The Subjunctive Flashcards
The Subjunctive
When is the subjunctive used?
- The subjunctive is used when the speaker expresses his, her or someone else’s personal opinion, feeling or doubt about such an action or state.
- Typically, the subjunctive is used in a subordinate clause after ‘‘que’’ (that), when the preceding main clause contains a verb or expression (which itself is always in the indicative) that implies a desire, a need, an emotion, doubt, uncertainty or personal judgment, provided that the subjects of both clauses are not the same.
- After verbs expressing a wish, a preference, a request, a need, an expectation, a permission, a prohibition.
- After verbs or expressions indicating feelings or emotions.
- After impersonal expressions indicating necessity, importance, desirability, possibility, and impossibility
- After verbs and expressions implying uncertainty or doubt.
- After certain conjunctions.
- After verbs of thinking if they are in the negative or inverted interrogative form and if the speaker expresses a personal opinion or uncertainty about his statement.
- In the relative clauses.
- The subjunctive is also used after ‘‘que’’’ to express an order in the third person singular and plural, which cannot be done with the imperative. The English equivalent is let (him, her, them) or may (he, she, they).
f. e. Qu’il apprenne le francais!
The Subjunctive
It is possible that he comes.
Il est possible qu’il vienne.
The Subjunctive
It is possible that he came.
Il est possible qu’il soit venu.
The Subjunctive
It’s a shame that she was ill.
C’est dommage qu’elle ait été malade.
The Subjunctive
We doubt that they arrived.
Nous doutons qu’ils soient arrivés.
The Subjunctive
I am dissapointed that the weather is bad.
Je suis déçu qu’il fasse mauvais.
The Subjunctive
It is possible that I will go to Canada.
Il est possible que j’aille au Canada.
The Subjunctive
When is the indicative used?
The indicative is used by the speaker to express what he or she considers to be a fact, i.e., an action or state which occurred in the past, occurs in the present, or will occur in the future.
The Subjunctive I know (that) you are leaving.
Je sais que tu pars.
The Subjunctive
I am sad (that) you are leaving.
Je suis triste que tu partes.
The Subjunctive
How is the present subjunctive formed?
The present subjunctive of regular verbs is formed by dropping the ‘‘-ent’’ ending from the third person plural of the present indicative and by adding the endings -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.
The Subjunctive
Which are the spelling changes in the present subjunctive?
- Verbs ending in -ier have double i in the nous and vous forms:
que nous oubliions, que vous oubliiez - Those regular verbs which have a spelling change in the present indicative will show the same spelling change in the present subjonctive.
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘’s’asseoir’’.
je m’asseye (or: que je m’assoie)
nous nous asseyions (or: que nous nous assoyions)
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘battre’’.
que je batte
que nous battions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘conduire’’.
que je conduise
que nous conduisions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘connaître’’.
que je connaisse
que nous connaissions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘courir’’.
que je coure
que nous courions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘craindre’’.
que je craigne
que nous craignions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘dire’’.
que je dise
que nous disions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘écrire’’.
que j’écrive
que nous écrivions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘lire’’.
que je lise
que nous lisions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘mettre’’.
que je mette
que nous mettions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘naître’’.
que je naisse
que nous naissions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘ouvrir’’.
que j’ouvre
que nous ouvrions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘partir’’.
que je parte
que nous partions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘plaire’’.
que je plaise
que nous partions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘rire’’.
que je rie
que nous riions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘suivre’’.
que je suive
que nous suivions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘se taire’’.
que je me taise
que nous nous taisions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘vivre’’.
que je vive
que nous vivions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘boire’’.
que je boive
que nous buvions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘croire’’.
que je croie
que nous croyions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘devoir’’.
que je doive
que nous devions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘envoyer’’.
que j’envoie
que nous envoyions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘mourir’’.
que je meure
que nous mourions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘prendre’’.
que je prenne
que nous prenions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘recevoir’’.
que je reçoive
que nous recevions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘tenir’’.
que je tienne
que nous tenions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘venir’’.
que je vienne
que nous venions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘voir’’.
que je voie
que nous voyions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘faire’’.
que je fasse
que nous fassions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘savoir’’.
que je sache
que nous sachions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘pouvoir’’.
que je puisse
que nous puissions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘aller’’.
que j’aille
que nous allions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘valoir’’.
que je vaille
que nous valions
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘vouloir’’.
que je veuille
que nous voulions
The Subjunctive
Give the il present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘pleuvoir’’.
qu’il pleuve
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘falloir’’.
qu’il faille
The Subjunctive
Conjugate the verb ‘‘aller’’ in the present subjunctive.
que j'aille que tu ailles qu'il aille que nous allions que vous alliez qu'ils aillent
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘avoir’’.
que j'aie que tu aies qu'il ait que nous ayons que vous ayez qu'ils aient
The Subjunctive
Give the je and nous present subjunctive forms of the verb ‘‘être’’.
que je sois que tu sois qu'il soit que nous soyons que vous soyez qu'ils soient
The Subjunctive
I am sad that he leaves / will leave / is going to leave.
Je suis triste qu’il parte.
The Subjunctive
How is the past subjunctive formed?
