B2 · The subjunctive
The subjunctive in the past
One letter apart from the ordinary perfect, and inaudible.
At a glance
- Remember
- aie against ai: one letter, and no sound at all.
- Form
- que j’aie faitthat I did, that I have done
- Signal words
- que j’aie
- que tu sois
- bien que
- je doute que
- Trap
- Wrong:C’est le meilleur film que j’ai jamais vu.Right:C’est le meilleur film que j’aie jamais vu.
Your turn
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The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in French. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) tense marker person ending auxiliary verb
| that I did, that I have done | que j’aie fait |
| that you have done | que tu aies fait |
| that he has done | qu’il ait fait |
| that we have done | que nous ayons fait |
| that you have done (plural, polite) | que vous ayez fait |
| that they have done | qu’ils aient fait |
| that I came | que je sois venu |
| that you came | que tu sois venu |
| that he came | qu’il soit venu |
| that we came | que nous soyons venus |
| that you came (plural, polite) | que vous soyez venus |
| that they came | qu’ils soient venus |
| that she has left | qu’elle soit partie |
| that we have finished | que nous ayons fini |
| although it rained | bien qu’il ait plu |
| that I were (in books) | que je fusse |
| that you were (in books) | que tu fusses |
| that he were (in books) | qu’il fût |
| that we were (in books) | que nous fussions |
| that you were (plural, polite; in books) | que vous fussiez |
| that they were (in books) | qu’ils fussent |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
Subjunctive of the auxiliary plus the participle.
Je suis content que tu sois venu.I am glad you came.
The triggers stay the same.
Il faut que tu aies fini avant midi.You have to have finished before midday.
With être the participle agrees.
Je doute qu’elles soient déjà arrivées.I doubt they have already arrived.
The book forms are only ever read.
Il fallait qu’il fût présent.He had to be present.
Example sentences
Bien qu’il ait beaucoup plu, la route est sèche.Although it rained a lot, the road is dry.
Je regrette que vous n’ayez pas pu venir.I am sorry you were not able to come.
C’est le meilleur film que j’aie jamais vu.It is the best film I have ever seen.
Il se peut qu’ils soient déjà partis.They may already have left.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
After a superlative careful French uses the subjunctive, and with a past it is the subjonctif passé: le meilleur film que j'aie vu. que j'ai vu is common in speech but counts as sloppy in writing. English says «the best film I have ever seen» with a plain indicative and nothing to suggest otherwise. The difference is one letter and completely silent — which is exactly why it has to be watched for on paper.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
If the thing being talked about has already happened, the subjonctif passé is used: je suis content que tu sois venu — «I am glad you came». It is the subjunctive of avoir or être plus the participle: que j'aie fait, que je sois allé. Auxiliary and agreement follow the passé composé rules.
The triggers are the same as before. Only the time changes, not the reason: il faut que tu finisses against il faut que tu aies fini avant midi.
The practical difficulty for an English speaker is that the whole thing hangs on letters nobody can hear. j'ai fait and j'aie fait sound identical; il a plu and il ait plu sound identical. English has no reason to look for a mood distinction anywhere in a perfect tense, so the missing letter goes unnoticed for years — and it is visible on the page every time.
Two further forms — the subjonctif imparfait and the plus-que-parfait — belong to books and to no conversation. qu'il fût and qu'il eût été have to be readable and never written.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: être · avoir · pouvoir · venir · falloir · voir · partir · finir