Many French expressions ending in que are followed by the subjunctive. These include expressions of condition, purpose, doubt, necessity, emotion, concession and events that have not yet happened. Other expressions ending in que take the indicative instead. The word que itself does not determine the mood.

Expressions that take the subjunctive

Here is an alphabetised list of common expressions ending in que that are followed by the subjunctive.

• à condition que – provided that
• à moins que – unless
• à supposer que – assuming that
• afin que – so that
• avant que – before
• bien que – although
• ce n’est pas que – it is not that
• de crainte que – for fear that
• de façon que – so that, in such a way that
• de manière que – so that, in such a way that
• de peur que – for fear that
• en admettant que – assuming that
• en attendant que – while waiting for
• en supposant que – assuming that
• encore que – although, even though
• jusqu’à ce que – until
• non pas que – not that
• non que – not that
• pour autant que – as far as, provided that
• pour peu que – provided that, if only
• pour que – so that
• pourvu que – provided that, as long as
• quel que – whatever, no matter what
• quelque… que – however…
• qui que – whoever
• quoi que – whatever
• quoique – although
• sans que – without
• si peu que – however little
• si tant est que – if indeed, assuming that
• soit que… soit que – whether… or
• supposé que – assuming that

Some of these are much more common than others. Expressions such as pour que, bien que, à moins que and à condition que are useful in everyday French. Others, such as si tant est que and encore que, are more formal or less common.

Condition and assumption

Several common expressions introduce a condition or assumption. They are followed by the subjunctive.

• À condition que tu sois prêt, nous partirons. “Provided that you are ready, we will leave.”
• À moins qu’il ne pleuve, nous mangerons dehors. “Unless it rains, we will eat outside.”
• À supposer qu’elle ait raison, que ferons-nous ? “Assuming that she is right, what will we do?”
• En admettant qu’il soit disponible, nous pourrions le prendre. “Assuming that it is available, we could take it.”
• En supposant qu’il vienne, où va-t-il dormir ? “Assuming that he comes, where will he sleep?”
• Pour peu qu’il fasse beau, nous irons à la plage. “Provided the weather is reasonably good, we will go to the beach.”
• Pourvu que tu sois heureux. “As long as you are happy.”

Do not confuse these expressions with si. Si can also introduce a condition, but it is followed by the indicative, not the subjunctive.

• S’il est prêt, nous partirons. “If he is ready, we will leave.”

À condition que is always followed by the subjunctive in standard French.

• À condition qu’il soit prêt, nous partirons. “Provided that he is ready, we will leave.”

À moins que is also followed by the subjunctive. An additional ne is common in careful French, but it does not make the sentence negative.

• Je viendrai à moins qu’il ne soit trop tard. “I will come unless it is too late.”
• Je viendrai à moins qu’il soit trop tard. “I will come unless it is too late.”

Purpose

Pour que and afin que express a purpose. They are followed by the subjunctive.

• Je ferme la fenêtre pour que les enfants puissent dormir. “I am closing the window so that the children can sleep.”
• Il parle lentement afin que tout le monde comprenne. “He speaks slowly so that everyone understands.”

De peur que and de crainte que express fear of an unwanted event and are also followed by the subjunctive.

• Il chuchote de peur que quelqu’un ne l’entende. “He whispers for fear that someone might hear him.”
• Elle est partie de crainte qu’il ne soit trop tard. “She left for fear that it might be too late.”

The ne in these examples does not make the sentence negative. It is often used after expressions such as de peur que, de crainte que and à moins que in careful French.

Time

Several expressions concerning time are followed by the subjunctive when the event introduced by que has not yet happened.

The most useful are:

• avant que – before
• en attendant que – while waiting for
• jusqu’à ce que – until

Examples:

• Pars avant qu’il ne soit trop tard. “Leave before it is too late.”
• Je vais attendre ici en attendant que tu reviennes. “I will wait here while I wait for you to come back.”
• Nous resterons ici jusqu’à ce que la pluie cesse. “We will stay here until the rain stops.”

The contrast with après que is important. Avant que takes the subjunctive, while après que takes the indicative.

• Je partirai avant qu’il n’arrive. “I will leave before he arrives.”
• Je partirai après qu’il sera arrivé. “I will leave after he has arrived.”

The event after après que is presented as an event that will have happened before the main action, so the indicative is used. In the second example, sera arrivé is the future perfect.

Concession

Bien que, quoique and encore que express concession and are followed by the subjunctive.

