What is the subjunctive?
The subjunctive is a mood.
Because moods and tenses both refer to verbs and conjugations, it is sometimes difficult to understand the difference.
A tense (present, past, future) refers to time, whereas a mood (indicative, conditional, subjunctive) refers to manner of expression.
Indicative and subjunctive moods can both be in the present tense: we talk about the indicative present and the subjunctive present. While the indicative present is used to make statements and give facts (or give opinions as if they were facts), the subjunctive present will express some sort of subjectivity towards an event.
The present tense that you have used since you started studying French has, indeed, always been the indicative present, you were simply never told until you started looking at the subjunctive present.
When do we use the subjunctive?
(As opposed to the indicative)
In French, the subjunctive is used much more frequently than in English (yes, the subjunctive exists in English too!). It is expressed by a set of forms which a verb can take in a subordinate clause*.
* If you don't know what a subordinate clause is, then read this paragraph:
A subordinate clause is often referred to as a dependant clause because it is a part of a sentence that does not express a complete idea and cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It is dependent upon a main clause to be meaningful and is therefore introduced by a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun.
The subjunctive is triggered by verbs and nouns which express the personal desires, orders, expectations, fears, regrets or other emotional states of the subject (from the main clause) in relation to the event (in the subordinate clause). It can also be triggered by the use of impersonal verbs and conjunctions.
1.The list of verbs which trigger the subjunctive:
aimer que - to like/wish that
attendre que - to wait for
s'attendre à ce que - to expect that
avoir envie que - to really want that
commander que - to order that
consentir que - to consent that
être content que - to be pleased that
craindre que - to fear that
demander que - to ask that
désirer que - to wish that
être désolé que - to be sorry that
être dommage que - to be a pity or to be regretted that
douter que - to doubt that
empêcher que - to prevent that
s'étonner que - to be surprised that
éviter que - to avoid that
exiger que - to require that
insister pour que - to insist that
ordonner que - to order that
permettre que - to allow that
avoir peur que - to be afraid that
préférer que - to prefer that
être ravi que - to be delighted that
recommander que - to recommend
redouter que - to fear/dread that
regretter que - to regret that
se réjouir que - to rejoice that
souhaiter que - to wish that
être surpris que - to be surprised that
suggérer que - to suggest that
tenir à ce que - to be anxious that
veiller à ce que - to be careful that
vouloir que - to want that
Example: Je suis contente qu'elle vienne nous voir- I am happy (that) she is coming to see us.
Note:
For the subjunctive to be triggered by these verbs, you need to have two different subjects in your sentence. If you have only one subject, then an infinitive is used instead. For example: je suis contente de venir.
espérer que is not on the list! espérer que is considered to be an expectation (more than a wish) and is therefore followed by the indicative (present or future)
empêcher que, éviter que, avoir peur que, craindre que, redouter que can also call for the Ne explétif in the subordinate clause (in the subjunctive).
BE CAREFUL!
A common mistake is to forget using the subjunctive with vouloir when your sentence is composed of two subjects.
This common mistake is due to the fact that, in English, the structure is almost the same whether you have a second clause or not: We want to go to France Vs We want her to go to France.
Example 1: Nous voulons aller en France. We want to go to France.
In this example, there is no change of subject. An infinitive can be used and the whole sentence uses the indicative mood.
Example 2: Nous voulons qu'elle aille en France. We want her to go to France.
In this second example, the subject changes from "nous" to "elle" in the subordinate clause ( the second part of the sentence).
The indicative is used in the first part.
The subjunctive is used in the second part.
2.The list of nouns which trigger the subjunctive:
Similarly to the list of verbs above, the subjunctive is triggered by nouns which express a meaning such as: wishing, ordering, being pleased, being sad, surprised etc.
l'attente que - the expectation
la crainte que - the fear
le désir que - the wish
l'ordre que - the order
la peur que - the fear
le souhait que - the wish
example: La crainte qu'il soit tué a provoqué sa réaction. The fear of being killed provoked his reaction.
3.The list of impersonal verbs which trigger the subjunctive:
Some impersonal verbs present an event in a subordinate clause as being certain, likely or probable to happen: il est certain que, il est vrai que, il est évident que, il me semble que. In that case the indicative is used in the subordinate clause.
The subjunctive is triggered by impersonal verbs who present the events as unlikely, less than probable, only possible or impossible. Some impersonal constructions also express a subjective desire or feeling.
il n'est pas certain que - it is not certain that
il est peu probable que - it is unlikely that
il est douteux que - it is doubtful that
il est impossible que - it is impossible that
il est invraisemblable que - it is unlikely that
il se peut que - it is possible that
il est possible que - it is possible that
il n'est pas sûr que - it is not sure that
il n'est pas vrai que - it is not true that
il faut que - it is necessary that
il est important que - it is important that
il est essentiel que - it is essential that
il est nécessaire que - it is necessary that
il est regrettable que - it is regrettable that
il semble que - it is seems that
il est temps que - it is time that
il est utile que - it is useful that
il vaut mieux que- it is better that
Example: il est important qu'il comprenne- it is important that he understands.
Be careful!
Il me semble que + indicative
Il semble que + subjunctive
4.Here is a list of conjunctions which trigger the subjunctive:
Some subordinating conjunctions introduce hypothetical situations or establish conditions: these are normally followed by verbs in the subjunctive in the subordinate clause.
afin que, pour que - so that
avant que - before
en attendant que - whilst waiting for
à moins que - unless
à supposer que, supposé que, en supposant que, en admettant que - supposing that
bien que, quoique, encore que, malgré que - although
de façon que, de manière que, de sorte que, si bien que - so that, in such a way that
de peur que, de crainte que - for fear that
pour peu que, si peu que - however little that
pourvu que, à condition que - provided that
sans que - without
soit que - whether
tel que - such as
Example: Je surveille tes enfants pour que tu puisses aller travailler - I'm looking after your children so (that) you can go to work.
How to form the subjunctive?
For most French verbs, the subjunctive is formed by removing the -ent from the third person plural (ils/elles) in the present tense , and adding the following endings:
-e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent
There are seven irregular verbs in the subjunctive to learn:
Subjunctive after verbs of saying, thinking and believing in negatives and questions
Normally, verbs of saying, thinking and believing present an event as a fact and is therefore followed by the indicative.
Example: Je pense que tu es gentil. I think that you are kind
However, when these same verbs are used in a negative sentence or in a question, they can introduce an uncertainty and the subordinate clause is therefore in the subjunctive.
Example 1: Je ne pense pas qu'il vienne. I don't think he is coming.
Example 2: Croyez-vous que ce soit une bonne idée? Do you think it is a good idea?
Recommendation:
For French A Level students with any exam board:
Year 1:
Year 2:
Click on the images to check the workbooks out!