Moi Paris - Level 7 In A French Mood - French Today
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À Moi Paris - Level 7
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In A French Mood
COPYRIGHT © 2018 by Camille Chevalier-Karfis / French Today
1st Edition - Published July 2018 - r1
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Table Of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
How to Memorize French Moods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
How to Work with the Audio Recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
How to Work with the Study Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
How to Work with the Story Part. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Grammar Lexicon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
What is an agreement?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
What is a verb?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
What is a noun?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
What does “gender” mean?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
What does number mean? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
What is an article?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
What is a pronoun?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What is an adjective?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What is an adverb? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What is a subject? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What is a person? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
What is an accent?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
What is a liaison?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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What is a gliding?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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What is an elision?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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What is a verb conjugation?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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What is the infinitive of a verb?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
What is a verb tense?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
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1. Les Modes et les Temps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Story - La Saga de Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Welcome To The Study Guide + Definitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
What is a Mood? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
What is a Tense? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
What is the Difference Between a Mood and a Tense? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
What are the Most Common French Tenses and Moods? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
How to Say "Mood" in French? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2. Conditional Present - Construction & Pronunciation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Story - Prévoir Sa Journée. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
The Conditional Present - Construction & Pronunciation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Conditional Present - Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
"Je" form - Conditional Pronunciation Versus Futur Simple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Irregular Conditional Stems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3. Conditional Mood - General Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Story - Qu'est-ce Qu'on Va Faire À Manger ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Conditional Mood - General Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
When we use the Conditional in French and English. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
When the Conditional is Used in French but not in English. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
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Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
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When the Conditional is Used in English but not in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
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Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Wishing in French . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
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4. Translating "Would You Like to" in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Story - Invitation Par Téléphone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Would you Like to... In French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Translating "Would you Like" in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
How to Accept an Invitation in French?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
How to Politely Refuse an Invitation in French?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
5. Asking for Permission or Favors in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Story - Les Courses Chez Picard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
May I, Could You in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Translating "May I" in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Translating "Could You"/ "Would you Mind" in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
I Don't Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
About the French Verb Foutre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
6. It Would Be My Pleasure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Story - Qu'est-ce Qu'on Peut Apporter ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Translating the Word "Pleasure"... Be Very Careful!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Translating "My Pleasure" in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
The French Expression "Faire Plaisir". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
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7. Past Conditional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
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Story - Déménager en France. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Past Conditional - Alternative Reality, Remorse, Gossips... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Past Conditional - General Construction & Use. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
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Le Conditionnel Passé Deuxième Forme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
"Could Have, Should Have, Would Have": Regrets & Reproaches in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Gossips & Unconfirmed Statements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
8. Hypotheses & If in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Story - Le Deuxième Restaurant De Claudia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Conditional & Hypothetical Constructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
What is an Hypothesis in Grammar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
"If" for "When". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
"If" for "in Order to". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Three Types of Hypotheses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
"Si + il(s)" Becomes "S'il(s)". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
No "if" in English. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
An Hypothesis That Can Become Real . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
An Alternate Present Reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Lamenting About a Past Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
A Different Construction in Spoken French . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
“Si” Instead of “Why Yes" or "no”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Other Conditional Words. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
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Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
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Recap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
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9. Subjunctive Present - Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Story - Louer Un Appartement À Paris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Subjunctive Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
