The Subjunctive
Bonjour!
I know I havenât covered the Subjunctive on this blog yet, but for some of you this is review. I hope I can make this as clear as I can (because anyone who studies French knows how murky the water can be).
The Subjunctive uses:
To express doubt
To express an attitude
To express and opinion
To imply a hypothesis
How to Conjugate the verbs:
Conjugate your verb for the 3rd person noun (Ils/Elles). For Nous and Vous, use their âImparfaitâ endings
Take off the ending -ENT and add the following endings
Regular -ER verbs
Je parle
Tu parles
Il/Elle/On parle
Nous parlions
Vous parliez
Ils/Elles parlent
Regular -IR verbs
Je finisse
Tu finisses
Il/Elle/On finisse
Nous finissions
Vous finissiez
Ils/Elles finissent
Regular -RE verbs
Jâattende
Tu attendes
Il/Elle/On attende
Nous attendions
Vous attendiez
Ils/Elles attendent
  3. Enjoy the easiest part of the Subjunctive because itâs about to get real.
  4. Cry because of all of the irregular verbs
Aller -> aille, ailles, aille, allions, alliez, aillent
Avoir -> aie, aies, ait, ayons, ayez, aient
Ătre -> sois, sois, soit, soyons, soyez, soient
Faire -> fasse, fasses, fasse, fassions, fassiez, fassent
Pouvoir -> puisse, puisses, puisse, puissions, puissiez, puissent
Savoir -> sache, saches, sache, sachions, sachiez, sachent
Vouloir -> veuille, veuilles, veuille, voulions, vouliez, veuillent
Now that we know how to conjugate the tense plus we know the irregular verbs, itâs time to make the uses clearer:
The Subjunctive follows by expressions. Here are some expressions to know:
Ce nâest pas le peine que⊠-> Itâs not worth the effortâŠ
Il est bon que⊠-> Itâs good thatâŠ
Il est dommage que⊠-> Itâs a shame thatâŠ
Il est essentiel que⊠-> Itâs essential thatâŠ.
Il est Ă©tonnant⊠-> Itâs surprise thatâŠ
Il faut que ⊠-> Itâs necessary that⊠(THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT)
Thatâs a very, very brief list. Now, letâs put it all together!
Il est essentiel que je sois le meilleur. -> Itâs essential that I am the best.
Je doute que tu aies beaucoup de argent. -> I doubt that you have a lot of money.
*Note* EspĂ©rer does NOT trigger the subjunctive: JâespĂšre que le nouveau prof nâest pas trop strict. -> I hope the new prof isnât too strict.
Il faut que nous sachions ton Ăąge. -> Itâs necessary that we know your age.
Vous souhaitez que jâapprenne plus de langue. -> You want me to learn more languages.
Practice! Conjugate these sentences with the verbs in parentheses!
Je pense que tu _____ (ĂȘtre) mignon!
Il faut quâils _____ (recevoir) la journal.
Vous doutez quâil vous ____ (connaĂźtre).
JâespĂšre que vous mâ _____ (aimer).
Answers!
Je pense que tu es mignon! (This is not the subjunctive so donât conjugate as such. Sorry for the trick question!)
Il faut quâils reçoivent la journal.
Vous doutez quâil vous connaisse. (Make sure you pay attention and you conjugate the verb for the subject and not the direct object!)
JâespĂšre que vous mâaimez. (Not the subjunctive so donât conjugate as such!)
I hope this was a big help!
Ă bientĂŽt!
An important note to add to this post (years after making it) is that when the subject is the same, the subjunctive does not apply. Example :
Je doute que je vais recevoir une bonne note. - I doubt Iâm going to get a good grade.
BUT if the pronoun is impersonal (il) followed by a personal pronoun (il/elle/on), it still takes the subjunctive. Examples :
Il est important quâil fasse ces devoirs. - Itâs important that he does his homework.
Il est nĂ©cessaire quâil parte. - Itâs necessary that he leaves.















