read:--"He would not strike me if you held him," unless the context clearly showed the action was completed. We could, however, use the adverb _antaue_ instead of the compound form, and say:--_Li ne frapus min, se vi antaue tenus lin_ = He would not have struck me if you had held him (lit., if you beforehand held him) (see par. 226 (_a_) and remarks on the Conditional mood, pars. 190-194).