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Subjunctive Present - Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Regular Present Subjunctive Based on Irregular Present Indicative Verbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Irregular Subjunctive Stems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
10. Subjunctive Mood - General Remarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Story - Les Grèves En France. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Subjunctive Mood - General Remarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
"Que" is Often Followed by the Subjunctive in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
When do we Use the Subjunctive in French?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
How to Memorize the French Subjunctive? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
No Interrogative Form With the French Subjunctive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
French People Make a Lot of Mistakes With the Subjunctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Ways to Avoid the Subjunctive in French . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
11. Subjunctive ≠ Indicative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Story - Faire Des Concessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Subjunctive ≠ Indicative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Reality, Certainty, Probability, Doubt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
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Common French Expressions Followed by the Indicative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
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Common French Verbs Followed by the Indicative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
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Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
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Common French Verbs Followed by the Subjunctive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Common French Expressions Followed by the Subjunctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Common Words Followed by the Subjunctive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
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12. Subtleties of the Subjunctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Story - Choix De Vie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Subtleties of the Subjunctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
The "Ne" Explétif – A "Ne" Without any Negative Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Verbs That Switch From Indicative to Subjunctive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
"Avant Que" + Subjunctive BUT "Après Que" + Indicative!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
"Que" + Subjunctive or "Que" + Indicative?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
13. Tenses of the Subjunctive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Story - Poésie Française. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Tenses of the Subjunctive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Past Subjunctive - Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
When Do We Use The Subjunctive Present? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
When Do We Use The Past Subjunctive?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Subjunctive Imperfect and Pluperfect Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
14. Imperative Present - Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Story - Réparer Une Fuite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Imperative Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Imperative Present - Regular Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Imperative and Exclamation Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
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Irregular French Verbs in the Imperative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
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The Imperative is Not That Used in French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
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Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
15. Imperative And Pronouns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Story - Un Vrai Coup de Chance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
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Imperative and Pronouns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Imperative Using Only One Pronoun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Imperative Using Several Pronouns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
16. Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
The “À Moi Paris” Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages Equivalent . . . . . . . . . . 207
Additional Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
100% Money Back Guarantee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Let’s Connect! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
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Introduction
It's time to tackle the French moods.
Now that you have mastered the tenses of the present, future and past Indicative, it's time to study
the different moods of French. I have already used the conditional, some imperative and subjunctive
in earlier audiobooks of this series, so you may already be a bit familiar with them without even
noticing.
In this À Moi Paris Level 7 audiobook, we are going to study relatively advanced French conjugation.
You will notice that I keep stressing how to avoid difficult constructions, and suggesting alternatives.
I will often point out that the French themselves don't use this or that construction, or are likely to
make mistakes using them.
Indeed, traditional French methods spend so much time over these different moods, however, in
everyday life, you will mostly be using the indicative mood.
So why learn the conditional, the imperative and the subjunctive? If you are learning French to pass
exams, knowing these moods is a must. They will be a large part of your written tests, and nothing
will impress a French examiner more than if you nonchalantly drop a few subjunctives here and
there...
However, if you are learning French strictly to communicate, I would learn the conditional which is
commonly used, and focus on learning how to actually avoid the subjunctive and imperative! Learn
useful sentences in context, and the main irregular verbs in the subjunctive, but don't go overboard.
It's important to realize that most French people don't commonly use these moods in their everyday
life. As I said, we tend to find ways around them, and simplify the way we speak. Not everybody does
of course: some people like to use rich language and will favor these moods as well as complicated
structures and fancy vocabulary.
E
However, memorizing all the verb forms, the pronoun order in the imperative (it's a huge mess) etc...
L
Will take a lot of time for a student of French. I am convinced that for most of you, this time would be
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much better spent learning vocabulary and useful expressions, or making sure you truly master the
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French pronouns in the indicative.
Pay close attention to the exercises: I often feature sentences which help you find a way around
using a difficult mood or construction. These kind of examples are usually not featured in learning
methods which just want students to drill on the point of grammar being explained. However
sometimes, it's just easier to learn the pitfalls and actually avoid the difficulties altogether! There is
Page 10 Copyright ©2018 - French TodayÀ Moi Paris - Level 7
the theory, and then, there is the reality of the French language like the French speak it nowadays.
It's particularly true for the subjunctive and the imperative moods.
The story part will be a big help to memorize the different verb forms. It illustrates each point of
grammar so you get plenty of examples in context. Some grammatical rules are just easier to learn
this way, by doing a lot of repetitions, and developing a feel for them.
I will admit that writing the story chapters while illustrating specific moods was sometimes quite a
challenge... I'm particularly proud of chapter 10 where I covered the French strike vocabulary while
fitting in as many subjunctives as I possibly could!
I hope I was able to keep the story fun and interesting and that it will give you the courage to
go through the grammatical explanations and exercises. It will be challenging at times, but I am
confident that after studying with this audiobook, the different French moods will make much more
sense to you.
This audiobook is the seventh in the "À Moi Paris" audiobook series.