• Bien qu’il soit fatigué, il continue à travailler. “Although he is tired, he continues to work.”
• Quoique ce soit difficile, elle ne veut pas abandonner. “Although it is difficult, she does not want to give up.”
• Encore qu’il soit très jeune, il comprend déjà le problème. “Although he is very young, he already understands the problem.”

Bien que is very common. Quoique is also common, while encore que is more formal and less common.

Expressions with quel, quelque, qui and quoi

Several expressions ending in que take the subjunctive because they introduce a concessive or indefinite idea.

Quel que is followed by forms of être.

• Quel qu’il soit, nous devons l’écouter. “Whoever he is, we must listen to him.”
• Quelle que soit la raison, elle ne changera rien. “Whatever the reason, it will change nothing.”

Quelque… que is followed by an adjective or adverb.

• Quelque difficile que soit le problème, nous trouverons une solution. “However difficult the problem is, we will find a solution.”

Qui que means “whoever”.

• Qui que vous soyez, vous devez attendre. “Whoever you are, you must wait.”

Quoi que means “whatever”.

• Quoi que tu dises, il ne changera pas d’avis. “Whatever you say, he will not change his mind.”

Do not confuse quoique with quoi que. Quoique is one word and means “although”. Quoi que is two words and means “whatever”.

Expressions of doubt, possibility and necessity

The subjunctive is also used after expressions that show doubt, possibility, necessity or lack of certainty.

Common examples include:

• il est douteux que – it is doubtful that
• il est essentiel que – it is essential that
• il est important que – it is important that
• il est impossible que – it is impossible that
• il est nécessaire que – it is necessary that
• il est peu probable que – it is unlikely that
• il est possible que – it is possible that
• il est rare que – it is rare that
• il faut que – it is necessary that, must
• il se peut que – it may be that

Examples:

• Il faut que tu partes maintenant. “You have to leave now.”
• Il est important que vous soyez à l’heure. “It is important that you are on time.”
• Il est possible qu’elle soit déjà partie. “She may already have left.”
• Il se peut qu’il ait oublié. “He may have forgotten.”
• Il est peu probable qu’ils viennent. “They are unlikely to come.”
• Il est rare qu’il fasse une erreur. “It is rare for him to make a mistake.”

The same pattern occurs after verbs and expressions of desire, doubt, fear and emotion.

• Je veux que tu viennes. “I want you to come.”
• Je doute qu’il ait raison. “I doubt that he is right.”
• Elle craint qu’il ne soit malade. “She is afraid that he is ill.”
• Je suis heureux que vous soyez ici. “I am happy that you are here.”

Expressions that can take different moods

A small number of expressions ending in que can take either the subjunctive or the indicative, depending on what the speaker means. This is different from expressions such as à condition que, which simply take the subjunctive.

De façon que, de manière que and de sorte que

These expressions can introduce either a purpose or an actual result.

When they express a purpose or intended result, the subjunctive is used.

• Parlez plus fort de façon que tout le monde puisse vous entendre. “Speak louder so that everyone can hear you.”
• Il a organisé la réunion de manière que chacun puisse parler. “He organised the meeting so that everyone could speak.”
• Faites de sorte que personne ne soit blessé. “Make sure that nobody is hurt.”

When they describe an actual result, the indicative is used.

• Il a parlé si fort que tout le monde l’a entendu. “He spoke so loudly that everyone heard him.”
• Il a travaillé de sorte qu’il a terminé avant midi. “He worked in such a way that he finished before midday.”

The important point is that the choice of mood follows the meaning. The subjunctive presents an intended result, while the indicative presents an actual result.

En supposant que

En supposant que normally takes the subjunctive when it means “assuming that” or “supposing that”.

• En supposant qu’il soit libre, nous pourrions l’inviter. “Assuming that he is free, we could invite him.”

There are contexts in which an indicative clause can occur when the speaker treats the following statement as an assumption about a fact. This is less useful as a basic rule for learners, so the main pattern to remember is en supposant que + subjunctive.

Expressions ending in que that normally take the indicative

Many common expressions ending in que introduce a fact, reason, known event, duration or actual result. These normally take the indicative.

Here is an alphabetised list:

• alors que – while, whereas
• après que – after
• dès que – as soon as
• depuis que – since
• du fait que – because of the fact that
• du moment que – since, as long as
• étant donné que – given that
• parce que – because
• pendant que – while
• puisque – since, as
• si bien que – so that, with the result that
• sous prétexte que – on the pretext that
• tant que – as long as, while
• tandis que – while, whereas
• vu que – given that

Some of these are more common in everyday speech than others. Vu que, for example, is common and conversational, while étant donné que and du fait que are more formal.

