What the subjunctive is
The subjunctive is a mood. It marks how the speaker relates to an action: wanted, required, feared, doubted, felt. Compare Je sais qu'il vient (I know he is coming: fact, indicative) with Je veux qu'il vienne (I want him to come: desire, subjunctive). The action of coming has left the world of established fact and entered the world of will and emotion.
The good news: in modern French you need one form, the present subjunctive, for nearly everything. It almost always appears after que, triggered by specific expressions you can learn as a list.
Formation from the ils stem
Take the present-tense ils form, remove -ent, and add: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent. Ils finissent gives finiss-, so que je finisse, que tu finisses, qu'il finisse, que nous finissions, que vous finissiez, qu'ils finissent.
The nous and vous forms are identical to the imparfait: que nous parlions, que vous parliez. For regular -er verbs, the singular forms look and sound like the present indicative, which is why the subjunctive is less scary than its reputation.
The irregular verbs that matter
These seven cover the bulk of real usage. Note the two-stem pattern in aller and venir: aille and vienne in the singular, allions and venions in nous and vous.
| Verb | que je ... | que nous ... |
|---|---|---|
| être | sois | soyons |
| avoir | aie | ayons |
| aller | aille | allions |
| faire | fasse | fassions |
| pouvoir | puisse | puissions |
| savoir | sache | sachions |
| venir | vienne | venions |
The triggers
- Necessity: il faut que, il est important que, il est nécessaire que
- Will and preference: vouloir que, préférer que, souhaiter que
- Emotion: être content que, être triste que, avoir peur que, regretter que
- Doubt and denial: douter que, ne pas penser que, ne pas croire que
- Conjunctions: avant que, pour que, bien que, jusqu'à ce que, à condition que
| Il faut que tu viennes ce soir. | You need to come tonight. |
| Je veux que vous soyez à l'heure. | I want you to be on time. |
| Elle est contente que tu sois là. | She is glad you are here. |
| Nous resterons ici jusqu'à ce qu'il revienne. | We will stay here until he comes back. |
| Bien qu'il fasse froid, ils mangent dehors. | Although it is cold, they are eating outside. |
When the indicative wins
Verbs of knowledge, statement and belief in the affirmative take the indicative: je sais que, je pense que, je crois que, il est certain que. Je pense qu'il a raison. Turn them negative or interrogative and doubt creeps in, so the subjunctive becomes standard: Je ne pense pas qu'il ait raison.
Espérer que is the famous exception: despite expressing hope, it takes the indicative in the affirmative. J'espère que tu vas bien.
| Je ne pense pas qu'il ait raison. | I do not think he is right. negated penser triggers the subjunctive |
| J'espère que tu vas bien. | I hope you are doing well. espérer takes the indicative |
| Elle doute que ce soit possible. | She doubts that it is possible. |
Same subject? Use the infinitive
The subjunctive needs two different subjects on either side of que. If the subject stays the same, French drops que and uses the infinitive. Je veux partir: I want to leave. Je veux que tu partes: I want you to leave. Trying to say je veux que je parte is a genuine error.
The same logic converts avant que to avant de and pour que to pour: Je te parle avant de partir, I talk to you before leaving.
| Je veux partir avant qu'il pleuve. | I want to leave before it rains. two subjects: je and il, so subjunctive after avant que |
| Il est important que nous fassions des progrès. | It is important that we make progress. |
Before writing a subjunctive, count the subjects. One subject: infinitive. Two subjects: que + subjunctive.
How French speakers really use it
The present subjunctive is alive and mandatory in everyday speech: il faut que j'y aille is among the most common sentences in the language. The literary tenses (imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive) survive only in formal writing, and no one expects them in conversation.
Strategy for B2: master the formation, memorize the trigger list, and let il faut que carry you. Most spoken subjunctives hang on a handful of frames, so drilling those frames delivers most of the value.
Pronunciation corner
| sois / soit | /swa/ | swah; both spellings sound identical |
| aie / ait | /ɛ/ | a single short eh; the subjunctive of avoir is tiny |
| fasse | /fas/ | fass, one syllable; nothing like the future ferai |
| puisse | /pɥis/ | pweess with tight rounded lips on the glide |
| vienne | /vjɛn/ | vyen, one syllable; the nasal of vient opens into a clear n |
Practice drill
Put each verb in brackets into the present subjunctive.
Il faut que tu ___ (faire) tes devoirs.Show answer
fasses
Je veux qu'elle ___ (être) là à midi.Show answer
soit
Il est possible qu'ils ___ (avoir) raison.Show answer
aient
Nous partirons avant qu'il ___ (pleuvoir).Show answer
pleuve
Elle est triste que tu ___ (partir).Show answer
partes
Il faut que nous ___ (aller) à la banque.Show answer
allionsaller switches stems in nous and vous
Je ne crois pas que ce ___ (être) vrai.Show answer
soitnegated croire triggers the subjunctive
Bien que je ___ (savoir) la réponse, je me tais.Show answer
sache
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether que takes the subjunctive or the indicative?
Look at the expression before que. Fact, knowledge and affirmative belief take the indicative: je sais que, je pense que, il est certain que. Will, emotion, necessity, doubt and certain conjunctions take the subjunctive: je veux que, il faut que, bien que. The trigger list in this unit covers the frequent cases.
Does espérer take the subjunctive?
No. In the affirmative, espérer que takes the indicative: J'espère qu'il viendra. This surprises learners because hope feels subjunctive-flavored, so file it as a fixed exception.
Is the subjunctive disappearing from French?
The present subjunctive is fully alive and required in everyday speech: il faut que tu voies ça. What has retreated is the imperfect subjunctive, which is now literary. A learner needs the present subjunctive and, later, the past subjunctive with avoir or être.
Why can I say je veux partir without the subjunctive?
Because the subject does not change. The subjunctive frame needs two subjects: je veux que tu partes. With one subject, French uses the plain infinitive: je veux partir. The same shift turns avant que into avant de.
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