1. In "À Moi Paris Level 1", you took your first steps in French and mastered politeness and basic
structures, as you developed a sense of the pronunciation of French and learned essential
vocabulary.
2. In "À Moi Paris Level 2", you drastically increased your basic vocabulary of French, and practice
understanding French in context. You got to train out loud with the questions and answers
and reached a level where you could handle simple conversations in the present tense.
3. In "À Moi Paris Level 3" you developed your fluency with the present tense, by studying
pronouns, adverbs and more advanced adjectives. As with the rest of the method, you learned
all these grammatical concepts within the context of the story.
4. In "À Moi Paris Level 4", I challenged your understanding by introducing you to longer dialogues
and more complex vocabulary. I also started developing your ear for the other French tenses,
using them more than I did before even though a lot of the dialogues were primarily using the
present tense.
5. In "À Moi Paris Level 5", I explained all the tenses of the Indicative mood, as well as some
complex vocabulary.
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6. In the "À Moi Paris Level 6", I used all the tenses of the Indicative and helped you develop a
P L
better sense for them. The dialogues also covered more grown-up and complex themes.
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7. In this "À Moi Paris Level 7" audiobook method, I'll clearly explain the different moods of
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French, and illustrate them with the ongoing story of Mary and her friends.
8. The next "À Moi Paris Level 8" companion audio novel will illustrate everything we've studied
so far, feature advanced vocabulary and idioms, and concentrate on relating events so that
you master the appropriate tense and mood sequence in context. But that's still in the writing
stages :-)
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The amount of work you will put into this audiobook is entirely up to you. You can just listen to
the story chapters and use this audiobook more as an audio novel and have fun along the way. If
you are motivated however, this audiobook could be the basis for many hours of serious studying,
gradually building up your advanced knowledge and giving you the confidence that you need to
interact in more complex French situations.
So now, here is my advice on how to best use this audiobook and memorize your French
conjugations.
How to Memorize French Moods
As you know by now, written French and spoken French are quite different. This is why it is essential
you memorize your French verb conjugations with audio.
In this audiobook, I will record plenty of French verb conjugations, and I invite you to repeat them
out-loud several times, and go back to them often!
However, to gain speed with the most common verb forms, I suggest you check out my French Verb
Drills audiobooks: 6 minute drills and exercises for the most common irregular French verbs.
These drills will help you conquer the modern glided French pronunciation of key French verbs and
their conjugations in the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms. Another key aspect of these
verb drills are that you'll also practice these verb forms "out of order" (not only from "je" to "ils" in
sequence, which is crucial to handle real conversation).
How to Work with the Audio Recordings
Each chapter of the story is recorded two times: once slower so you can hear all the French sounds,
then at a street French speed, respecting the modern glided pronunciation of spoken French for you
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to practice on understanding French people when they speak among themselves in everyday life.
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Based on your interest and current speaking level, you might want to target the slower (also
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somewhat more traditional) or the street speed version - it's up to you. If you are uncertain, start
with the slower version until you are comfortable then move on to the street speed.
Written French and spoken French are quite different, so make sure you always work with the audio
first, and memorize the correct pronunciation before you memorize the spelling. Beware of the
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many silent letters. And repeat out loud, not only in your head, that doesn’t count :-)
1. LISTEN to the slower recording of the story part several times until you can guess/understand
what is happening in the story.
2. Read the English translation, then read the French at the same time as the recording is playing.
Note the glidings, liaisons, intonation and word groupings that happen. Write them down on
the print out of this transcript to help you read the story better.
3. REPEAT OUT LOUD - first sentence by sentence with the recording, then longer dialogues. You
will probably need to use the pause and play buttons to give you time to repeat.
4. Use the street French recording to test your understanding. Whether you want to speak that
way or not, you'll need to train your ear to be able to understand the way real French natives
speak today.
How to Work with the Study Guide
ALWAYS STUDY WITH THE AUDIO. Go as slow as you need, repeating as many times as necessary
until you get the pronunciation and are able to memorize the points being explained. It’s not about
going as fast as possible to the next chapter. On the contrary, you need to focus on the same point
until you really get it, and can do the exercises without hesitation.
