A verb, verbal expression, or impersonal expression in the main clause that’s in the indicative and expresses doubt, subjectivity, emotion, volition, or command.. Also, the present subju
Trang 1Chapter 20
Knowing How to Use the Present Subjunctive
In This Chapter
Expressing wishes and preferences
Showing emotion or judgment
Doubting and being subjective
Adding idiomatic expressions to your conversation
In Chapter 19, I show you how to form the present subjunctive In this chapter, I show you how to use it The subjunctive is used much more often in French than in English In fact, English has retained very little of its subjunctive tense You can find it in such sentences as
They ask that she drive carefully or I request that you be on time But enough about English.
You already know how to speak it, right?
You use the present subjunctive in the subordinate clause when three key criteria are pres-ent in a spres-entence If you’re missing any of these elempres-ents, then don’t use the subjunctive The three criteria are
Two clauses linked by que (that).
Two different subjects for each of the two clauses (If the subject of both clauses is the same, then you use the infinitive.)
A verb, verbal expression, or impersonal expression in the main clause that’s in the indicative and expresses doubt, subjectivity, emotion, volition, or command
If any of these elements is missing, then you need to use either the infinitive or the indicative instead of the subjunctive
Except for some idiomatic expressions, you never use the subjunctive by itself In other words, you can’t start a sentence in the subjunctive Because no future subjunctive exists, you use the present subjunctive to express an action in the subordinate clause that takes place after an action in the main clause Also, the present subjunctive is used when the verb
in the subordinate clause is simultaneous to — meaning it happens at the same time as — the verb in the main clause
You may be asking yourself how you know whether a certain verb or verbal expression in the main clause requires the subjunctive in the subordinate clause This chapter looks more closely at that issue so that you’ll be confident every time you have to make that choice
Trang 2Expressing Wish, Will, Preference, and Command
In order to guide you in using the subjunctive correctly, I separate the verbs and verbal expressions that require the use of the subjunctive into different categories You use the subjunctive in the subordinate clause when the verb or verbal expression
in the main clause expresses wish, will, preference and command Table 20-1 lists verbs that express just that
Table 20-1 Verbs That Express Wish, Will, Preference, and Command
Trang 3Je veux que tu sois gentil (I want you to be nice; Literally: I want that you be nice.)
Put the subjunctive in the subordinate clause Notice that the clauses have different subjects
Q.Le juge recommande que l’accusé _ (dire) la vérité
A.Le juge recommande que l’accusé dise la vérité (The judge recommends that the defendant
tell the truth.)
1 Les professeurs proposent que nous _ (lire) attentivement.
2 Tu tiens à ce que je _ (venir) avec toi.
3 Le pilote ordonne que nous _ (attacher) notre ceinture de sécurité.
4 Le médecin n’aime pas que ses patients _ (toucher) l’équipement
médical
5 La loi empêche que l’on _ (jeter) les ordures dans la rue.
6 J’apprécie que tu me _ (comprendre).
7 Alexandre préfère que nous _ (voyager) ensemble.
8 Mes parents refusent que je _ (prendre) la voiture.
9 Céline propose qu’on _ (aller) au cinéma.
10 Nous souhaitons que nos amis _ (avoir) de bonnes notes.
Showing Emotion or Judgment
Another important category of verbs and verbal expressions is the one that expresses emotion as well as judgment Take a look at Table 20-2 for a list of these verbs and verbal expressions
Table 20-2 Phrases That Show Emotion or Judgment
(continued)
Trang 4Table 20-2 (continued)
Nous sommes heureux que vous veniez nous voir (We are happy that you’re
coming to see us.)
Put the subjunctive in the subordinate clause Notice that the clauses have different subjects
Q.Il est mécontent que ses amis _ (aller) au cinéma sans lui
A.Il est mécontent que ses amis aillent au cinéma sans lui (He is unhappy that his friends
go/will go to the movies without him.)
11 Je suis ravi que vous _ (pouvoir) venir.
12 Nous sommes surpris que tu _ (ne pas avoir) d’argent.
13 Le professeur est furieux que les étudiants _ (ne pas faire) attention.
Trang 514 Mme Castel est triste que son fils _ (vivre) dans un tel état.
15 Les enfants sont déçus qu’il _ (pleuvoir).
Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty
You also use the subjunctive when the verbs or verbal expressions in the main clause express doubt or uncertainty However when the element of doubt or uncertainty no longer exists, then you use the indicative Check out Table 20-3
You use the verbs in Table 20-3 a bit differently than the ones in the previous two sec-tions The difference lies in the way you’re using the verb: positively, negatively, or interrogatively When you use the following verbs or expressions interrogatively or negatively in the main clause, you follow them with the subjunctive in the subordi-nate clause When you use them affirmatively, you follow them with the indicative
Croyez-vous qu’elle dise la vérité? (Subjunctive) (Do you believe that she’s telling
the truth?)
