The French subjunctive is formed by applying a set of special subjunctive endings to verbs No definition set for verbs Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. . You will likely use the subjunctive any time you have two independent clauses No definition set for independent clauses Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with two subjects No definition set for subjects Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. , and the subject in the first clause is having a thought, emotion, wish, desire, or request regarding the subject in the second clause. Take a look at the following examples:
Tu es contente que le chat aime le bébé.
You are happy that the cat loves the baby.
⤷ expressing emotionJe voudrais que tu viennes avec nous.
I would like you to come with us.
⤷ expressing desireJe ne pense pas qu’il ait une voiture.
I don’t think he has a car.
⤷ negated thoughtIl faut que je fasse des courses.
I have to do some grocery shopping.
⤷ impersonal verbYou will also need the subjunctive after specific verbs and impersonal phrases such as il faut que ( it is necessary that ) . And, while present subjunctive sentences typically contain the relative pronoun que , the presence of que does not mean the verb following it will necessarily be in the subjunctive!
In this post, we’ll review the steps to conjugate the French present subjunctive, as well as when to use this mood and how to avoid it with alternatives. Allons-y ! ( Let's get started! )
To form the present subjunctive in French, you’ll need to memorize a set of endings to conjugate No definition set for conjugate Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. the verb. Those endings will depend on which conjugation No definition set for conjugation Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. a verb follows: -er , -ir , or -re . The -er endings are almost the same as the present tense, but for -ir and -re verbs, you will follow a different set of conjugation steps to form the present subjunctive. Of course, there are also a few irregular No definition set for irregular Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. verbs in French, which each have a special set of conjugation endings for the present subjunctive. We’ll start with something easier: -er verbs!
To form the present subjunctive for regular -er verbs in French, you’ll use the same forms of the verb as you do for the indicative No definition set for indicative Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. present tense in French, except for with nous and vous .
For je , tu , il , elle , on , ils , and elles → subjunctive present = regular present For nous and vous → subjunctive present = i + present tense endingsLet’s take the most romantic verb aimer ( to love ) :