Breakdown of Mater timet ne infans vas fragile tangat.
Questions & Answers about Mater timet ne infans vas fragile tangat.
After verbs of fearing, Latin uses ne to introduce the thing that is feared. That is different from what English speakers often expect.
So after a verb like timeo:
- ne means that, that perhaps, or that ... may/will
- ut means that ... not
This is the opposite of what happens in purpose clauses, where ut is normally positive and ne is negative. A useful old-fashioned English equivalent is lest.
Because it is in a clause dependent on a verb of fearing. Latin regularly uses the subjunctive after verbs like timeo, vereor, and metuo when they are followed by ne or ut.
So tangat is not subjunctive because the action is doubtful in some general sense; it is subjunctive because the grammar of a fear clause requires it.
The main verb timet is present tense, so it belongs to the primary sequence. In primary sequence, Latin normally uses the present subjunctive for an action that is happening at the same time as the main verb or is still in the future relative to it.
So timet ne ... tangat means the mother is now afraid of the possibility that the baby may touch or will touch the vase.