Vous ne croyez pas qu’elle dise la vérité (Subjunctive) (You don’t believe that
she’s telling the truth.)
Vous croyez qu’elle dit la vérité (Indicative) (You believe that she’s telling the truth.)
Table 20-3 Phrases That Express Doubt or Uncertainty
Affirmative (Indicative) Interrogative (Subjunctive) Negative (Subjunctive)
certain that)
true that)
clear that)
il est probable que (it is Est-il probable que? Il n’est pas probable que
probable that)
il est évident que (it is Est-il évident que? Il n’est pas évident que
evident that)
The verb douter que (to doubt that) and the expression il est douteux que (it is
doubt-ful that) follow a different pattern than the verbs and phrases in Table 20-3 You use the subjunctive in the subordinate clause when this verb and expression are used in the affirmative or in the interrogative because they imply doubt However, in the neg-ative, the element of doubt no longer exists and you use the indicative
Trang 6Tu doutes qu’il soit malade (Subjunctive) (You doubt that he’s ill.)
Now it’s your turn Choose between the present indicative and the subjunctive of the verbs in parentheses Refer to the list of verbs and verbal expressions in Table 20-3 as
a guide
Q.Il est vrai que nous _ (vouloir) voyager
A.Il est vrai que nous voulons voyager (It’s true that we want to travel.)
16 Êtes-vous sûr qu’il _ (ne pas suivre) de cours?
17 Ne trouves-tu pas qu’il _ (faire) froid?
18 Il est évident que tu _ (savoir) parler français.
19 Je ne doute pas que mon équipe favori _ (aller) gagner.
20 Il n’est pas clair que les droits humains _ (être) respectés.
Showing Opinion, Necessity, and Possibility
The subjunctive is a mood of subjectivity As such, any expression that expresses an
opinion will be followed by the subjunctive Expressions of necessity like il faut que
(it is necessary that) as well as possibility like il est possible que (it is possible that)
are also followed by the subjunctive Table 20-4 lists these expressions
Table 20-4 Phrases That Show Opinion, Necessity, and Possibility
Trang 7French Phrase English Translation
In all the expressions in Table 20-4, you can replace the il est (it is) with c’est (it is),
except for the last three: il faut que, il se peut que, and il vaut mieux que.
Il se peut qu’il pleuve demain (It may be that it will rain tomorrow.)
Put the verb in parentheses in the present subjunctive
Q.C’est utile que tu _ (s’y connaître) en informatique
A.C’est utile que tu t’y connaisses en informatique (It is useful that you know about computers.)
21 Il vaut mieux que nous _ (aller) nous coucher tôt ce soir.
22 Il est possible que mes beaux-parents _ (prendre) leur retraite.
23 Il est nécessaire qu’Anne _ (décrire) ses expériences.
24 C’est souhaitable que nous _ (éviter) la circulation.
25 Il faut que je _ (s’en aller).
Expressing Condition, Time, Concession, and Consequence
You also use the subjunctive after certain conjunctions, mainly the ones that express
a condition or a concession These conjunctions require the same criteria as the verbs or verbal expressions I mention in the previous sections First, the subject in the main clause must be different from the subject of the subordinate clause If the subject is the same, then use a preposition followed by the infinitive form of the verb
Second, these conjunctions must be followed by que (that)
Trang 8The conjunctions listed in Table 20-5 connect two clauses You use the subjunctive in the subordinate clause when the sentence has two different subjects If the sentence has only one subject, these conjunctions become prepositions followed with an
infini-tive Note that in such cases the que (that) is dropped, and most of the prepositions
require de to introduce the infinitive.
Note: The translations in Table 20-5 apply to both the two subject clauses and single
subject clauses
Table 20-5 Using Subjunctive: Conjunctions or Prepositions?
*See the following paragraph for more information on these conjunctions.
The conjunctions in Table 20-5 that have the asterisk before them can take the
exple-tive ne before the subjuncexple-tive And I know I said that ne is an expleexple-tive, but it’s not a
dirty word! In grammar, an expletive is a nonessential word or phrase that you don’t
need in the sentence in order to understand it The expletive ne has no meaning, and
you don’t have to use it, but I highly recommend it because it’s commonly used before the subjunctive after certain conjunctions even in casual conversations Most impor-tantly, you need to know that it doesn’t make the verb negative In order to make a
verb negative, you put the ne before the conjugated verb and the pas or another
nega-tive expression after the verb
Dépêchons-nous avant qu’il (ne) pleuve (Let’s hurry up before it rains.)
