English term
To be or not to be
| 4 +6 | être ou ne pas être |
Tony M
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Jul 10, 2014 07:39: marie-christine périé changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"
Non-PRO (3): Tony M, Anne Carnot, marie-christine périé
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Proposed translations
être ou ne pas être
I think people's awareness of the subjunctive is possibly less than before, as the emphasis on formal grammar weakens slightly; but people still use it all the time, even though of course many forms are the same as the indicative (or at least homonyms) — so people may not stop and analyse the fact they are using the subjunctive.
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Note added at 18 minutes (2014-07-10 06:44:11 GMT)
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I know when I came to France, I was surprised by just how often the subjunctive crops up in everyday speech — it was something we had barely touched on in my O-level French. Of course, not only is it required where we would use a subjunctive in EN, but also in certain other set constructions that would not normally tke the subjunctive en EN — which is probably what makes it seem all the more widespread to an EN-speaker observing FR 'from outside'.
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Note added at 2 heures (2014-07-10 08:38:13 GMT)
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Were the Bard to have penned "Let it be..." or "That I be..." or "Were I to be...", then the subjunctive might have been called for. Luckily for us, he didn't...
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Note added at 2 heures (2014-07-10 08:39:04 GMT)
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"The quality of subjunctive is not strained
It droppeth as the gentle rain from Heaven..."
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Simon Mac
1 hr
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Thanks, Simon!
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writeaway
: https://www.google.com/search?num=50&q="etre ou ne pas etre"... :) :)
1 hr
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Thanks, W/A! Quite...
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Annie Rigler
3 hrs
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Thanks, Annie!
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Melissa Guay
10 hrs
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Thanks, Melissa!
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Simon Charass
: A consecrated translation of the Bard.
13 hrs
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Thanks, Simon!
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Jean-Claude Gouin
3 days 5 hrs
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Merci, J-C ! :-) Bon dimanche !
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Discussion
The point is that translating the infinitive by using the subjunctive would be an exercise in absurdity at the best of times. And even more so (if possible) with such a well-known quote.
In a nutshell, the answer to your actual question is a resounding no.
Were I some kind of King Canute, I should wish it were otherwise; but far be it from me to stand in the way of progress, however regrettable it may be.