subjontif

The subjonctif, or subjontif in some spellings, is a verbal mood in French used to express attitudes rather than factual statements. It governs subordinate clauses that convey doubt, emotion, necessity, possibility, desire, or judgment. The subjonctif commonly appears after certain verbs and expressions (je veux que, il faut que) and after conjunctions such as que, bien que, pour que, jusqu’à ce que.

In present use, the subjonctif presents distinctive endings and several irregular forms. For most verbs, the present subjunctive endings are -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent, applied to the stem derived from the third-person plural present indicative (parler → que je parle, finir → que tu finisses). Irregular verbs are frequent; key examples include être (que je sois), avoir (que j’aie), aller (que j’aille), faire (que je fasse), pouvoir (que je puisse), savoir (que je sache). The subjonctif passé combines the present subjunctive of avoir or être with the past participle (que j’aie parlé, qu’il soit venu).

Beyond the present, there are the subjonctif imparfait and subjonctif plus-que-parfait, which are largely literary and seldom used in spoken French; the more common past tense is the subjonctif passé (que j’aie vu, qu’elle soit née).

Usage guidance: the mood marks subjectivity or non-reality. Triggers include expressions of doubt, wish, necessity, emotion, or hypothetical situations, and many subordinate clauses introduced by que. In everyday speech, speakers often opt for simpler constructions or the indicative where accepted by usage.