All about the French Subjunctive Present Tense
What is the subjonctif?
The French subjonctif is a mood, not a tense. It is used in dependent clauses and expresses doubt and subjectivity, hence its name. Its difficulty comes from the fact that it does not have an English equivalent, so English natives struggle to understand when to use it. It is usually taught in French B1 classes or above. However, it is used on a daily basis, and it is very important to understand how it works if you want to genuinely sound French.
Because the subjunctive is a mood, this blog post will only focus on the subjunctive present tense.
How To Use the Subjonctif Present?
More than how, you must understand when to use the subjunctive.
There are certain things you must remember when forming the subjunctive:
- It always starts with que or qui
To use the subjunctive in French, the expression in the main clause must end with the relative pronoun que or qui. When using the preposition de, we have to use the indicative. This is why subjunctive conjugations start with “que”.
- The sentence involves two subjects
Repeat after me: It is not because you know the subjunctive that you must use the subjunctive.
We only use the subjunctive when we are talking about two different subjects in the same sentence. If the entire sentence is about the same subject, there is no need to conjugate the second verb.
For example:
Je ne pense pas que tu viennes demain.
I don’t think you will come tomorrow.
Subject 1: je
Subject 2: tu
Venir is therefore conjugated in the subjunctive present tense.
However, you will not say
Je ne pense pas que je vienne demain.
As adding the second je is unnecessary. Instead you will say:
Je ne pense pas venir demain.
I don’t think I’ll come tomorrow.
- Always use the subjunctive after il faut que
Il faut que is a very common French expression which basically translates to “one must” and expresses duty. After il faut que, you must always use the subjunctive.
- Certain expressions require the subjunctive to be used.
You MUST use the subjunctive when expressing:
-
- Doubt
-
- Obligation
-
- Possibility
-
- Will / desire
-
- Judgment
-
- Feeling
You MUST NOT use the subjunctive when expressing:
-
- Certainty
-
- Probability
-
- Opinion
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- Facts
-
- Indirect speech
The latter ones will require you to use the indicative mood, aka the present tense you already know.
Expressions that require the French subjunctive
| Avant que | Before | Il faut étudier avant que le professeur n’arrive.(You need to study before the teacher arrives.) |
| En attendant que | Waiting for | Je lis un livre en attendant que le train parte.(I’m reading a book while waiting for the train to depart.) |
| Jusqu’à ce que | Until | Je resterai ici jusqu’à ce que tu reviennes.(I will stay here until you come back.) |
| Afin que | So that | Il travaille dur afin que son entreprise prospère.(He works hard so that his business thrives.) |
| Bien que | Although | Bien que le temps soit mauvais, nous irons à la plage.(Although the weather is bad, we will go to the beach.) |
| Pour que | So that | Je t’ai laissé un message pour que tu me rappelles.(I left you a message so that you call me back.) |
| Sans que | Without | Il est sorti sans que personne ne le remarque.(He went out without anyone noticing.) |
| À condition que | As long as | Tu peux emprunter ma voiture à condition que tu la ramènes ce soir.(You can borrow my car provided that you bring it back tonight.) |
| Pourvu que | Provided that | Pourvu que tu sois prudent, tout ira bien.(As long as you’re careful, everything will be fine.) |
| À moins que | Unless | À moins que tu ne finisses tes devoirs, tu ne pourras pas sortir.(Unless you finish your homework, you can’t go out.) |
| De peur que | Lest | Je suis rentré tôt de peur que la tempête ne s’aggrave.(I came home early lest the storm worsen.) |
Expressions that require the French indicative
| Après que | After | Il est sorti après que je suis rentré.He left after I came back. |
| Aussitôt que | As soon as | Elle a souri aussitôt que je suis arrivé.She smiled as soon as I arrived. |
| Dès que | As soon as (dès que is more formal than aussiôt que) | Dès que tu finis, viens me voir.Come see me as soon as you’re done. |
| Depuis que | Since | Il étudie l’espagnol depuis que l’école a commencé.He has been studying Spanish since school started. |
| Pendant que | While | Je lisais un livre pendant que tu cuisinais.I was reading a book while you were cooking. |
| Quand | When | Quand tu seras prêt, appelle-moi.When you’re ready, call me. |
| Lorsque | When | Lorsque nous sommes arrivés, il pleuvait.When we arrived, it was raining. |
| Comme | As / like | Il court si vite, comme un cheval.He runs so fast, like a horse |
| Si | If | Si tu viens, j’irai aussi.If you come, I will go too. |
| Parce que | Because | Il a souri parce que tu l’as complimenté.He smiled because you complimented him. |
| Peut-être que | Perhaps | Peut-être que nous irons au cinéma ce soir.Perhaps we will go to the cinema tonight. |
| Puisque | Since | Puisque tu insistes, d’accord.Since you insist, okay. |
- Negative sentences often provoke the subjunctive
The subjunctive is also used in negative AND interrogative sentences after the following verbs:
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- Croire (to believe)
Je ne crois pas qu’il soit veuille travailler avec nous.
