IB French B Grammar

The present subjunctive

At IB French B 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.

indicative = factsubjunctive = necessity · wish · emotion · doubt

IB Diploma French B (SL): this grammar is the backbone of all five prescribed themes — identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization and sharing the planet — and it powers every receptive, productive and interactive task.

Work through each screen and answer the questions — some ask you to recognise the mood, some to produce the form. Collect ⭐ and press Start.

Mood, not tense

Indicative vs subjunctive

The indicative states facts. The subjunctive appears when the main clause colours the second with necessity, wishing or doubt — almost always introduced by que:

Je sais qu'il est là. — I know he is here. (fact → indicative)
Il faut qu'il soit là. — He must be here. (necessity → subjunctive)
Je doute qu'il soit là. — I doubt he is here. (doubt → subjunctive)

The tell: two clauses, usually two different subjects, joined by que, with a trigger of necessity / wishing / emotion / doubt in the first.

Quick check

Fact or necessity?

?Which sentence needs the subjunctive in the second clause?

Formation · Step 1

Built on the "ils" stem

Take the ils form of the present indicative, drop -ent, and add the subjunctive endings -e / -es / -e / -ions / -iez / -ent:

parler → (ils parlent)
que je parle
que tu parles
qu'il parle
que nous parlions
que vous parliez
qu'ils parlent

finir → (ils finissent)
que je finisse
que tu finisses
qu'il finisse
que nous finissions
que vous finissiez
qu'ils finissent

vendre → (ils vendent)
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.

Type it

Your turn — a regular verb

1Write the que je present-subjunctive form of parler (to speak).

Hint: ils-stem parl- + the "je" ending -e.

The nous / vous trap

Where the subjunctive looks like the imperfect

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.

The irregulars

The stems you must memorise

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).

Sort it

Pick the subjunctive

Type it

Your turn — an irregular

2Write the que je present-subjunctive form of être (to be).

Hint: the subjunctive stem of être is soi- in the singular.

Game · Match

Match the infinitive to its subjunctive

Tap an infinitive on the left, then its subjunctive (que je / qu'il form) on the right.

INFINITIVE

être

avoir

aller

faire

pouvoir

savoir

SUBJUNCTIVE

fasse

sois

sache

aille

puisse

aie

When to use it

The triggers

Reach for the subjunctive after these families of trigger, whenever a subordinate que-clause follows:

Necessity: il faut que, il est nécessaire que, il est important que.
Wishing / wanting: vouloir que, souhaiter que, préférer que, aimer que.
Emotion: être content/triste que, avoir peur que, regretter que.
Doubt / possibility: douter que, il est possible que, ne pas croire que, ne pas penser que.
Conjunctions: bien que, quoique, pour que, afin que, avant que, jusqu'à ce que, à moins que, sans que.

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).

Quick check

After a conjunction

?Complete: Bien qu'il ___ froid, je sors. ("Although it is cold, I'm going out.") — from faire.

Type it

Your turn — irregular production

3Write the que je present-subjunctive form of faire (to do/make).

Hint: the subjunctive stem of faire is fass-.

Sort it

Subjunctive or indicative?

Sort each trigger by the mood it forces in the clause after que.

Takes subjunctive

Takes indicative

Quick check

The "espérer" trap

?Which is correct? J'espère que tu ___ demain. ("I hope you're coming tomorrow.") — from venir.

The contrast in action

penser / croire — one flip

Affirmative penser and croire assert a belief as fact → indicative. Negate them and the certainty collapses → subjunctive:

Je pense qu'il a raison. → indicative (I hold it true).
Je ne pense pas qu'il ait raison. → subjunctive (doubt).
Il est certain qu'il vient. → indicative.
Il est possible qu'il vienne. → subjunctive (possibility).

Exam gold: a well-placed bien que + subjunctive or il est possible que + subjunctive is a reliable way to show IB French B range.

Type it

Your turn — a full clause

4Translate "I want you to come" into French (use vouloir que + tu).

Hint: Je veux que + the subjunctive of venir (ils viennent → que tu viennes).

Conjunctions

Conjunctions that always trigger it

Several conjunctions take the subjunctive every time:

bien que / quoique — although
pour que / afin que — so that
avant que — before · jusqu'à ce que — until
à moins que — unless · sans que — without · à condition que — provided that

Contrast: après que and parce que take the indicative — don't over-apply the subjunctive.

Quick check

After a verb of wishing

?Complete: Je veux que tu ___ avec nous. ("I want you to come with us.") — from venir.

Type it

Your turn — nous

5Write the que nous present-subjunctive form of avoir (to have).

Hint: the subjunctive of avoir in the nous form — regular-looking endings on the stem ay-.

Quick check

Negated belief

?Complete: Je ne pense pas qu'il ___ raison. ("I don't think he's right.") — from avoir.

Recap

Your present-subjunctive toolkit

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.

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Next in the backbone: the subjunctive II — perfect, imperfect and pluperfect, and the sequence of tenses.

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