Questions & Answers about Quid agam, si mater me domi manere cogit?
Why is agam in the subjunctive?
Because this is a deliberative question: Quid agam? = What am I to do? / What should I do?
In Latin, when someone is wondering what to do, the verb is often put in the present subjunctive. So:
- quid ago? would mean What am I doing?
- quid agam? means What am I to do? / What should I do?
So the subjunctive here does not mean the action is unreal; it shows hesitation, uncertainty, or deliberation.
What form is agam exactly?
Agam is:
- 1st person singular
- present subjunctive active
- from agere = to do, drive, act
So quid agam literally means what I may do, but in natural English it is usually translated as what should I do? or what am I to do?
Why is si mater me domi manere cogit in the indicative instead of the subjunctive?
Because si here introduces a simple condition: if mother forces me to stay at home.
Latin often uses the indicative in ordinary if clauses when the condition is presented as a real possibility or a straightforward fact.
So:
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