French II – The Subjunctive - Quick Guides | World Languages

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Study GuideFrench II–The Subjunctive1.The Past Subjunctive1. What Is the Past Subjunctive?Thepast subjunctiveis used to talk about an action thatalready happened in the past, butwithina clause that requires the subjunctive mood.It is similar in meaning to thepassé composé, but it appears in situations where thesubjunctive isrequired(for example after expressions of doubt, emotion, or necessity).In English, it often translates as“that someone has done” or “that someone did.”Example:•Il est regrettable qu'il n'ait pas réussi.(It is a shame that he didn’t succeed.)2. How to Form the Past SubjunctiveThe past subjunctive is formed using:Subjunctive of the helping verb (avoir or être) + past participleStructure:Subject + subjunctive auxiliary + past participleSubjunctive Forms of the Helping VerbsAvoir (to have)•que je—aie•que tu—aies•qu'il / elle / on—ait•que nous—ayons•que vous—ayez•qu'ils / elles—aient

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Study GuideThis is thesubjunctive present of the verbavoir.Être (to be)•que je—sois•que tu—sois•qu'il / elle / on—soit•que nous—soyons•que vous—soyez•qu'ils / elles—soientThis is thepresent subjunctive of the verbêtre.Examples•Il est douteux qu'ils soient partis.(It is doubtful that they left.)•Il est important qu'elles se soient bien amusées.(It is important that they had a very good time.)These sentences showcompleted actions, but they appear insubjunctive clauses.3. Agreement RulesThe past subjunctive follows thesame agreement rules as the passé composé.This means:•Whenêtreis the auxiliary, thepast participle agrees with the subject.Example:•Elles se soient amusées.(They had a good time.)

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Study Guide4. When Is the Past Subjunctive Used?The past subjunctive is used when:1.Thesubjunctive mood is required2.The actionalready happened before the main verbIt often appears after expressions showing:Emotion•Il est regrettable que…(It is regrettable that…)Example:•Il est regrettable qu'il n'ait pas réussi.(It is a shame that he didn't succeed.)Doubt or Uncertainty•Il est douteux que…(It is doubtful that…)Example:•Il est douteux qu'ils soient partis.(It is doubtful that they left.)Importance or Necessity•Il est important que…(It is important that…)Example:•Il est important qu'elles se soient bien amusées.(It is important that they had a very good time.)Key Takeaway✔Thepast subjunctivedescribes an action thatalready happened.

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Study Guide✔Structure:Subjunctive of avoir/être + past participle✔Agreement rules follow thepassé composé.✔Used when:•thesubjunctive mood is required•the action happenedbefore the main clause2.Imperfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive1. When Are These Tenses Used?Theimperfect subjunctiveandpluperfect subjunctivearerare in modern spoken French.Today, they are mainly found informal writing and literature.In everyday conversation, French speakers usually replace them with thepresent subjunctiveorpast subjunctive.Even though they are uncommon, it is helpful torecognize them when reading literature or formaltexts.2. The Imperfect Subjunctive (Imparfait du Subjonctif)What It IsTheimperfect subjunctiveis a literary tense used to express asubjunctive action in the past,especially when the main verb is in the past.How It Is FormedThe imperfect subjunctive is formed by:

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Study Guide1.Taking theje form of the passé simple2.Dropping the final letter3.Adding the following endings:Example sentence (literary style):•Je voulais qu'il parlât.(I wanted him to speak.)3. The Pluperfect Subjunctive (Plus-que-parfait du Subjonctif)What It IsThepluperfect subjunctiveis thecompound formof the imperfect subjunctive.It describes an action thathad already happened before another past action, within a clause thatrequires thesubjunctive mood.

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Study GuideThis tense isalmost exclusively used in literature.How It Is FormedThe pluperfect subjunctive uses:Imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary (avoir or être) + past participleAuxiliary forms:Avoir•je—eusse•tu—eusses•il—eût•nous—eussions•vous—eussiez•ils—eussentThese are theimperfect subjunctive forms of the verbavoir(used mainly in literature).Être•je—fusse•tu—fusses•il—fût•nous—fussions•vous—fussiez•ils—fussentThese are theimperfect subjunctive forms of the verbêtre(mostly used in formal writing orliterature).Example•Je ne croyais pas qu'il fût revenu.(I didn’t think that he had come back.)

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Study GuideHere:•fût revenuis thepluperfect subjunctive.4. Important Usage NoteThese tenses appearmainly when the main clause is in a past tense.They are usedonly in formal or literary language.In modern spoken French, the sentence would usually be:•Je ne croyais pas qu'il soit revenu.Key TakeawayImperfect Subjunctive•Rare in modern French•Used mainly inliterature•Formed from thepassé simple stem + special endingsPluperfect Subjunctive•Compound literary tense•Formed withimperfect subjunctive of avoir/être + past participleModern UsageMost speakers replace these with:•Present subjunctive•Past subjunctive

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Study Guide3.Avoiding the SubjunctiveSometimes in French, it is possible toavoid using the subjunctiveby changing the structure of thesentence. This usually happens when thesame subject appears in both clausesor when thesentence can be simplified.Below are the main ways French speakers avoid the subjunctive.1. Use an Infinitive When the Subject Is the SameIfboth parts of the sentence have the same subject, the wordqueis removed and thesubjunctive is replaced with the infinitive.StructureMain verb + infinitiveExample:•J'aimerais faire du shopping.(I would like to go shopping.)Here, the same person(I)is doing both actions.When the Subjects Are DifferentIf the subjects aredifferent, thesubjunctive must be used.Example:•J'aimerais que nous fassions du shopping.(I would like for us to go shopping.)Here:•Iwould like•wego shoppingSince the subjects are different,que + subjunctive is required.

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