Subjonctif présent

Summary

The present subjunctive is a mood used in a que-clause after expressions of will, emotion, doubt or necessity, formed for most verbs from the ils-stem plus the endings -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.

Explanation

The subjonctif présent is a mood — not a tense — that conveys an action as wished for, doubted, feared or required rather than stated as fact. It lives almost exclusively in a subordinate clause introduced by que, and it is selected by the verb or expression in the main clause: vouloir que, il faut que, être content/triste que, douter que, avoir peur que, bien que, pour que. Compare the factual j'indicative pense qu'il vient with the subjective je doute qu'il vienne.

For most verbs it is formed regularly: take the third-person plural of the present (the ils-form), drop the -ent to get the subjunctive stem, and add the endings -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent. Thus ils finissent → que je finisse, tu finisses, il finisse, ils finissent; ils parlent → que je parle; ils prennent → que je prenne. Note that the nous and vous forms (-ions, -iez) usually look identical to the imperfect (que nous finissions), which gives them their distinctive sound.

When is it used? Whenever the main clause expresses something other than plain assertion: will or wish (je veux que tu partes), necessity (il faut que tu sois là), emotion (je suis ravi que vous veniez), doubt or possibility (il est possible qu'elle ait raison), and after certain conjunctions (avant que, à condition que, pour que, bien que). After verbs of thinking or saying in the negative or interrogative, the subjunctive often appears too (je ne pense pas qu'il vienne).

Several high-frequency verbs are irregular and must be memorised: être (que je sois, que nous soyons), avoir (que j'aie, que nous ayons), aller (que j'aille, que nous allions), faire (que je fasse), pouvoir (que je puisse), savoir (que je sache), vouloir (que je veuille), falloir (qu'il faille). The second key pitfall is forgetting that the subjunctive needs two different subjects: with a single subject French uses an infinitive instead — je veux partir, not *que je parte; je suis content de venir, not *que je vienne.

Rule of thumb: when you see a trigger of will, emotion, doubt or necessity followed by que and a change of subject, switch the subordinate verb to the subjunctive — build it on the ils-stem for regular verbs, reach for the memorised irregular forms otherwise, and if the subject does not change, use the infinitive.

Examples

Il faut que tu fasses tes devoirs. — You have to do your homework. (Il faut que always triggers the subjunctive; fasses is from faire.)

Je suis content que vous soyez là. — I am glad that you are here. (soyez is the irregular subjunctive of être.)

Je veux que tu partes maintenant. — I want you to leave now. (Two different subjects (je / tu), so the subjunctive is required.)

Je doute qu'il ait raison. — I doubt that he is right. (douter que expresses doubt; ait is the subjunctive of avoir.)

Nous travaillons pour que tout soit prêt. — We are working so that everything is ready. (pour que is a conjunction that takes the subjunctive.)

Common mistakes

Prerequisites

• Present indicative

Related rules

• Subjunctive triggers
• Present indicative
• Subjonctif passé
• Group 3: irregular verbs overview