We say: ‘Long live the king!’ Why can’t we say ‘Long lives the king!’

The present subjunctive

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EnglishtutorHan
EnglishtutorHanCountry flag: us
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Yes. The present subjunctive. What we are saying here is "long may the king live" or "Let the king live long". Something like "Dear God, let the king live long". A wish.

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