Many French speakers rely heavily on “il faut que” (which requires the subjunctive) to express necessity. Learn four other ways to express necessity, obligation, and needs in French, without struggling with the subjunctive mood. 1. The Simplest Alternative: “Il faut + Infinitive” Best for: General advice or impersonal obligations Instead of:“Il faut que tu étudies.”…
The imperative mood in French is used to give commands, make requests, or offer advice. It is only conjugated in the second-person singular (tu), first-person plural (nous), and second-person plural (vous). A key distinction exists between affirmative (eg, Do something) and negative (eg Don’t do something) imperatives, affecting both conjugation and word order. Affirmative Imperative…
The imperative mood in French is used to give commands, make requests, or offer advice. When using reflexive verbs (verbes pronominaux) in the imperative, the word order and placement of reflexive pronouns change depending on whether the command is affirmative or negative. 1. Affirmative Imperative with Reflexive Verbs In affirmative commands, the reflexive pronoun follows…
While many French verbs form their present subjunctive by taking the third-person plural stem of the present indicative and adding standard endings, several important verbs are irregular and must be memorised. Below is a list of the main irregular verbs in the present subjunctive, each conjugated fully. être (to be) Note that when there is…
The subjunctive mood in French can seem difficult at first, but forming it for regular verbs is quite simple. Once you understand the basic method, it becomes much easier to use. The subjunctive is formed by taking the third-person plural form (ils/elles) of the present indicative tense, removing the -ent ending, and adding the subjunctive…
The subjunctive is a verb mood that expresses actions or ideas that are subjective or uncertain. It can indicate doubt, necessity, emotion, or a desire rather than a straightforward statement of fact. Although it can seem complicated at first, the subjunctive is a normal and frequent part of everyday French. There are four moods in…
French reflexive verbs, also called pronominal verbs, are used when the subject of a sentence is also the object—when someone does something to themselves. These verbs are very common in everyday French and often describe actions related to daily routines, personal care, emotions, and social interactions. Many have both reflexive and non-reflexive forms, depending on…
In French, several verbs convey the idea of “leaving” in English, but they are not interchangeable. The verbs quitter, partir, and laisser each carry distinct meanings, grammatical constructions, and emotional nuances. Understanding their differences is essential for accurate and idiomatic usage. Quitter: To Leave (Someone or Something) The verb quitter is a transitive verb, meaning…
Why does “dû” have a circumflex accent, but not “eu”, “pu”, “su”, “vu”, or “voulu”? If you’ve studied French verbs, you’ve probably noticed that the past participle of devoir is dû, with a circumflex accent over the u. That might seem unusual when you compare it to other common past participles: None of these take…
French often uses different verbs of perception, depending on whether it’s passive or active, or whether it’s literal or figurative. Discover some of the most commonly confused pairs: voir vs regarder, écouter vs entendre, sentir vs se sentir, and sentir vs avoir bon goût. Voir vs Regarder The verbs “voir” and “regarder” both relate to…