The present subjunctive (the forms): The present subjunctive (le subjonctif présent) is a special verb form French uses for things that are wished for, necessary, doubted, or emotional — almost always after «que». In this micro you'll learn how to build it; the full list of triggers comes later. The key trick: most subjunctive forms are built from the present «ils/elles» stem, so if you know «ils finissent» you can build «que je finisse».
- le subjonctif
- the subjunctive — the mood for wishes, necessity, doubt and emotion
- l'indicatif
- the indicative — the ordinary mood for stating facts (je finis, je prends)
- la forme «ils/elles»
- the present «ils/elles» form — the starting point for building the subjunctive
- le radical
- the stem — what's left after you drop the ending
- le déclencheur
- the trigger — the word or phrase before «que» that calls for the subjunctive
- irrégulier
- irregular — a few common verbs have their own subjunctive stem (être → soi-)
Why it matters: Using the subjunctive correctly is a clear marker of a higher-level French answer. Even getting one phrase right — «il faut que tu fasses tes devoirs» — lifts the sophistication of your speaking and writing. Master the forms here first; the triggers fall into place once the forms are automatic.
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Ils-stem, drop -ent, add the endings: Build the present subjunctive in three steps: (1) take the present «ils/elles» form, (2) drop the -ent, (3) add the endings -e / -es / -e / -ions / -iez / -ent. Notice the «je / tu / il / ils» endings sound the same as the present indicative of an -er verb, while «nous / vous» look exactly like the imperfect (-ions, -iez). Starting from «ils» means most stem changes carry over automatically (ils prennent → que je prenne).
| Personne | finir (ils finissent) | prendre (ils prennent) | parler (ils parlent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| que je | finisse | prenne | parle |
| que tu | finisses | prennes | parles |
| qu'il / elle / on | finisse | prenne | parle |
| que nous | finissions | prenions | parlions |
| que vous | finissiez | preniez | parliez |
| qu'ils / elles | finissent | prennent | parlent |
| Infinitif | Subjonctif (que je…) | Astuce |
|---|---|---|
| être | sois | completely irregular (sois, soyons, soyez) |
| avoir | aie | completely irregular (aie, ayons, ayez) |
| aller | aille | irregular stem aill- / all- (nous allions) |
| faire | fasse | irregular stem fass- (one stem everywhere) |
| pouvoir | puisse | irregular stem puiss- (one stem everywhere) |
| savoir | sache | irregular stem sach- (one stem everywhere) |
The ils-stem rule: Think «ils-stem»: drop the -ent from the present «ils» form and add -e / -es / -e / -ions / -iez / -ent. ils finissent → que je finisse. Six common verbs ignore the rule entirely — learn être (sois), avoir (aie), aller (aille), faire (fasse), pouvoir (puisse), savoir (sache) by heart.
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Where you'll see it (a quick look): You'll meet the subjunctive most often in a second clause after «que», when the first clause expresses a necessity, wish, or feeling. For now, just recognise the shape: a trigger phrase + «que» + a verb in the subjunctive. The classic trigger is «il faut que…» (it is necessary that…).
La piste du «que»
- Necessity — «Il faut que tu viennes.» (You have to come.)
- Wish — «Je veux que tu réussisses.» (I want you to succeed.)
- Feeling — «Je suis content que tu sois là.» (I'm glad you're here.)
- Doubt — «Je ne pense pas qu'il pleuve.» (I don't think it will rain.)
Forms first, triggers next: Don't worry about memorising every trigger yet. Right now, focus on building the form correctly: «ils» form → drop -ent → add the endings. If you can produce finisse, prenne, parle without thinking, the usage rules will be easy. And remember the giant clue: after «il faut que» you always need the subjunctive.
Building the form, sentence by sentence: Here are short sentences that each show the present subjunctive after «que». The note in brackets reminds you which verb it came from and how it was built. Read each once, then tap Voir la traduction for the English or 🔊 to hear it. Notice the ils-stem pattern at work.
Le subjonctif en action
Les formes, phrase par phrase
- Mes parents veulent que je finisse mes devoirs avant de sortir.
- Il faut que tu prennes le bus de huit heures.
- J'aimerais que nous partions en vacances ensemble.
- Il faut que vous soyez à l'heure et que vous ayez votre carte.
- Je veux qu'ils fassent un effort et qu'ils puissent réussir.
Drill the build, not the meaning: For each verb, say it out loud: «ils» form → drop -ent → add the ending. ils finissent → finiss- → finisse; ils prennent → prenn- → prenne. The irregulars (sois, aie, aille, fasse, puisse, sache) you just have to know — they appear constantly, so they're worth memorising first.
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The slips to watch for: Three mistakes dominate for English speakers: leaving the indicative after a trigger (writing «tu viens» where you need «tu viennes»), forgetting the irregular subjunctives (writing «tu es» instead of «tu sois»), and translating the English infinitive directly (English says «I want you to come» with no «that», but French needs «que tu viennes»). Compare the right version with the typical mistake and the fix becomes clear.
Correct
- Il faut que tu finisses tes devoirs.
- Je veux que tu viennes à la fête.
- Je suis content que tu sois là.
Erreur fréquente
- Il faut que tu finis tes devoirs.
- Je veux que tu venir / tu viens à la fête.
- Je suis content que tu es là.
Use «que», switch to the ils-stem, learn the irregulars: After a trigger, keep the «que» and build the verb from the «ils» stem (+ -e/-es/-e/-ions/-iez/-ent). And keep the six irregulars at your fingertips — sois, aie, aille, fasse, puisse, sache — because they appear in almost every subjunctive sentence.