What the subjunctive is
The subjonctif is not a tense, it is a mood. The indicative presents something as a fact; the subjunctive presents the same action as wanted, judged or doubted.
It stands in the subordinate clause after que. An expression in the main clause triggers it, and the main clause itself stays in the indicative. Which expressions trigger it, you will learn step by step. This lesson is only about the forms.
The stem comes from the ils form
Take the third person plural of the present (ils/elles) and drop the ending -ent. That is the subjunctive stem. You add the endings to it, and they are the same for every verb group.
From the present to the subjunctive
parler, finir, vendre
| Person | parler | finir | vendre |
|---|---|---|---|
| que je | parle | finisse | vende |
| que tu | parles | finisses | vendes |
| qu'il / elle / on | parle | finisse | vende |
| que nous | parlions | finissions | vendions |
| que vous | parliez | finissiez | vendiez |
| qu'ils / elles | parlent | finissent | vendent |
Stem = ils form minus -ent: parl- / finiss- / vend-
A few very common verbs (être, avoir, aller, faire, pouvoir, savoir, vouloir) do not follow this rule. More on this later.
The forms in a sentence
Il faut que tu parles plus fort.
You need to speak louder.
Je veux qu'elle finisse avant midi.
I want her to finish before noon.
Je veux que nous vendions la voiture.
I want us to sell the car.
Verbs with two stems
Many common verbs already have two stems in the present: ils boivent, but nous buvons. The subjunctive takes over this split.
Common two-stem verbs
| Infinitive | ils (present) | que je | que nous |
|---|---|---|---|
| boire (to drink) | ils boivent | boive | buvions |
| prendre (to take) | ils prennent | prenne | prenions |
| venir (to come) | ils viennent | vienne | venions |
| voir (to see) | ils voient | voie | voyions |
| devoir (must, to owe) | ils doivent | doive | devions |
Present ils form → subjunctive
Two stems in a sentence
Il faut que tu prennes le train de huit heures.
You have to take the eight o'clock train.
Je veux qu'il vienne ce soir.
I want him to come tonight.
Hearing indicative or subjunctive
With -er verbs, je, tu, il, ils are the same in the subjunctive and the indicative (il parle and qu'il parle). With -ir and -re verbs you hear the difference immediately.
Listening pairs
il part
he leaves (indicative)
qu'il parte
that he leave (subjunctive)
il vend
he sells (indicative)
qu'il vende
that he sell (subjunctive)
