Le subjonctif This tense is good for showing off! You will need to understand how and when use it as it is a useful tense for your expression of ideas/doubts and feelings

It’s not a tense, in fact The subjuctive is not actually a tense. It’s a mood. There are 2 moods in French. The indicative, the most common one which you know and the subjunctive. They both have several different tenses.

When to use the subjuntive This is the tricky part. Once you have mastered this, the formation is much easier. The subjunctive is used for some types of exclamations. But apart from then,it is used in subordinate clauses

In which clauses is the subjunctive used ? « The subjunctive is selected in a subordinate clause where the subject of the main clause views the event described in the subordinate clause with a significant degree of personal interpretation » Hawkins and Towell French Grammar and Usage

In other words… The subjunctive is used where there is the expression of doubt , personal feelings, vagueness, unknowability !This is a subtle area. For example, if an event is expressed to be probable, the indicative is selected!

3 main areas where you need to select the subjuntive But there are also others!

1.Where the subject is talking about the likelyhood of an event occuring and the event is unlikely as opposed to probable Pierre est venu J’affirme que Je pense que J’imagine que Je crois que je juge que il est certain que Il est probable que

But these are unlikely Je ne pense pas que Je n’imagine pas que Je ne crois pas que Il n’est pas certain que Est –il certain que Crois- tu que Est-ce que tu penses que Pierre soit venu

2. Where personal feelings are expressed – e 2.Where personal feelings are expressed – e.g fear surprise regret desire Which of these takes the subjunctive? Je sais que Je regrette que

Which moods would you use in this conversation? He is ill I’m sorry that he is ill But he came to school I am surprised that he came to school! Can you translate it?

3. unknowability/vagueness/conditionality When time constraints make the outcome of events unknowable by the subject avant que avant que tu me le dises,je te promets que je serai là jusqu’à ce que Je veux attendre jusqu’à ce qu’il soit arrivé chez lui Vagueness – when the subject doesn’t know enough about the situation to be certain of anything Quoi que /quel(le(s)) que (whichever/whatever) are always followed by the subjunctive Quoi qu’il fasse,il ne mettra jamais les pieds chez moi Quels que soit ses problèmes,je ne vois pas très bien comment je pourrais l’aider

Conditionality Si always takes the indicative But for à condition que and à moins que you need the subjunctive Je veux bien y aller à condition qu’on prenne l’avion Je ferai mes devoirs à moins que ça soit trop difficile

Formation of present subjunctive To form the subjunctive take the ils form of the present tense, delete ent and add these endings e es ions iez ent

Irregulars These need to be learned! ETRE  je sois FAIRE  je fasse tu sois tu fasses il / elle soit il/elle fasse nous soyons nous fassions ALLER  j’aille AVOIR  j’aie tu ailles tu aies il / elle aille il/elle aie nous aillons nous ayons

Which tense to use The subjunctive has all the tenses except the future and conditional for which the present subjunctive is used. All the tenses should be used as appropriate in formal writing,however, in speech and informal writing Use the present subjunctive where you would use these tenses in the indicative present Imperfect passée simple (simple past) future conditional

examples Le professeur se plaignait que ses élèves ne sachent pas employer correctement le subjonctif Which tense is the subjunctive replacing? Il serait peu probable que nos amis sachent que nous sommes partis and here?

Subjunctive after certain conjunctions afin que pour que en attendant que non que ce n’est pas que à moins que à supposer que supposé que

en supposant que en admettant que bien que Quoique Encore que malgré que de façon que de manière que

de sorte que si bien que de peur que de crainte que pour peu que si peu que pourvu que à condition que sans que soit que tel que