Le Subjonctif (Leaving Cert French): Revision Notes
Le Subjonctif
Le subjonctif is a special verb form in French used to express doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty, often following "que." The subjunctive is a grammatical mood.
At Leaving Cert level, using the subjunctive can impress the examiner, but you won't need to use it frequently. Many students opt to learn a few versatile expressions that include the subjunctive, which they can then apply to various writing tasks and in the oral exam. If you decide to do this, ensure you learn the expressions correctly, as incorrect use of the subjunctive won't earn marks.
Exam Tip In the Leaving Cert, it's crucial to prioritise basic grammatical accuracy and spelling before tackling more complex structures. Mastering verb conjugation in the present, passé composé, imparfait, futur simple, and futur proche is essential.
Grammar Point: What is a grammatical mood? While you might not be familiar with the term grammatical mood, you actually use it all the time when you speak. Grammatical mood is about the attitude or feeling behind a sentence, like whether something is a fact, a possibility, a wish, or a suggestion.
For example:
- Indicative mood: "John takes the medicine." (a fact)
- Potential mood: "John can take the medicine." (a possibility)
- Conditional mood: "John could take the medicine if there were no other options." (a condition)
- Subjunctive mood: "The doctor suggests that he take the medicine." (a suggestion or wish) These different moods help us express ourselves clearly and show how we feel about what we're saying.
Forming the Subjunctive Mood in French
Forming the subjunctive in French is quite straightforward! The endings are consistent for all verbs except avoir (to have) and être (to be).
Here's how you can form it:
-
Start with the third person plural of the present indicative form of the verb. For example, take the verb "parler" (to speak): ils parlent.
-
Remove the -ent ending. From parlent, you remove -ent to get parl-.
-
Add the required subjunctive ending to the stem.
| Je | e | que je parle |
|---|---|---|
| Tu | es | que tu parles |
| Il/Elle/On | e | qu'il parle |
| Nous | ions | que nous parlions |
| Vous | iez | que vous parliez |
| Ils/Elles | ent | qu'ils parlent |
Example:
J'aimerais que vous me parliez du subjonctif. I would like you to tell me about the subjunctive.
The Most Common Irregular Verbs in the Subjunctive
Here are the most common irregular verbs in the subjunctive.
Avoir (to have)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| que j'aie | that I have |
| que tu aies | that you have |
| qu'il/elle/on ait | that he/she/one has |
| que nous ayons | that we have |
| que vous ayez | that you (all) have |
| qu'ils/elles aient | that they have |
Être (to be)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| que je sois | that I be |
| que tu sois | that you be |
| qu'il/elle/on soit | that he/she/one be |
| que nous soyons | that we be |
| que vous soyez | that you (all) be |
| qu'ils/elles soient | that they be |
Faire (to do/make)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| que je fasse | that I do/make |
| que tu fasses | that you do/make |
| qu'il/elle/on fasse | that he/she/one does/makes |
| que nous fassions | that we do/make |
| que vous fassiez | that you (all) do/make |
| qu'ils/elles fassent | that they do/make |
Pouvoir (to be able to)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| que je puisse | that I can |
| que tu puisses | that you can |
| qu'il/elle/on puisse | that he/she/one can |
| que nous puissions | that we can |
| que vous puissiez | that you (all) can |
| qu'ils/elles puissent | that they can |
Savoir (to know)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| que je sache | that I know |
| que tu saches | that you know |
| qu'il/elle/on sache | that he/she/one knows |
| que nous sachions | that we know |
| que vous sachiez | that you (all) know |
| qu'ils/elles sachent | that they know |
Vouloir (to want)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| que je veuille | that I want |
| que tu veuilles | that you want |
| qu'il/elle/on veuille | that he/she/one wants |
| que nous voulions | that we want |
| que vous vouliez | that you (all) want |
| qu'ils/elles veuillent | that they want |
Venir (to come)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| que je vienne | that I come |
| que tu viennes | that you come |
| qu'il/elle/on vienne | that he/she/one comes |
| que nous venions | that we come |
| que vous veniez | that you (all) come |
| qu'ils/elles viennent | that they come |
Exam Tip: A helpful clue for knowing when to use the subjunctive in French is the word "que." When you see "que" in a sentence, it often indicates that the subjunctive might be needed. For example, in sentences like "Il faut que…" (It is necessary that…) or "Je veux que…" (I want that…), the verb that follows "que" will usually be in the subjunctive mood.
Take a look at our other resources, like 'le journal intime', 'le récit', and our sample written pieces, to discover versatile subjunctive phrases that you can use in your exam!