Introduction to the Subjunctive

In French, and in English and many other languages for that matter, there are both tenses and moods. A tense tells us about the timing of an action,  ig it is happening now (present tense), if it will still happen (future tense), if it has already happened (perfect tense).

Moods on the other hand tell us if something is actually happening (indicative mood), if it is a possibility or uncertainty (subjunctive mood) or if someone is bering told to do something (the imperative mood). In English, we have both the indicative mood and the imperative mood. However, we no longer have the subjunctive mood. We used to, a long time ago, but it disappeared somewhere along the way.

If this is your first encounter with the subjunctive mood, I would suggest you ease your way into it. For the moment, learn how to use it in one situation only, namely the one I will describe shortly. If your French is not perfect because you do not use the subjunctive in other situations where you are supposed to, that is okay. You can fix that at a later date. Remember: Do not try to eat an entire meal in one gulp. You will not be able to do it and you will suffer at the same time. Take one small bite at a time.

Getting back to the subjunctive, consider this sentence:

I want you to learn French.

In this statement I am not saying that you are learning French. I am telling you something that I wish you were doing, something that is not actually happening. You could, for the moment anyway, think of the subjunctive mood as the alternate universe mood. If we look at my example again using the alternate universe analogy, we could say that in the real universe you are not learning French but in the alternate universe I have created in my head, you are learning French (I want you to).

In a less complicated nutshell, everytime someone wants or wishes someone to do something or wants or wishes something to happen we use the subjunctive.

To say "I want you to learn French" in French, I would say:

Je veux que vous appreniez le français.

Notice the construction: "I want THAT you do something". Always use the word "that" in this construction.

More Examples

Mon ami veut que je lui visite.              My friend wants me to visit him.
[My friend wants that I visit him.]

Je souhaite que tu écoutes.                    I wish you would listen.
[I wish that you listen.]

Il faut qu'on pense avant de parler.       One should think before speaking.
[It is necessary that one thinks
before speaking.]

Note: If you use the construction il faut que, the subjunctive is obligatory. However, if you use only il faut (without que), you can then use the subjunctive if you feel like it or you can use the indicative if that is how you feel. In other words the two sentences below are both correct:

Il faut vous essayez.
Il faut vous essayiez.