Subjunctive – present tense of regular verbs
Que je parle, que nous finissions
The subjunctive (le subjonctif) is a mood, not a tense. It expresses things that are wished for, necessary, felt or uncertain rather than stated as fact. It almost always appears after que.
How to form it (regular verbs)
- Take the ils form of the present.
- Remove -ent.
- Add the subjunctive endings.
| ending | parler (ils parl-ent) | finir (ils finiss-ent) | vendre (ils vend-ent) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| que je | -e | parle | finisse | vende |
| que tu | -es | parles | finisses | vendes |
| qu'il / elle | -e | parle | finisse | vende |
| que nous | -ions | parlions | finissions | vendions |
| que vous | -iez | parliez | finissiez | vendiez |
| qu'ils / elles | -ent | parlent | finissent | vendent |
- Il faut que je parte.I have to leave.
- Je veux que tu finisses.I want you to finish.
Verbs with two stems
Verbs that change stem between ils and nous in the present keep both stems: je/tu/il/ils from the ils form, nous/vous from the nous form.
| prendre | venir | boire | voir | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| que je | prenne | vienne | boive | voie |
| que nous | prenions | venions | buvions | voyions |
Nous and vous look like the imparfait
- que nous parlions, que vous parliez
When to use it
After expressions of will, necessity, emotion, doubt and certain conjunctions: see Subjunctive after necessity and wishes, Subjunctive after emotions, Subjunctive after doubt, Subjunctive after conjunctions. Irregular verbs: Subjunctive.
Practice
- Il faut que je _____. (partir)
Show the answer
parte
- Il faut que tu _____ ce livre. (lire)
Show the answer
lises
- Il faut qu'il _____ ses devoirs. (finir)
Show the answer
finisse
- Il faut que nous _____. (attendre)
Show the answer
attendions
In the app, this lesson is taught one idea at a time with the examples read aloud, followed by questions that explain the rule when you get one wrong. It then comes back for review on later days until you've mastered it.