French Subjunctive Made Simple for English Speakers (B1-B2)

You’re practicing French with a conversation partner, feeling confident about your grammar, when you say “Je veux que tu viens demain” (I want that you come tomorrow) and your partner gently corrects: “No, it’s ‘que tu viennes’—you need the subjunctive after ‘je veux que.'” You stare blankly. Subjunctive? You vaguely remember your textbook mentioning something called the subjunctive months ago in a chapter you skipped because it looked terrifying, but now you’re confronted with the reality that French uses an entire grammatical mood—not just a tense, a whole mood—that doesn’t exist in modern English and that apparently changes how you conjugate verbs in ways you haven’t learned yet. The French subjunctive represents the point where many English speakers’ French progress stalls because it requires learning both a new concept (expressing doubt, emotion, and necessity through verb forms rather than separate words) and new conjugations for every verb you already know, triggered by phrases that seem arbitrary until you understand the underlying logic. Americans and British learners struggle particularly hard with the subjunctive because English eliminated most subjunctive forms centuries ago—we say “I insist that he come” using subjunctive only in the most formal registers, and most English speakers don’t even recognize this as grammatically different from “he comes.” This guide explains the French subjunctive with the practical patterns, essential conjugations, and mental models Roger teaches students in his lessons—the knowledge that transforms the subjunctive from incomprehensible nightmare into a learnable system with predictable rules you can actually apply.

What the subjunctive actually is (and why English speakers don’t recognize it)

The first obstacle to understanding the French subjunctive is that English speakers don’t have the conceptual framework for it. When your textbook says “the subjunctive expresses doubt, emotion, necessity, and possibility,” English speakers nod along while thinking “I already express doubt, emotion, necessity, and possibility in English—I say ‘I might go,’ ‘I want him to come,’ ‘it’s necessary that she understand.’ What’s different in French?”

The difference: in English, you express these concepts through separate words (might, want, necessary) while keeping the main verb unchanged. In French, you express these concepts by changing the verb itself into subjunctive form. The doubt, emotion, or necessity gets embedded into the verb conjugation rather than staying in separate words:

Notice that formal English would say “that I be there” not “that I am there”—this is actually English subjunctive, but it’s so rare that most English speakers would say “that I’m there” and never notice they’re technically breaking formal grammar rules. French makes this distinction mandatory and uses it constantly.

Roger learned the subjunctive during his university linguistics courses in London, which gave him theoretical understanding, but when he moved to France in 2012, he discovered that knowing the subjunctive exists and actually using it correctly in conversation are completely different skills. The breakthrough came when his French colleague explained: “The subjunctive is the verb form you use when you’re talking about things that aren’t certain reality—they’re wishes, doubts, emotions, or requirements, not facts.”

This distinction between “certain reality” (indicative mood) and “uncertain/subjective reality” (subjunctive mood) governs when French uses each mood:

The verb “venir” appears as “vient” (indicative) when certain, “vienne” (subjunctive) when doubted. English uses the same form “is coming” in both sentences, expressing the difference through “know” vs. “doubt” rather than through the verb itself.

The magic word “que” and the two-subject rule

Before you even worry about subjunctive conjugations, you need to recognize when the subjunctive is required structurally. Roger teaches students in his lessons a simple diagnostic: the subjunctive almost always appears after “que” (that) when two different subjects are involved—the person who wants/doubts/feels something, and the person who will do something.

When you say “I want to go,” there’s only one subject (I), so you use the infinitive in French:

But when you say “I want you to go,” there are two subjects (I want, you go), and French requires “que” + subjunctive:

This two-subject construction with “que” is where the subjunctive lives. English handles this with infinitives (“I want you to leave”), but French needs the subjunctive structure. Recognizing this pattern helps you anticipate when you’ll need subjunctive before you even think about conjugation.

The four essential subjunctive conjugations you must memorize

Learning every subjunctive conjugation for every verb overwhelms beginners and isn’t necessary initially. Roger’s approach: master the subjunctive forms of four irregular verbs that appear constantly—être, avoir, faire, and aller. These four verbs account for probably 60% of subjunctive usage in everyday French, and once you know these, you can function conversationally while gradually learning other forms.

