Present Subjunctive (Le subjonctif présent) in French
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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
Hide- 1.Formation of the subjunctive present in French
- 1.1.Regular forms of the subjunctive present
- 2.Irregular forms of the subjunctive present
- 2.1.Subjunctive present of être and avoir
- 2.2.Other irregular forms of subjunctive present
- 3.Exercises
- 3.1.Exercise for the present subjunctive in French
- 3.2.Exercise for the present subjunctive in French II
- 3.3.Exercise for the present subjunctive in French III
- 3.4.Exercise for the present subjunctive in French IV
Formation 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
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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
Exercises
- Exercise for the present subjunctive in French
- Exercise for the present subjunctive in French II
- Exercise for the present subjunctive in French III
- Exercise for the present subjunctive in French IV
Exercise for the present subjunctive in French
Exercise for the present subjunctive in French II
Exercise for the present subjunctive in French III
Exercise for the present subjunctive in French IV
Exercises
- Exercise for the present subjunctive in French
- Exercise for the present subjunctive in French II
- Exercise for the present subjunctive in French III
- Exercise for the present subjunctive in French IV
Exercise for the present subjunctive in French
Exercise for the present subjunctive in French II
Exercise for the present subjunctive in French III
Exercise for the present subjunctive in French IV
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Cristina R.
1 - If you are looking for a well-structured French program to take you from a beginner level to advanced level to be able to travel to France, i have developed with success my own program which includes 70 worksheets from basic to advance level.
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I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
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My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
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My name is Lou, and I would be happy to be your french teacher !
French classes are for all levels, beginner to advanced. I can help you prepare to french exams and I also offer conversation classes.
My classes are fun and dynamic ! We will use various documents to work on and always adapt the classes to your needs and interests.
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Before the trial class, I will provide you a short French test to evaluate your level.
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COMING SOON : a Whatsapp group for my students to practice french tchating with weekly challenges and conversation subjects !
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Lou works in a very structured way and sent me teaching material before the lesson. After a bit of small talk, we worked on the topic of the lesson, with the lesson divided into reading comprehension, discussion of the text, listening comprehension of a video and a written assignment on the topic. Lou picked an interesting topic that created plenty of opportunity for conversation. She corrected mistakes in a friendly manner and responded very well to my learning requests. That was fun!
Lou P.
*** Please note that I am on holidays in august***
Bonjour ! Comment ça va ?
My name is Lou, and I would be happy to be your french teacher !
French classes are for all levels, beginner to advanced. I can help you prepare to french exams and I also offer conversation classes.
My classes are fun and dynamic ! We will use various documents to work on and always adapt the classes to your needs and interests.
Free 30 min trial lesson !
Before the trial class, I will provide you a short French test to evaluate your level.
Feel free to contact me to talk about your goals and to plan a trial lesson.
See you soon online ! :-)
COMING SOON : a Whatsapp group for my students to practice french tchating with weekly challenges and conversation subjects !
E. B.
I really enjoy my lessons with Lou. The lessons are personalized, fun and efficient. This is the first time I'm following online lessons, and I'm really happy with it!
Lou P.
Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
I. M.
She is a very nice person and a great teacher. She is able to make you learn grammar while speaking and writing. I think that's amazing to find a teacher like her because learning becomes funny and seems to be easy. I hope to learn french as well as she speaks it. I found a teacher and at the same time a friend who lives far form me,that speaks another language and that I couldn't have found in any other way. I absolutely recommend her!
Irene is a great student, I have seen her French improving very fast. She is able to speak about many different topics and give her opinion in a very detailed way. We are working in improving her writing skills and I see how she is doing better and better very quickly. Congratulations for all your work Irene!
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My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
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