At A-Level the subjunctive (le subjonctif) becomes core. It is a mood, not a tense: you use it in a subordinate clause after a trigger of necessity, wishing, emotion or doubt, and after certain conjunctions. This lesson builds the present subjunctive: its formation, the irregulars, and exactly when to use it.
Work through each screen and answer the questions — some ask you to recognise the mood, some to produce the form. Collect ⭐ and press Start.
The indicative states facts. The subjunctive appears when the main clause colours the second with necessity, wishing or doubt — almost always introduced by que:
The tell: two clauses, usually two different subjects, joined by que, with a trigger of necessity / wishing / emotion / doubt in the first.
Take the ils form of the present indicative, drop -ent, and add the subjunctive endings -e / -es / -e / -ions / -iez / -ent:
| que je parle |
| que tu parles |
| qu'il parle |
| que nous parlions |
| que vous parliez |
| qu'ils parlent |
| que je finisse |
| que tu finisses |
| qu'il finisse |
| que nous finissions |
| que vous finissiez |
| qu'ils finissent |
| que je vende |
| que tu vendes |
| qu'il vende |
| que nous vendions |
| que vous vendiez |
| qu'ils vendent |
Ear-trap: the je/tu/il/ils subjunctive forms of an -er verb sound identical to the present indicative — only context and que tell you it's the subjunctive.
In the nous and vous forms, the present subjunctive of most verbs looks exactly like the imperfect: que nous parlions, que vous finissiez. Don't let that throw you — the trigger and que confirm it is the subjunctive.
Even the big irregulars follow this in nous/vous: que nous soyons / ayons / allions / fassions — regular-looking endings on an irregular stem.
A handful of very common verbs have irregular subjunctive stems:
| infinitive | subjunctive (que je / qu'il…) |
|---|---|
| être | sois, sois, soit, soyons, soyez, soient |
| avoir | aie, aies, ait, ayons, ayez, aient |
| aller | aille, ailles, aille, allions, alliez, aillent |
| faire | fasse, fasses, fasse, fassions, fassiez, fassent |
| pouvoir | puisse, puisses, puisse, puissions, puissiez, puissent |
| savoir | sache, saches, sache, sachions, sachiez, sachent |
| vouloir | veuille, veuilles, veuille, voulions, vouliez, veuillent |
Note: aller and vouloir use their irregular stem in the "boot" (je/tu/il/ils) but revert to the regular-looking stem in nous/vous (allions, voulions).
Tap an infinitive on the left, then its subjunctive (que je / qu'il form) on the right.
Reach for the subjunctive after these families of trigger, whenever a subordinate que-clause follows:
Two classic traps: espérer que takes the indicative (j'espère que tu viens), and affirmative penser/croire que take the indicative — they only flip to the subjunctive when negated (je ne pense pas qu'il ait raison).
Sort each trigger by the mood it forces in the clause after que.
Affirmative penser and croire assert a belief as fact → indicative. Negate them and the certainty collapses → subjunctive:
Exam gold: a well-placed bien que + subjunctive or il est possible que + subjunctive is a reliable way to show A-Level range.
Several conjunctions take the subjunctive every time:
Contrast: après que and parce que take the indicative — don't over-apply the subjunctive.
Formation: ils-stem + -e/-es/-e/-ions/-iez/-ent. Nous/vous look like the imperfect.
Irregulars: sois, aie, aille, fasse, puisse, sache, veuille.
Triggers: necessity (il faut que), wishing (vouloir que), emotion, doubt/possibility, and conjunctions (bien que, pour que, avant que, à moins que).
Traps: espérer que → indicative; affirmative penser/croire que → indicative, negated → subjunctive.
Cluster 5 takes this further: the perfect, imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive, and the sequence of tenses. Press Finish.
You've built the present subjunctive for AQA A-Level French. 🎉
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Next in the backbone: the subjunctive II — perfect, imperfect and pluperfect, and the sequence of tenses.