Present Subjunctive (Le subjonctif présent) in French
Exercises
The present subjunctive in French (le subjonctif présent) is generally used to express:
- wishes
- requests
- expressions of will
It is always used in conjunction with the bind word 'que'.
| Sample sentences | Translation | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Je veux que tu vienne | I want you to come | request |
| je suis heureux que tu viennes | I am happy that you are coming | expressions of will |
| Il souhaite qu'il reste | he wishes that he stays | wish |
The action of the 'que' clause occurs during or after the action of the main clause (the moment you are talking about did not happen yet or is happening)
Lesson Outline
HideFormation of the subjunctive present in French
The subjunctive present forms of the regular and also the most irregular verbs are made up of:
- the Tribe of the 3rd Person Plural Present
- -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent
Regular forms of the subjunctive present
The regular subjunctive forms in the singular and in the 3rd person plural correspond to the present forms of the verbs on -er. In the 1st and 2nd person plural they correspond to the imperfect.
| travailler (to work) | dormir (to sleep) | prendre (to take) |
|---|---|---|
| que je travaille | que je dorme | que je prenne |
| que tu travailles | que tu dormes | que tu prennes |
| qu'il/elle/on travaille | qu'il/elle/on dorme | qu'il/elle/on prenne |
| que nous travaillions | que nous dormions | que nous prenions |
| que vous travailliez | que vous dormiez | que vous preniez |
| qu'ils/elles travaillent | qu'ils/elles dorment | qu'ils/elles prennent |
- verbs that change in the stem vowel in the present tense retain this change in the subjunctive
- verbs with a -y- before present tense forms stressed on the ending retain this -y- in the subjunctive as well
- the verbs en -ier add an 'i' on the 1st and 2nd plural person. The first 'i' belongs to the radical, the second is the ending.
Irregular forms of the subjunctive present
There are only ten verbs that make the subjunctive present irregular:
- être (to be)
- aller (to go)
- avoir (to have)
- valoir (to cost)
- faire (to make)
- savoir (to know)
- vouloir (to want)
- falloir (must)
- pouvoir (can)
- pleuvoir (to rain)
Subjunctive present of être and avoir
The auxiliary verbs être and avoir differ from the remaining irregular verbs by their stem and the different endings:
| être (to be) | avoir (to have) |
|---|---|
| que je sois | que j'aie |
| que tu sois | que tu ais |
| qu'il/elle/on soit | qu'il/elle/on ait |
| que nous soyons | que nous ayons |
| que vous soyez | que vous ayez |
| qu'ils/elles soient | qu'ils/elles aient |
Other irregular forms of subjunctive present
In other irregulars verbs, only the stem is irregular but the endings are regular.
- aller: que j'aille
- faire: que tu fasses
- pouvoir: qu'il puisse
- falloir: qu'il faille
- savoir: que nous sachions
- valoir: que tu vailles
- vouloir: qu'ils veuillent
- pleuvoir: qu'il pleuve
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