jussive mood
- noun
- /ˈdʒʌsɪv muːd/
- Formal
:
modo yussivo
- Many languages use the jussive mood to express polite requests or mild commands.
Examples
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In Arabic, the jussive mood is often used in commands.
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The teacher used the jussive mood to give instructions.
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In some grammatical descriptions, the jussive mood is contrasted with the imperative mood.
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Students were asked to identify verbs in the jussive mood within the given sentences.
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In many languages, the jussive mood is used to make polite requests.
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The jussive mood can indicate a suggestion that influences the listener's decision.
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Teachers often explain the use of the jussive mood during grammar lessons.
Synonyms
7
6.0
A verb form used to give a command or request
A verb form that gives a command or request
A verb form used to give a command or request
Surface Forms
Morphology
jussive + mood
This is a specialist grammatical term: 'mood' is transparent as a grammatical category but 'jussive' is rare/technical and not a productive English morpheme whose meaning ('expressing orders/commands') would be obvious to a B1 learner. The overall meaning cannot be compositionally derived from the visible parts without prior exposure or knowledge of the Latin-derived root, so it functions as an opaque lexicalized term.
Etymology
Jussive mood comes from the Latin verb jubere meaning 'to order'. Imagine someone saying 'let him go' or 'let us try' — these gentle commands or polite requests try to make someone act, so the jussive mood is used to give orders or suggestions.