If you are learning French, there is no escaping it: the subjunctive. You need it whenever you express a wish, emotion, necessity, or doubt.
A quick refresher: When do you use the subjunctive?
- Wish or will – Such as: Je veux…
- Emotion or judgment – Such as: Je suis content que… or Il est dommage…
- Doubt or uncertainty – Such as: Je ne pense pas que…
- Necessity – Such as: Il faut que…
Subjective judgment
Look at these two sentences:
Je trouve que c’est surprenant qu’il est en retard.
Je trouve surprenant qu’il soit en retard.
Do you know why the first sentence does not require the subjunctive?
The first sentence concerns an objective observation. In the second sentence, the adjective ‘surprenant’ is linked to an opinion, making it subjective. Therefore, the subjunctive is required.
Subjects
In Dutch, we often use the word ‘dat’ when referring to ourselves. For example: ‘Ik hoop dat ik op tijd ben.’ In French, you would say: Je souhaite être à l’heure.
NEVER: Je souhaite que je sois à l’heure.
That is incorrect for two reasons:
- You only use the subjunctive when there are two different subjects in both parts of the sentence. In this example, the subject remains ‘I’ (‘je’ in French).
- When you are talking about yourself, you must use the infinitive (the base form of the verb).
If the subject changes within the sentence, then you do use the subjunctive.
Je souhaite qu’il soit à l’heure.
Would you like to review what we have previously written about the subjunctive and how to conjugate it? Please visit this link: https://coursdefrancais.nl/2020/05/26/hoofdbrekens-de-subjonctif/
