Explanations
How to form the subjonctif
To make up for the difficulty in knowing when to use the French subjunctive, the conjugations are relatively easy. All regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs as well as many irregular verbs* are conjugated according to this pattern:
- Start with the present tense ils conjugation of the verb
- Drop –ent to find the subjunctive stem
- Add the appropriate subjunctive ending: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent
| aimer | finir | vendre | partir | couvrir | mettre | ||
| ils | aiment | finissent | vendent | partent | couvrent | mettent | |
| stem | aim- | finiss- | vend- | part- | couvr- | mett- | |
| Subjunctive endings | |||||||
| … que je / j’ | -e | aime | finisse | vende | parte | couvre | mette |
| … que tu | -es | aimes | finisses | vendes | partes | couvres | mettes |
| … qu’il/elle/on | -e | aime | finisse | vende | parte | couvre | mette |
| … que nous | -ions | aimions | finissions | vendions | partions | couvrions | mettions |
| … que vous | -iez | aimiez | finissiez | vendiez | partiez | couvriez | mettiez |
| … qu’ils/elles | -ent | aiment | finissent | vendent | partent | couvrent | mettent |
Conseils concis
*Irregular -ir verbs conjugated like partir and couvrir and irregular –re verbsconjugated like mettre are all regular in the subjunctive.
The singular and third person plural subjunctive conjugations for -er verbs are the same as their indicative conjugations, so these are good verbs to use when you’re not sure whether you need the subjunctive.
When to use the subjonctive
The subjunctive is a special verb form, called a mood, that is used in dependent clauses to indicate some sort of subjectivity, uncertainty, or unreality in the mind of the speaker. In French, feelings like doubt and desire require the subjunctive, as do expressions of necessity, possibility, and judgment. Please scroll down to see the complete list of verbs, expressions, and conjunctions.
Note, however, that there are two additional conditions to meet before using the subjunctive:
1) Que or qui
The expression in the main clause must end with the relative pronoun que or qui. If it ends with thepreposition de, you need to use the infinitive.
| Il est important que tu fasses tes devoirs. | It’s important for you to do your homework. | |
| Il est important de faire tes devoirs. | It’s important to do your homework. | |
| Il est important de fasses tes devoirs. |
2) Two subjects
The subject of the main clause and that of the dependent clause must be different. If they’re the same, just use the infinitive.
| Je veux que tu ailles à la banque. | I want you to go to the bank. | |
| Je veux aller à la banque. | I want to go to the bank. | |
| Je veux que j’aille à la banque. |
À noter : There is no future subjunctive in French. Even for subjective situations that are clearly set in the future, the present subjunctive is used.
| Il faut que tu prennes le bus demain. | You’ll have to take the bus tomorrow. |
There are hundreds of verbs, expressions, and conjunctions that call for the subjunctive, so it’s helpful to divide them into themes.
Preferences, Advice, Needs, Desires, Orders (PANDO)
| aimer mieux que | to like better / to prefer that | |
| commander que | to order that | |
| défendre que | to forbid | |
| demander que | to ask (someone to do something) | |
| désirer que | to desire that | |
| donner l’ordre que | to order that | |
| empêcher que* | to prevent (someone from doing something) | |
| éviter que* | to avoid | |
| exiger que | to demand that | |
| il est à souhaiter que | it is to be hoped that | |
| il est capital que | it is crucial that | |
| il est essentiel que | it is essential that | |
| il est impératif que | it is imperative that | |
| il est nécessaire que | it is necessary that | |
| il est temps que | it is time that | |
| il est urgent que | it is urgent that | |
| il faut que | it is necessary that | |
| interdire que | to forbid that | |
| s’opposer que | to oppose that | |
| ordonner que | to order that | |
| permettre que | to permit that | |
| préférer que | to prefer that | |
| proposer que | to propose that | |
| recommander que | to recommend | |
| souhaiter que | to wish that | |
| suggérer que | to suggest that | |
| tenir à ce que | to insist that | |
| vouloir que | to want that |
*These verbs call for the ne explétif
Judgments, Emotions, Feelings (JEF)
| accepter que | to accept | |
| adorer que | to love that | |
| aimer que | to like that | |
| apprécier que | to appreciate that | |
| avoir honte que | to be ashamed that | |
| avoir peur que* | to be afraid that | |
| craindre que* | to fear that | |
| déplorer que | to deplore that | |
| détester que | to hate that | |
| être content que | to be happy that | |
| être désolé que | to be sorry that | |
| être étonné que | to be amazed that | |
| être heureux que | to be happy that | |
| être surpris que | to be surprised that | |
