§540. Causal Clauses

The Causal Particles quod and quia take the Indicative, when the reason is given on the authority of the writer or speaker; the Subjunctive, when the reason is given on the authority of another:—

• Indicative:—

  • cum tibi agam grātiās quodmē vīvere coēgistī (Att. 3.3), when I may thank you that you have forced me to live.
  • cūr igitur pācem nōlō? quia turpis est (Phil. 7.9), why then do I not wish for peace? Because it is disgraceful.
  • ita fit ut adsint proptereāquod officium sequuntur, taceant autem quia periculum vītant (Rosc. Am. 1), so it happens that they attend because they follow duty, but are silent because they seek to avoid danger.

• Subjunctive:—

  • mihi grātulābāre quod audīssēs mē meam prīstinam dīgnitātem obtinēre (Fam. 4.14.1), you congratulated me because [as you said] you had heard that I had regained my former dignity.
  • noctū ambulābat Themistoclēs quod somnum capere nōn posset (Tusc. 4.44), Themistocles used to walk about at night because [as he said] he could not sleep.
  • mea māter īrāta est quianōn redierim (Pl. Cist. 101), my mother is angry because I did n't return.

So with quod even a verb of saying may be in the Subjunctive: as, —rediit quod sē oblītum nesciō quid dīceret (Off. 1.40), he returned because he said he had forgotten something.

• pugilēs ingemēscunt,nōn quod doleant, sed quia profundendā vōce omne corpus intenditur (Tusc. 2.56), boxers groan, not because they are in pain, but because by giving vent to the voice the whole body is put in a state of tension.
• nōn quia rēctior ad Alpīs via esset, sed crēdēns (Liv. 21.31.2), not because the route to the Alps was more direct, but believing, etc.
• nōn quīn parī virtūte et voluntāte aliīfuerint, sed tantam causam nōn habuērunt (Phil. 7.6), not that there were not others of equal courage and good-will, but they had not so strong a reason.
• haec amōre magis impulsus scrībenda ad tē putāvī, quam quōtē arbitrārermonitīs et praeceptīs egēre (Fam. 10.3.4), this I thought I ought to write to you, rather from the impulse of (prompted by) affection than because I thought that you needed advice and suggestion.

a. Quoniam and quandō, since, introduce a reason given on the authority of the writer or speaker, and take the Indicative:—

• locus est ā mē, quoniam ita Murēna voluit, retrāctandus (Mur. 54), I must review the point, since Murena has so wished.
• quandō ita vīs, dī bene vortant (Pl. Trin. 573), since you so wish, may the gods bless the undertaking.
• quandō ad mâiōra nātī sumus (Fin. 5.21), since we are born for greater things.

b. Causal clauses introduced by quod, quia, quoniam, and quandō take the Subjunctive in Indirect Discourse, like any other dependent clause (see § 580).

c. A Relative, when used to express cause, regularly takes the Subjunctive (see § 535. e).

d. Cum causal takes the Subjunctive (see § 549).

For Substantive Clauses with quod, see § 572.