Te past subjunctive is formed by using the present subjunctive of the auxiliary (avoir or être) and the past participle of the verb in question, or, if you prefer, by taking the passé composé of the indicative and by putting the helping verb in the present subjunctive.
The Subjunctive
When is the past subjunctive used?
The past subjunctive is used when the action of the subordinate clause occurs prior to the action in the main clause.
The Subjunctive
I am sorry that this happened.
Je regrette que cela soit arrivé.
The Subjunctive
She was disappointed that her son hadn’t written to her.
Elle était déçue que son fils ne lui ait pas écrit.
The Subjunctive
I am sorry (that) we are late.
Je suis désolé que nous soyons en retard.
The Subjunctive
I am sorry (that) I am late.
Je suis désolé d’être en retard.
The Subjunctive
to like
aimer
The Subjunctive
to prefer
aimer que
The Subjunctive to wait (till)
attendre que
The Subjunctive
to expect
s’attendre à ce que
The Subjunctive
to need
avoir besoin que
The Subjunctive
to (really) want
avoir envie que
The Subjunctive
to advise
conseiller que
The Subjunctive
to forbid
défendre que
The Subjunctive
to ask, to request
demander que
The Subjunctive
to wish, want
désirer que
The Subjunctive
to prevent
empêcher que
The Subjunctive
to demand
exiger que
The Subjunctive
to insist
insister pour que
The Subjunctive
to forbid
interdire que
The Subjunctive
to order, command
ordonner que
The Subjunctive
to allow, permit
permettre que
The Subjunctive
to prefer
préférer que
The Subjunctive
to suggest
proposer que
suggérer que
The Subjunctive
to recommend
recommander que
The Subjunctive
to wish
souhaiter que
The Subjunctive
to (really) want, to be anxious to
tenir à ce que
The Subjunctive
to make sure, ensure
veiller à ce que
The Subjunctive
to want
vouloir que
The Subjunctive
I don’t like (it) that you drink.
Je n’aime pas que tu boives.
The Subjunctive
Wait till I come back.
Attends que je revienne.
The Subjunctive
I ask that you be ready at noon.
Je demande que vous soyez prêts à midi.
The Subjunctive
He demands that we know the subjunctive.
Il exige que nous sachions le subjonctif.
The Subjunctive
She insists that everyone be there.
Elle insiste pour que tout le monde soit là.
The Subjunctive
I prefer that you do it.
Je préfère que tu le fasses.
The Subjunctive
They insist that the children go to school.
Ils tiennent à ce que les enfants aillent à l’école.
The Subjunctive
We will make sure that you arrive on time.
Nous veillerons à ce que vous arriviez à l’heure.
The Subjunctive I hope (that) you are fine.
J’espère que vous allez bien.
The verb ‘‘espérer requires the indicative
The Subjunctive I hope (that) you (will) feel better.
J’espère que tu te sentiras mieux.
The verb ‘‘espérer requires the indicative
The Subjunctive
I’d rather
J’aimerais mieux (or: je préférerais) + que + present subjunctive
The Subjunctive
I’d rather you stayed here.
J’aimerais mieux que vous restiez ici.
The Subjunctive
I wish you / he were…, I wish you / he would…
Je voudrais
J’aimerais + que + subjunctive
The Subjunctive
I wish he were successful.
Je voudrais qu’il réussisse.
The Subjunctive
I wish she would write.
J’aimerais qu’elle écrive.
The Subjunctive
I wish you could come.
Je voudrais que tu puisses venir.
The Subjunctive
I wish I were in France.
Je voudrais être en France.
The Subjunctive
We wish we knew what happened.
Nous voudrions savoir ce qui s’est passé.
The Subjunctive
She wants him to succeed.
Elle veut qu’il réussisse.
The Subjunctive
We don’t expect this to be easy.
Nous ne nous attendons pas à ce que ce soit facile.
The Subjunctive
I need you to do me a favor.
J’ai besoin que tu me rendes un service.
The Subjunctive
to be glad, pleased that
être content que
The Subjunctive
to be disappointed that
être déçu que
The Subjunctive
to be sorry that
être désolé que
The Subjunctive
to be angry that
être fâche que
The Subjunctive
to be furious that
être furieux que
The Subjunctive to be (un)happy that
être (mal)heureux que
The Subjunctive
to be worried that
être inquiet que
The Subjunctive
to be delighted that
être ravi que
The Subjunctive
to be surprised that
être surpris / étonné que
The Subjunctive
to be sad that
être triste que
The Subjunctive
it is too bad that, it is a shame that
il est / c’est dommage que
The Subjunctive
it is strange that
il est étrange que
The Subjunctive
it is great that
c’est formidable / génial que
The Subjunctive
to be afraid that
avoir peur que (ne)
The Subjunctive
to fear that
craindre que (ne)
The Subjunctive
to be surprised that
s’étonner que
The Subjunctive
to regret / be sorry that
regretter que
The Subjunctive
She is glad that the weather is / will be nice.
Elle est contente qu’il fasse beau.
The Subjunctive
He is disappointed that she doesn’t want to date him.
Il est déçu qu’elle ne veuille pas sortir avec lui.
The Subjunctive
I am sorry that you are ill.
Je suis désolé que tu sois malade.