| être triste que | to be sad that | |
| il est bizarre que | it is odd that | |
| il est bon que | it is good that | |
| il est convenable que | it is proper/fitting that | |
| il est dommage que | it is too bad that | |
| il est étonnant que | it is amazing that | |
| il est étrange que | it is strange that | |
| il est faux que | it is false that | |
| il est heureux que | it is fortunate that | |
| il est honteux que | it is shameful that | |
| il est important que | it is important that | |
| il est inutile que | it is useless that | |
| il est juste que | it is right/fair that | |
| il est naturel que | it is natural that | |
| il est normal que | it is normal that | |
| il est rare que | it is rare that | |
| il est regrettable que | it is regrettable that | |
| il est surprenant que | it is surprising that | |
| il est utile que | it is useful that | |
| il n’est pas exact que | it is not correct that | |
| il n’est pas vrai que | it is not true that | |
| il vaut mieux que | it is better that | |
| redouter que* | to dread that | |
| regretter que | to regret that | |
| se réjouir que | to be delighted that |
*These verbs call for the ne explétif
Possibilities, Opinions, Doubts, Suppositions (PODS)
| s’attendre à ce que | to expect | |
| chercher … qui* | to look for | |
| douter que** | to doubt that | |
| il est douteux que** | it is doubtful that | |
| il est impossible que | it is impossible that | |
| il est improbable que | it is improbable that | |
| il est possible que | it is possible that | |
| il est peu probable que | it is improbable that | |
| il n’est pas certain que | it is not certain that | |
| il n’est pas clair que | it is not clear that | |
| il n’est pas évident que | it is not obvious that | |
| il n’est pas probable que | it is improbable that | |
| il n’est pas sûr que | it is not certain that | |
| il semble que | it seems that | |
| il se peut que | it may be that | |
| le fait que | the fact that | |
| nier que*** | to deny that | |
| refuser que | to refuse | |
| supposer que | to suppose, hypothesize |
*Whether to use the subjunctive depends on whether you know this person exists – learn more.
**These do not take the subjunctive when they are used negatively.
***When nier is in the negative or interrogative, it calls for the ne explétif.
Conjunctions
Many conjunctions and conjunctive phrases require the subjunctive, notably those which link cause and effect:
| à condition que | provided that | |
| à moins que* | unless | |
| à supposer que | assuming that | |
| afin que | so that | |
| avant que* | before | |
| bien que | although | |
| de crainte que* | for fear that | |
| de façon que | so that, in order that, in such a way that | |
| de manière que | so that | |
| de peur que* | for fear that | |
| de sorte que | so that | |
| en admettant que | assuming that | |
| en attendant que | while, until | |
| encore que | even though | |
| jusqu’à ce que | until | |
| où que | wherever | |
| pour que | so that | |
| pourvu que | provided that | |
| qui que | whoever | |
| quoique | even though | |
| quoi que | whatever, no matter what | |
| sans que* | without |
*These conjunctions call for the ne explétif
Conjunctions that express a simple reality do not call for the subjunctive:
| ainsi que | just as, so as | |
| alors que | while, whereas | |
| après que* | after, when | |
| aussitôt que* | as soon as | |
| car | since, because | |
| en même temps que | at the same time that | |
| depuis que | since | |
| dès que* | as soon as, immediately | |
| lorsque* | when | |
| parce que | because | |
| pendant que | while | |
| plutôt que | instead of, rather than | |
| puisque | since, as | |
| quand* | when | |
| tandis que | while, whereas | |
| une fois que* | once |
*These conjunctions are followed by the future tense or the future perfect in French, even though in English we use the present tense.
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| aimer | finir | vendre | ||
| present | ils | aiment | finissent | vendent |
| stem | aim- | finiss- | vend- | |
| Subjunctive endings | ||||
| … que je / j’ | -e | aime | finisse | vende |
| … que tu | -es | aimes | finisses | vendes |
| … qu’il/elle/on | -e | aime | finisse | vende |
| … que nous | -ions | aimions | finissions | vendions |
| … que vous | -iez | aimiez | finissiez | vendiez |
| … qu’ils/elles | -ent | aiment | finissent | vendent |
| partir | couvrir | mettre | ||
| present | ils | partent | couvrent | mettent |
| stem | part- | couvr- | mett- | |
| Subjunctive endings | ||||
| … que je / j’ | -e | parte | couvre | mette |
| … que tu | -es | partes | couvres | mettes |
| … qu’il/elle/on | -e | parte | couvre | mette |
| … que nous | -ions | partions | couvrions | mettions |
| … que vous | -iez | partiez | couvriez | mettiez |
| … qu’ils/elles | -ent | partent | couvrent | mettent |
Quizzes
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