Introduction to the present subjunctive in French
The present subjunctive in French, or subjonctif présent is a mood used to express uncertainty, desires, subjectivity, wishes, emotions, and hypothetical situations. In indirect speech, the subjunctive is often used to convey what someone else said or thought. In general, you use it when something is subjective and not objectively determined. So, first an example of what this means:
- Je veux que tu partes
- I want you to leave
Veux is in the first person present tense, and partes here is in the present subjunctive. Veux expresses some desire or wish for the other person to leave which is why partes is conjugated in the present subjunctive. Below is a summary of when the subjunctive is used.
- uncertainty
- doubt
- wish
- fear
- judgment
- necessity
- obligation
- opposition
- possibiity
Uses of the present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is most times constructed with a form of que + the present subjunctive. Here are a few other examples of how the Present Subjunctive is used in French:
- Expressing wishes or desires:
- Je veux que tu viennes avec moi.
- I want you to come with me
- Expressing doubts or uncertainty:
- Il est possible que nous soyons en retard
- It’s possible that we are late
- Expressing necessity or recommendation:
- Il faut que tu fasses tes devoirs
- You need to do your homework
- After certain conjunctions or expressions:
- Je suis content qu’il réussisse son examen
- I’m happy that he passes his exam
- In relative clauses after certain verbs:
- Je cherche quelqu’un qui sache parler français
- I’m looking for someone who knows how to speak French
Common triggers for the present subjunctive in French
There are a few common phrases that indicate you’re dealing with the present subjunctive. The common denominator is the presence of que. Here’s a list of the most used triggers.
- que (that)
- il faut que (it’s necessary that)
- il est important que (it’s important that)
- je veux que (I want that)
- bien que (although)
- pour que (so that)
- il est possible que (it’s possible that)
Forming the present subjunctive
Conjugating the present subjunctive for regular verbs
To form the present subjunctive in French, you typically start with the third person plural form of the present indicative, then remove the ‘-ent’ ending, and add the appropriate subjunctive endings like outlined below. For example, the third person plural of the present indicative for parler (to speak) is parlent. Removing the ‘ent’, we end up with ‘parl’. Try to do the same for finir (to finish) and répondre (to answer)
| Pronoun | Subjunctive endings | Parler (To speak) | Finir (To finish) | Répondre (To answer |
| Je | +e | parle | finisse | réponde |
| Tu | +es | parles | finisses | répondee |
| Il/Elle | +e | parle | finisse | réponde |
| Nous | +ions | parlions | finissions | répondions |
| Vous | +iez | parliez | finissiez | répondiez |
| Elles/Ils/Ont | +ent | parlent | finissent | répondent |
Conjugating the present subjunctive for irregular verbs
As you would expect, forming the present subjunctive for irregular verbs is somewhat harder. Here are the examples for être (to be), avoir (to have), faire (to do/make), and pouvoir (to be able to/can), among others.
| Être | Avoir | Faire | Pouvoir | |
| Je | sois | aie | fasse | puisse |
| Tu | sois | aies | fasses | puisses |
| Il/Elle | soit | ait | fasse | puisse |
| Nous | soyons | ayons | fassions | puissions |
| Vous | soyez | ayez | fassiez | puissiez |
| Elles/Ils/Ont | soient | aient | fassent | puissent |
More example sentences with the present subjunctive
- Il est important que tu sois à l’heure
- It’s important that you be on time
- Je veux que vous fassiez vos devoirs
- I want you to do your homework
- Bien que je travaille tard, je viendrai te voir
- Although I work late, I will come to see you
- Je doute que cela soit vrai
- I doubt that is true
- Il faut que nous partions maintenant
- We need to leave now