1. Do and redo the exercises. Pause the audio so you have time to answer the questions.
2. Use the questions and answers to train on your pronunciation: repeat them out-loud after me.
3. Make flash cards to memorize the new words and expressions. Test yourself with your
flashcards.
4. Although I did include many exercises in this book, I believe you would benefit from doing
some more. There are plenty of grammar exercises available for free on the web (search for
the mood using its French name), or cheap exercise books.
5. Remember the golden rule of studying: for any time spent studying new material, try spending
twice as much time reviewing previously studied material: so go back! Repetition is the key!
How to Work with the Story Part
M P L E
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You can use the story to improve your understanding and pronunciation, as well as your written
French.
Once you are familiar with the meaning of the story, go back then play, pause and REPEAT OUT
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LOUD each sentence. Try to mimic the sing-song of my voice as if you were an actor: pay close
attention to the glidings, the elisions and liaisons, and also to the word grouping: where I pause
and breathe within the sentence. Repeat as many times as necessary for you to be able to read
comfortably.
Try not to translate! You can hide the translation with the press of a button in the French Today app.
Stay focused on the context and the storyline. So you didn’t understand one word? The worse
that can happen is for your brain to freeze - and then you’d miss the rest of the story. What you
don’t know, you can usually guess: guessing what is logically happening in a given context is very
important in language learning. It’s essential that you develop this ability in French and force your
brain to go with the flow of the story or conversation.
Don’t try to link the French words to English! Link the words to images, verbs to actions, get a visual
image of it all - you don’t need to go through English to speak French. Doing so will lead to mistakes,
and will considerably slow you down when speaking since your brain would be doing twice the work
(idea to English, THEN English to French... rather than idea to French directly!!)
If you want to work on your written French, you can use the audio of the slower story as a dictation.
Play with the pause button as needed so you have time to write the sentences down.
Good luck with your French studies, and remember, repetition is the key!
M P L E
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10. Subjunctive Mood -
General Remarks
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Story - Les Grèves En France
C'est l'heure du dessert. Les îles flottantes de Mary sont accueillies avec enthousiasme et tout le
monde se régale. La conversation continue et ils parlent maintenant des grèves de transport qui
immobilisent la France à ce moment-là.
It's dessert time. Mary's floating islands are enthusiastically welcomed and everybody finds them
delicious. The conversation flows and they are now talking about the transportation strikes, which are
bringing France to a standstill at this time.
Claudia Et vous n'avez pas été trop affectés par les grèves de transport ?
And you weren't too affected by the transportation strikes?
Mary Non : mais on l'a échappé belle ! Notre vol de retour de Saint-Louis était avec Air
France et ils étaient en grève le lendemain. Mais nous avons eu de la chance et notre
vol était à l'heure : tout s'est bien passé pour nous.
No: but it was a close call [idiom]. Our return flight from Saint-Louis was on Air France
and they were on strike the following day. But we got lucky and our flight was on time:
everything went smoothly for us.
Patrick Je dois bien dire que je comprends et respecte le droit de grève, mais là, c'est difficile
de soutenir les grévistes. Surtout au niveau des droits des cheminots... Les conditions
de travail des cheminots ont bien évoluées depuis le temps des locomotives à
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charbon ! Bien que cela reste un travail contraignant, il me semble tout à fait anormal
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que les conducteurs partent à la retraite à cinquante ans de nos jours !
M
I have to admit I understand and respect the right to strike, but in this case, it's difficult
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to support the strikers. Especially regarding the railway employees' rights... The working
conditions of the railway workers have evolved quite a bit since the time of coal engines!
Although it remains difficult work, I find it absolutely abnormal that the drivers would
retire at fifty nowadays.
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Mary Je suis d'accord avec toi Patrick. Cependant, les syndicats disent que c'est un travail
pénible : que comme les cheminots sont toujours en déplacement, ils passent
beaucoup de temps loin de chez eux. Mais n'est-ce pas aussi le cas de beaucoup de
personnes qui travaillent dans la vente par exemple ? Je ne comprends pas qu'on
puisse faire la grève pour ça ! Cela fait partie intégrante de leur travail.
