Two lessons of subjunctive forms and triggers. This one closes the topic with the piece that makes it usable: the subjonctif passĂ©, and a decision procedure for the question you will actually face in the moment â indicative, subjunctive, or infinitive?
Another compound tense, built the way all of them are: auxiliary plus past participle, with the auxiliary in the subjunctive.
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| que j'aie fait | kuh zhay FAY | that I have done |
| que tu aies fini | kuh tĂŒ ay fee-NEE | that you have finished |
| qu'il ait compris | keel ay kohn-PREE | that he has understood |
| que je sois parti(e) | kuh zhuh swah par-TEE | that I have left |
| qu'elle soit venue | kel swah vuh-NĂ | that she has come |
| que nous nous soyons levés | kuh noo noo swah-yohn luh-VAY | that we got up |
Auxiliary choice and agreement: the passĂ© composĂ© rules, for the fifth and final time. You now have the complete compound set â passĂ© composĂ©, plus-que-parfait, futur antĂ©rieur, conditionnel passĂ©, subjonctif passĂ© â all from one pattern.
The choice has nothing to do with the tense of the main clause. Ask one question: is the subordinate action finished relative to the main verb?
| Relationship | Subjunctive | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Same time or later | présent | Je suis content que tu viennes. (you're coming) |
| Already completed | passé | Je suis content que tu sois venu. (you came) |
| Same time or later | présent | J'étais content que tu viennes. (you were coming) |
| Already completed | passé | Bien qu'il ait plu, nous sommes sortis. (it had rained) |
French technically has four subjunctive tenses. The imparfait du subjonctif (qu'il fĂ»t) and the plus-que-parfait du subjonctif (qu'il eĂ»t Ă©tĂ©) survive only in literature and very formal writing. You need to recognise them â they show up in Lesson 18 â but modern French uses the prĂ©sent and the passĂ© for everything, whatever the main clause's tense. That is why the choice above is about completion, not about sequence of tenses.
Run these three questions in order and you will get the mood right nearly every time.
| Step | Question | If yes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is there only one subject for both verbs? | â Infinitive. Je veux partir. |
| 2 | Two subjects, and the main verb states a fact or a certainty? | â Indicative. Je sais qu'il part. |
| 3 | Two subjects, and the main verb expresses will, emotion, doubt â or is a subjunctive conjunction? | â Subjunctive. Je veux qu'il parte. |
Opinion verbs assert in the affirmative and cast doubt in the negative. The mood follows.
| Affirmative â indicatif | Negative / question â subjonctif |
|---|---|
| Je pense qu'il est lĂ . | Je ne pense pas qu'il soit lĂ . |
| Je crois qu'elle a raison. | Crois-tu qu'elle ait raison ? |
| Il est sûr qu'il vient. | Il n'est pas sûr qu'il vienne. |
| Je trouve que c'est bien. | Je ne trouve pas que ce soit bien. |
Two footnotes. In casual speech many speakers leave the indicative after a negated opinion verb â je pense pas qu'il est lĂ â but it is not what you write. And a question with est-ce que is neutral enough that the indicative is common: Est-ce que tu penses qu'il vient ?
| Verb | Mood | Note |
|---|---|---|
| espérer que | indicatif | The famous exception. J'espÚre qu'il viendra. |
| souhaiter que | subjonctif | Its synonym â opposite mood. |
| dire que | both | Reporting = indicatif. Ordering = subjonctif: Dis-lui qu'il vienne ! |
| comprendre que | both | Realise = indicatif. Sympathise = subjonctif. |
| admettre que | both | Concede a fact = indicatif. Allow = subjonctif. |
| prétendre que | indicatif | Means to claim, not "to pretend". Il prétend qu'il a raison. |
| s'attendre Ă ce que | subjonctif | Note the heavy Ă ce que. |
Good French frequently avoids the subjunctive, and so should you when a form escapes you mid-sentence. Three reliable escapes:
| Subjunctive version | Escape | Technique |
|---|---|---|
| Je veux que tu partes. | Je veux ton départ. | Nominalise the verb |
| Il faut que tu fasses ça. | Il faut faire ça. / Tu dois faire ça. | Impersonal infinitive, or a modal |
| Bien qu'il soit tard⊠| MĂȘme s'il est tard⊠/ MalgrĂ© l'heure⊠| Swap the conjunction |
| Avant que tu partes⊠| Avant ton départ⊠| Preposition + noun |
These are not cheats â they are how native speakers write. Il faut partir is better French than a laboured il faut que nous partions when the subject is obvious.
The subjonctif passĂ© is common in writing and in careful speech, especially after bien que: Bien qu'il ait prĂ©venu, personne n'est venu. In quick conversation, speakers often flatten it to the prĂ©sent â bien qu'il prĂ©vienne â which is sloppy but frequent. Formal registers also revive ne explĂ©tif and, in literary prose, the imparfait du subjonctif.
Identical in writing. QuĂ©bĂ©cois speech shares the tendency to simplify, and adds one habit worth recognising: the emphatic use of que clauses after ça se peut â Ăa s'peut qu'y soit parti ("he might have left"), where ça se peut que does the job of France's il se peut que and takes the subjunctive just the same.
Fill in the auxiliary in the subjunctive.
Write présent or passé for the subjunctive needed.
Write one of the three.
1. You choose the subjonctif passé when:
2. Il prétend qu'il a raison means:
3. Which is the best way to dodge a subjunctive you're unsure of?