The verb “être” (to be) is the most irregular and most essential:

The verb “avoir” (to have) is equally critical:

The verb “faire” (to do/make) appears in countless expressions:

The verb “aller” (to go) is one of the most common verbs in French:

Roger drills these four verbs extensively in his lessons because students who can use these subjunctive forms automatically can handle 60-70% of conversational situations requiring subjunctive. The remaining verbs can be learned gradually as you encounter them.

When NOT to use the subjunctive: the certainty test

English speakers make a predictable error: overusing the subjunctive because they’ve learned trigger phrases but haven’t internalized the certainty principle. Not every verb after “que” requires subjunctive—only those expressing doubt, emotion, necessity, or possibility. Verbs expressing certainty, knowledge, or declaration use normal indicative mood.

The critical distinction appears with verbs of thinking and saying:

Positive “je pense que” expresses belief/certainty, so it takes indicative. Negative “je ne pense pas que” expresses doubt, so it takes subjunctive. This logical distinction makes sense once you understand the certainty principle, but English speakers initially find it arbitrary because English uses identical constructions for both.

Similarly, “je sais que” (I know that) always takes indicative because knowledge represents certainty:

But “je doute que” (I doubt that) takes subjunctive because doubt is uncertainty:

Roger teaches the certainty test: ask yourself “Am I expressing something I’m certain about (fact, knowledge, declaration) or something uncertain (doubt, desire, emotion, necessity)?” Certain = indicative. Uncertain = subjunctive.

Building subjunctive fluency through pattern practice

The subjunctive becomes automatic through repeated pattern practice with the same trigger phrases combined with essential verbs. Roger’s trilingual background taught him that grammar rules need to become unconscious habits, not conscious calculations. When a French person says “Il faut que je…”, the subjunctive form appears automatically because they’ve used this construction thousands of times—they’re not consciously thinking “necessity requires subjunctive.”

The practice method that works: take one trigger phrase (like “Il faut que”) and combine it with the four essential verbs (être, avoir, faire, aller) across all subjects (je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles). Say these combinations out loud until they feel automatic:

Then take the same verb through different trigger phrases:

This drilling feels tedious but builds the neural pathways that make subjunctive automatic. Native speakers acquired these patterns through thousands of repetitions as children; adult learners must replicate this exposure deliberately through focused practice.

Roger assigns students specific daily practice: create three sentences using “Il faut que” + être/avoir/faire/aller. Write them, say them aloud, use them in conversation if possible. After two weeks of this daily practice, students report that “Il faut que je sois” starts appearing automatically without conscious thought—exactly the goal.

Study glossary – French subjunctive vocabulary

From fear to fluency: embracing the subjunctive

The subjunctive’s reputation as impossible French grammar intimidates learners unnecessarily. Yes, it’s complex. Yes, English doesn’t prepare you for it. Yes, learning all the conjugations takes time. But the subjunctive follows predictable rules once you understand the certainty principle, and most everyday French uses the same dozen trigger phrases repeatedly with a limited set of common verbs.

Roger emphasizes in his lessons that students who master the big four verbs (être, avoir, faire, aller) in subjunctive can handle most conversational situations requiring subjunctive. You don’t need perfect command of every verb’s subjunctive form to communicate effectively—you need automatic command of the most frequent combinations that appear daily.

The subjunctive represents advanced French grammar, typically introduced at B1 level and mastered gradually through B2 and C1. Don’t expect instant fluency. Native French children make subjunctive errors until age 10-12, and they’re acquiring it through constant immersion. Adult learners using deliberate practice can achieve functional subjunctive competence in 2-3 months of focused study, with full mastery developing over 1-2 years of continued use.

The psychological shift that helps: stop viewing the subjunctive as arbitrary French complication and start viewing it as elegant grammatical expression of uncertainty, emotion, and necessity through verb forms rather than separate words. French embeds these concepts into verbs; English keeps them separate. Neither approach is superior—they’re simply different solutions to the same communicative challenge. Understanding this helps you appreciate the subjunctive rather than resenting it.

Start with recognition before production, master the four essential verbs before expanding, drill trigger phrases until automatic, and practice daily through deliberate sentence creation. The subjunctive becomes less terrifying with every successful use, and the moment you first use “Il faut que je sois” correctly in conversation without thinking about it consciously, you’ll know you’re developing real French fluency beyond basic communication into sophisticated expression that marks advanced speakers.