You already build the present subjunctive. Now you add the perfect subjunctive for a completed action, and you learn the crucial IB French B point about the sequence of tenses — why modern French does not switch to the imperfect subjunctive after a past main verb.
IB Diploma French B (HL): this grammar is the backbone of all five prescribed themes — identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization and sharing the planet — and, at HL, it also carries you through the two literary works. HL asks for the same structures with greater range and precision.
Work through each screen and answer the questions — some ask you to recognise which subjunctive is needed, some to produce the form. Collect ⭐ and press Start.
The perfect subjunctive is built like the passé composé, but the auxiliary goes into the present subjunctive:
Agreement: être verbs and reflexives make the past participle agree with the subject — qu'elle soit partie, qu'ils soient partis.
Which auxiliary you use is exactly the same choice as in the passé composé — most verbs take avoir, but the movement/change-of-state verbs and all reflexives take être:
| que j'aie fait |
| que tu aies fait |
| qu'il ait fait |
| que nous ayons fait |
| que vous ayez fait |
| qu'ils aient fait |
| que je sois parti |
| que tu sois parti |
| qu'il soit parti |
| que nous soyons partis |
| que vous soyez partis |
| qu'ils soient partis |
| que je sois venu |
| que tu sois venu |
| qu'il soit venu |
| que nous soyons venus |
| que vous soyez venus |
| qu'ils soient venus |
After a trigger + que, pick the subjunctive by timing:
Test: could you swap in "have done" / "has happened" in English? Then use the perfect subjunctive. If it's "do" / "will do", use the present.
In older or literary French, a past main verb pulled the subjunctive back into the imperfect subjunctive. Modern French does not do this. Even after a past main verb you keep the present subjunctive (for ongoing) or the perfect subjunctive (for completed):
Rule of thumb: in speech and normal writing, choose only between the present and perfect subjunctive — never the imperfect subjunctive, whatever the tense of the main verb.
Tap an infinitive on the left, then its perfect subjunctive (que je form) on the right.
You will meet the imperfect subjunctive (qu'il fût, qu'il eût) and the pluperfect subjunctive (qu'il eût fait) in set texts and literature. They are receptive only: recognise them, but do not produce them in your own writing.
In your own French: replace these with the ordinary present or perfect subjunctive — qu'il soit, qu'il ait fait.
Sort each form by whether the action is ongoing/future (present subjunctive) or already completed (perfect subjunctive).
Perfect subjunctive: present subjunctive of avoir/être + past participle — que j'aie fait, qu'il soit parti. Être-verbs and reflexives agree.
Choosing: ongoing/future → present subjunctive; completed → perfect subjunctive.
Sequence: modern French keeps the present/perfect subjunctive even after a past main verb — je voulais qu'il vienne.
Literary only: imperfect & pluperfect subjunctive (qu'il fût, qu'il eût fait) — recognise, never produce.
Cluster 6 moves on to si-clauses and reported speech. Press Finish.
You've built the perfect subjunctive and the sequence of tenses for IB French B. 🎉
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Next in the backbone: si-clauses & reported speech — the three conditional patterns and indirect-speech backshift.