Subjunctive in French (le Subjonctif)
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The subjunctive (French: le subjonctif) in French is a mode and is used to express a doubt, a desired fact, an uncertain action that has not been realized at the moment we express ourselves. The subjunctive is used with verbs expressing envy, wishes, desire, emotion, obligation, doubt or uncertainty.
Examples:
Although, the subjunctive is a mode and the indicative a tense, French differentiate the two:
Infinitif | Indicatif | Subjonctif |
---|---|---|
prendre | je prends | que je prenne |
aller | je vais | que j'aille |
voir | je vois | que je vois |
Note that the indicative is used for verbs expressing one's own opinion, probability or certainty.
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You use the subjunctive in French under the following circumstances:
We use the subjunctive in the "que" sentence for verbs that denote a personal opinion or subjective feeling:
It is used with the expression of:
The subjunctive insists on the potentiality on a desired goal but without verifying its realization. Relatives with a superlative (most ..., least ...) are often used in the subjunctive. It is also common when the main clause contains terms such as:
The subjunctive has 4 tenses: the present and the past, the imperfect and the pluperfect which are barely used.
The subjunctive present expresses an uncertain action, not realized at the moment we are talking.
Examples:
All verbs have the same endings in the present subjunctive except the verbs 'avoir' and 'etre':
aller (to go) | finir (to finish) | partir (to leave) |
---|---|---|
que j'aille | que je finisse | que je parte |
que tu ailles | que tu finisses | que tu partes |
qu'il/elle/on aille | qu'il/elle/on finisse | qu'il/elle/on parte |
que nous allions | que nous finissions | que nous partions |
que vous alliez | que vous finissiez | que vous partiez |
qu'ils/elles aillent | qu'ils/elles aillent | qu'ils/elles partent |
When using the subjunctive present in a subordinate clause, then the verb of the main proposition is in the present tense
The past subjunctive expresses an uncertain action, supposedly realized at the moment when we are talking.
Sample sentences | Translation |
---|---|
Je regrette qu'il n'ait pas trouvé un travail. | I regret that he had not found a job. |
Il est content que je soit venue le voir. | he is happy that I came to see him. |
The subjunctive perfect in French is formed with the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the subjunctive present + the past participle.
Subjonctif passé with avoir voir (to see) | Subjonctif passé with être aller (to go) |
---|---|
que j'ais vu | que je sois allé(e) |
que tu ais vu | que tu sois allé(e) |
qu'il/elle/on ait vu | qu'il/elle/on soit allé(e) |
que nous ayons vu | que nous soyons allé(e)s |
que vous ayez vu | que vous soyez allé(e)s |
qu'ils/elles aient vu | qu'ils/elles soient allé(e)s |
Most French verbs make their compound times with avoir. However, there are some verbs that are formed with être, which you should memorize well.
The imperfect subjunctive is especially used in literature. It is a simple time that expresses an uncertain action, not realized at the moment when the speaker spoke.
Examples:
The subjunctive imperfect in French is formed :
aimer | finir | prendre | courir |
---|---|---|---|
que j'aimasse | que je finisse | que je prisse | que je courusse |
que tu aimasses | que tu finisses | que tu prisses | que tu courusses |
qu'il/elle/on aimât | qu'il/elle/on finît | qu'il/elle/on prît | qu'il/elle/on couût |
que nous aimassions | que nous finissions | que nous prissions | que nous courussions |
que vous aimassiez | que vous finissiez | que vous prissiez | que vous courussiez |
qu'ils/elles aimassent | qu'ils/elles finissent | qu'ils/elles prissent | qu'ils/elles courussent |
The pluperfect subjunctive expresses an uncertain action, supposedly realized at the moment when the speaker spoke. It is especially used in literature.
Examples:
The pluperfect subjunctive is formed:with the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary of 'être' or 'avoir' + the past participle.
Subjonctif plus-que-parfait with avoir écrire (to write) | Subjonctif plus-que-parfait with être partir (to leave) |
---|---|
J'eusse écrit | je fusse parti |
tu eusses écrit | tu fusses parti |
il/elle/on eût écrit | il/elle/on fût parti |
nous eussions écrit(e)s | nous fussions parti(e)s |
vous eussiez écrit(e)s | vous fussiez parti(e)s |
ils/elles eussent écrit(e)s | ils/elles fussent parti(e)s |
You want to know more about the subjunctive in French? Then have a look at our respective continuing chapters of the most used tenses of the subjunctive: "le subjonctif présent" and "le subjonctif passé".
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Hello,
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).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
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Hi
I am Kelly, i teach frenhc in Switzerland and online. I've experience since many years.
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Kelly is always on time, patient and friendly. She answers all my questions about the French language and culture. She is a good teacher and I recommend her. Kelly is always on time, is patient, and friendly. She answers all my questions about the French language and culture. She's a great teacher and I recommend her.
Kelly P.Thanks Jo. I am also very happy to have you as a student.
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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!
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Natalia is a great teacher. She uses a variety of teaching methods and always considers my wishes and learning goals. The atmosphere is very pleasant, we speak a lot about random topics but also about situations from my work, which really helps to improve my conversation skills.
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Training is my passion. I like interacting with people. I am passionate about reading, watching movies, and music. I love to explore new places and have keen interest in arts and literature.I love meeting new people because every person is a whole new world you can learn from. I am also a keen reader and an enthusiastic traveller.
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She is kind, she listen to me and try to help me to understand, she use pictures, english words and try to show me the meaning of words . I recommand her. She offers books for free.
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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!
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I really enjoy my lessons with Natalia! She is a very talented teacher. So far she has helped me to improve a lot my vocabulory, grammaire and my conversational skills, in general. I like that all the time we talk in French, which is very useful if you already start from a certain language level (like my case). But also, she can explain in English , if I need. She chooses a lot of different topics for conversations, and for grammaire she uses the best learning materials which exist on the market! Thank you Natalia!
Natalia L.Hi Irina. Thank you very much for your comment. It has been a real pleasure to work with you these months and to see how you have improved your grammar as well as your oral and written expression. You have a very good level of French and I will help you to improve it in the way you need. See you soon!
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Very social and helpful teacher with an excellent grasp on how to improve your french in a structured fashion. The informal style is very pleasant and will help you acquire the language in a natural, unforced fashion. The teaching materials and tools used are geared to your level and are a great help in smoothing out the learning curve. Recommended for anyone who enjoys a learn by doing approach with the help of proven teaching tools and documents.
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1 Present Subjunctive (Le subjonctif présent) in French | Get an overview of the subjunctive present in French and study the topic online |
2 Past Subjunctive (le subjonctif passé) in French | Get an overview of the past subjunctive in French and study the topic online |