I don’t believe he wants to work with us.
-
- Penser (to think)
Pensez-vous que ça vaille la peine?
Do you think it’s worth it?
-
- Expressions with être: être certain / sûr / convaincu / persuadé /etc
On n’est pas convaincus qu’il aille voir ses amis.
We are not convinced he will see his friends.
How to Form the Subjunctive?
Many learners believe the subjunctive present is one of (if not the) the hardest tense to conjugate. Actually, it is not that difficult! As long as you know your indicative present well, which you should if you are reading this article!
To form the subjunctive, we take the third person of the plural (ils/elles) of the indicative present and we replace the -ent by: -e, -es, -e, -ions*, -iez*, -ent
Yes, these are the imparfait endings! You already know them.
Let’s look at some common regular verbs:
| manger | finir | mettre |
| Que je mange | Que je finisse | Que je mette |
| Que tu manges | Que tu finisses | Que tu mettes |
| Qu’il mange Qu’elle mange Qu’on mange |
Qu’il finisse Qu’elle finisse Qu’on finisse |
Qu’il mette Qu’elle mette Qu’on mette |
| Que nous mangions | Que nous finissions | Que nous mettions |
| Que vous mangiez | Que vous finissiez | Que vous mettiez |
| Qu’ils mangent Qu’elles mangent |
Qu’ils finissent Qu’elles finissent |
Qu’ils mettent Qu’elles mettent |
And now some irregular verbs:
| être | avoir | avoir |
| Que je sois | Que j’aie | Que j’aille |
| Que tu sois | Que tu aies | Que tu ailles |
| Qu’il soit Qu’elle soit Qu’on soit |
Qu’il ait Qu’elle ait Qu’on ait |
Qu’il aille Qu’elle aille Qu’on aille |
| Que nous soyons | Que nous ayons | Que nous allions |
| Que vous soyez | Que vous ayez | Que vous alliez |
| Qu’ils soient Qu’elles soient |
Qu’ils aient Qu’elles aient |
Qu’ils aillent Qu’elles aillent |
| faire | pouvoir | savoir |
| Que je fasse | Que je puisse | Que je sache |
| Que tu fasses | Que tu puisses | Que tu saches |
| Qu’il fasse Qu’elle fasse Qu’on fasse |
Qu’il puisse Qu’elle puisse Qu’on puisse |
Qu’il sache Qu’elle sache Qu’on sache |
| Que nous fassions | Que nous puissions | Que nous sachions |
| Que vous fassiez | Que vous puissiez | Que vous sachiez |
| Qu’ils fassent Qu’elles fassent |
Qu’ils puissent Qu’elles puissent |
Qu’ils sachent Qu’elles sachent |
French Subjunctive Present Exercises
Complete the following sentences with the right conjugation. You must decide whether the subjunctive or the indicative present is necessary and conjugate the verb accordingly. Comment your answers!
Il faut que …… là ce week-end. (tu / être)
Je ne dois pas …… après 8 heures, sinon je ne dors pas. (manger)
Tu es convaincue que …. …. Je n’en suis pas sûre. (Marie / venir)
C’est la seule personne que ………. Ici (je / connaître)
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