Il étudie beaucoup de crainte que l’examen (ne) soit trop difficile (He’s studying
a lot for fear that the exam is too difficult.) Note that you must always follow the conjunctions in Table 20-6 with a verb in the subjunctive, even when the clause has no change of subject These conjunctions can never be prepositions
Table 20-6 Conjunctions That Must Always Be Followed
by the Subjunctive
Trang 9Conjunction English Translation
Il jouera au match pourvu qu’il se sente bien (He will play in the game provided
that he feels well.) Link these two clauses together by using a conjunction followed by the subjunctive or
a preposition followed by the infinitive Remember, the choice depends on the sub-ject If the sentence has one subject (the subjects in the two clauses are the same), use the preposition followed by an infinitive to link the sentences If the sentence has two subjects (the subjects are different in each clause), use a conjunction followed by
a verb in the subjunctive
Q.Ils font des économies (afin que/afin de) Ils peuvent aller en vacances
A.Ils font des économies afin de pouvoir aller en vacances (They are saving money in
order to be able to go on vacation.)
26 Je te dis cela (pour que/pour) Tu le sais.
37 Nous ferons nos bagages (avant que/avant de) Nous partons.
38 Viens chez moi (à moins que/à moins de) Tu as d’autres choses à faire.
29 Le cambrioleur s’échappe (de crainte que/de crainte de) La police vient.
30 Mélanie va voyager (à condition que/à condition de) Elle a de l’argent.
Considering Indefinite, Doubtful, and Subjective Antecedents
An antecedent can be a noun, a pronoun, a concept, or a clause that comes before a
relative pronoun and to which the relative pronoun refers If you have a subordinate clause that refers to a concept (or antecedent) in the main clause, you may need
to use the subjunctive If the concept in the main clause is doubtful, indefinite, or subjective, you put the verb in the subordinate clause in the subjunctive You also
use the subjunctive after expressions such as le seul (the only), l’unique (the unique),
le premier (the first), and le dernier (the last) in order to stress the rarity or the
uniqueness of the antecedent However, if you use these expressions to refer to fac-tual or objective situations, then use the indicative in the subordinate clause
Trang 10C’est le meilleur professeur qui soit! (He’s the best professor ever there is!) This is
an exaggeration and therefore the verb is in the subjunctive
Nous cherchons un hôtel qui ne soit pas trop cher (We are looking for a hotel
that is not too expensive.) This statement doesn’t mean that we’re never going to
find a hotel that’s reasonably priced However, the mere fact that we’re looking for
an inexpensive hotel dictates the use of the subjunctive When the verb chercher
(to look for) is used affirmatively in the main clause, then put the verb in the
sub-ordinate clause in the subjunctive
Connais-tu quelqu’un qui puisse s’occuper de mes enfants? (Do you know anyone
who can take care of my children?) This question is the same type of concept as the previous two examples Because you’re asking if someone knows someone who can take care of the children, this warrants the use of the subjunctive in the subordinate clause
However, when the main clause refers to a definite, concluded, or factual person or thing, you use the indicative in the subordinate clause
C’est la plus mauvaise note que j’ai ce semestre (It’s the worst grade that I have
this semester.) Even though this statement is superlative (the worst), it’s factual rather than subjective Therefore, you use the indicative
Nous avons trouvé un hôtel qui n’est pas trop cher (We found a hotel that is not
too expensive.) We already found the hotel; therefore this is factual, and the verb
in the subordinate clause is in the indicative and not the subjunctive
Look at the antecedents and decide whether you would use the subjunctive or the indicative in the subordinate clause, and then correctly conjugate the verb
Q.Le directeur cherche un assistant qui _ (pouvoir) gérer sa compagnie
A.Le directeur cherche un assistant qui puisse gérer sa compagnie (The director is looking
for an assistant who can manage his company.)
31 Y a-t-il un restaurant qui _ (servir) des spécialités françaises?
32 Je connais quelqu’un qui _ (être) très fort en mathématiques.
33 C’est le plus beau tableau que je _ (voir) à l’exposition.
34 Elle veut trouver une femme de ménage qui _ (faire) aussi la cuisine.
35 C’est la plus grande valise que _ (vendre) ce magasin.
Looking at Idiomatic Expressions and Commands
You probably already know at least one idiomatic expression in French that takes the
subjunctive Have you heard this: Vive la France! (Long live France!)? Well, the verb is
in the subjunctive As in this phrase, you can use the subjunctive alone, without the requirement of a main clause, when it’s part of an idiomatic expression Take a look at the following idiomatic expressions