Examples:

• Je partirai dès que tu seras prêt. “I will leave as soon as you are ready.”
• Je suis resté chez moi parce qu’il pleuvait. “I stayed at home because it was raining.”
• Nous pouvons commencer puisque tout le monde est là. “We can start since everyone is here.”
• Je resterai ici tant que tu auras besoin de moi. “I will stay here as long as you need me.”
• Il est parti après que nous avons mangé. “He left after we ate.”
• Nous partirons après qu’il sera arrivé. “We will leave after he has arrived.”

The fact that an event is in the future does not change the rule for après que. The indicative is still used.

Après que and the common subjunctive mistake

Après que is one of the most common sources of error because French speakers often use the subjunctive after it in everyday speech.

The standard rule is:

après que + indicative

• Nous partirons après qu’il sera arrivé. “We will leave after he has arrived.”
• Elle est partie après que nous avons mangé. “She left after we ate.”

The widespread use of the subjunctive after après que does not change the traditional standard rule. For careful written French, the indicative is the form to use.

Malgré que

Malgré que should not be treated as an ordinary equivalent of bien que. It is generally avoided in careful standard French.

Use bien que or quoique instead.

• Bien qu’il soit tard, nous allons continuer. “Although it is late, we are going to continue.”
• Quoique ce soit difficile, il faut essayer. “Although it is difficult, we have to try.”

There are some established expressions containing malgré que, especially malgré que j’en aie, but these are special cases and do not make malgré que a general substitute for bien que.

Pour autant que

Pour autant que is less common than à condition que and has several uses. One particularly useful expression is pour autant que je sache, meaning “as far as I know”.

It takes the subjunctive.

• Pour autant que je sache, il est encore à Paris. “As far as I know, he is still in Paris.”

It can also introduce a condition.

• Pour autant que je puisse en juger, tout va bien. “As far as I can judge, everything is fine.”

Formal and less common expressions

Some of the expressions in the main list are worth recognising but are not needed often in ordinary conversation.

Si tant est que means roughly “if indeed” or “assuming that” and is formal.

• Si tant est qu’il soit possible de le faire, nous essaierons. “If it is indeed possible to do it, we will try.”

Encore que means “although” or “even though” and is also more formal.

• Il pourrait venir, encore qu’il soit très occupé. “He might come, although he is very busy.”

Supposé que means “assuming that” or “supposing that”.

• Supposé qu’il soit absent, que ferons-nous ? “Supposing that he is absent, what will we do?”

Soit que… soit que means “whether… or”.

• Soit qu’il soit malade, soit qu’il soit simplement fatigué, il ne viendra pas. “Whether he is ill or simply tired, he will not come.”

A useful comparison

The following two lists are more useful than trying to pair expressions as if they were opposites.

Subjunctive

• à condition que
• à moins que
• afin que
• avant que
• bien que
• de crainte que
• de façon que when expressing purpose
• de manière que when expressing purpose
• de peur que
• en attendant que
• jusqu’à ce que
• pour que
• pourvu que
• quoique
• sans que

Indicative

• alors que
• après que
• dès que
• depuis que
• parce que
• pendant que
• puisque
• tant que
• tandis que
• vu que

The distinction is not simply that one group deals with the future and the other with the past. For example, dès que can refer to the future but still takes the indicative.

• Je partirai dès qu’il sera prêt. “I will leave as soon as he is ready.”

Likewise, à condition que can refer to a future event but takes the subjunctive.

• Nous partirons à condition qu’il soit prêt. “We will leave provided that he is ready.”

The main point to remember

Do not treat que as a signal that automatically calls for the subjunctive. French has many different constructions containing que, and each has its own pattern.

It is useful to learn common expressions as complete units:

• à condition que + subjunctive
• à moins que + subjunctive
• avant que + subjunctive
• bien que + subjunctive
• pour que + subjunctive
• jusqu’à ce que + subjunctive
• sans que + subjunctive
• après que + indicative
• alors que + indicative
• dès que + indicative
• parce que + indicative
• puisque + indicative
• tant que + indicative

Once these common patterns are familiar, the mood becomes much easier to use correctly.

Summary

The most useful expressions ending in que that take the subjunctive are à condition que, à moins que, afin que, avant que, bien que, de peur que, en attendant que, jusqu’à ce que, pour que, pourvu que, quoique and sans que.

Expressions such as alors que, après que, dès que, parce que, puisque, tant que and tandis que normally take the indicative.

A few expressions, such as de façon que, de manière que and de sorte que, can take either mood because their meaning changes. The subjunctive is used for an intended result, while the indicative is used for an actual result.

À condition que is not one of these variable expressions. It takes the subjunctive.