The conjunctive mood in Portuguese and Hungarian based on As Intermitências da Morte by José Saramago

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the use of the subjunctive mood in Portuguese and Hungarian, looking closely at the origins and morphology of this mood in Hungarian based on Varga's Rendhagyó nyelvtörténet. The frequency and use of the subjunctive are analysed based on José Saramago’s Death with Interruptions and the corresponding Hungarian translation by Pál Ferenc. It can be concluded that Portuguese resorts to the subjunctive much more often than Hungarian does – 897 forms have been found in the Portuguese text, 490 having been found in the Hungarian equivalent – although, in some contexts, Hungarian must use the subjunctive where Portuguese chooses the infinitive. Nevertheless, numerous examples of common use have also been found in both languages, among which the use of the subjunctive in clauses of purpose predominates.