Tenses of the perfect system
The perfect system includes the present perfect (often just called "perfect"), the past perfect or pluperfect, and the future perfect. These tenses generally indicate completed action. It is convenient to think of these tenses as the present, past, and future of the perfect system. AG 473, 477, 478- “Necare eandem voluit; quaesivit venenum, sollicitavit servos, potionem paravit, locum constituit, clam attulit.” Cicero, Cael. 31 Here the perfect is used to narrate a series of actions that have happened and are now complete.
- “Ubi ea dies quam constituerat cum legatis venit, ...” Caesar, BG 1.8 When the day came that he had arranged with his lieutenants....
After chance gives the Achaeans the power.... Polyxena's tomb will become wet. The action of the subordinate clause will be complete when the action of the main clause happens, so the subordinate clause uses a tense from the perfect system; as that time is in the future, the appropriate tense is the future perfect.“Nam simul ac fessis dederit fors copiam Achivis
urbis Dardaniae Neptunia solvere vincla,
alta Polyxenia madefient caede sepulcra.
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