I agree with you Patrick. Nevertheless, unions say it's a hard job: since the railway workers
are always on the move, they spend a lot of time away from home. But isn't it also the case
for many people who work in sales for example? I don't get how you can go on strike for
that! It's a defining part of their job.
Claudia Moi aussi je suis d'accord. Une autre revendication est que certains employés de la
SNCF doivent travailler la nuit et le week-end. Et les gardiens de nuit alors ? Et tous les
commerçants, les restaurateurs... S'ils croient que nous comptons nos heures !
I also agree. Another claim is that some of the employees of the SNCF [Société Nationale
des Chemins de Fer: the French national railway company] have to work during the night
and the weekend. What about night watch? And all the shopkeepers, the restaurant
owners... If they think we count our hours!
Francis Je suis avocat... Je vais donc jouer l'avocat du diable bien que je sois également contre
cette grève qui, de surcroit, prend le public en otage.
I am a lawyer... So I'm going to play the devil's advocate even though I am also against this
strike, which on top of it all, is holding the public hostage.
Le statut de cheminot est une chose. Mais ce à quoi les syndicats s'opposent
également fortement est la volonté du gouvernement de libéraliser la SNCF. Pour
le moment, la SNCF est une entreprise nationale, et ses employés sont tous des
fonctionnaires de l'état. C'est pour garder ce statut que les employés font la grève.
The railway worker status is one thing. But what the unions also strongly opposed to is
the will of the government to denationalize the SNCF. Nowadays, the SNCF is a national
company, and all its employees are civil servants. It's to keep that status that the
employees are on strike.
Et c'est sur ce point qu'une partie du public les soutient, car si la SNCF est ouverte à
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la concurrence, et devient une société privée, les gens craignent que le prix des billets
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ne monte en flèche, que le service se détériore, et surtout que de nombreuses gares
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dans les petites villes soient fermées car jugées pas assez rentables.
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And it's on this point that part of the public is behind them, because if the SNCF opens up
to competition, and becomes a private company, people fear that ticket prices soar, that
the service worsens, and that many railroad stations in smaller towns shut down because
they'd be judged less profitable.
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Claudia Oui, mais avant le rail, les secteurs de l’énergie et des télécommunications ont déjà
été ouverts à la concurrence. Et tout va bien il me semble.
OK, but before the rail, the energy and telecommunication industries already became part
of an open market. And everything is fine I believe.
Francis Il ne faut pas oublier cependant que cette restructuration a entraîné une vague de
suicide chez certains employés qui avaient basés leur choix de carrière sur la sécurité
que garantissait ce statut de fonctionnaire.
Nevertheless, it's important to remember that this restructuring gave way to a wave of
suicides in some employees who had based their career choices on the security guaranteed
by this civil servant status.
Mary Effectivement Francis : je ne pense pas que ce soit facile de perdre ses privilèges,
surtout lorsqu'on est persuadé qu'ils sont légitimes. Et c'est regrettable qu'il y ait eu
des suicides. Mais c'était surtout à France Télécom il me semble. Avec la privatisation
de L'EDF, ça s'est passé autrement, n'est-ce pas ?
Right Francis: I don't think it would be easy to lose one's privileges, especially when you are
convinced they are legitimate. And it's regrettable that there were suicides. However, that
was mostly at France Telecom I believe. With the privatization of EDF [Électricité De France :
France's national electrical company], it went differently, right?
Francis Oui. Je crois me souvenir que le statut des salariés avait été maintenu, avec une
sécurité sociale avantageuse et un comité d’entreprise généreux.
Yes it did. I seem to remember that the employees' status had been maintained, with an
advantageous health coverage and a generous works council.
Cependant, cela n'empêche pas que l’idée de service publique est très importante en
France. Les gens pensent que l’État est le meilleur garant des droits essentiels comme
l’hôpital, les transports, l’école etc... et sont attachés à l'idée du même droit pour tous.
Il est vrai qu'une gare, comme une poste, est un atout important pour les villes.
Still, it doesn't change the fact that the idea of the public sector is very important in
France. People believe the state is the best warrant for essential rights such as hospitals,
transports, school etc... and are convinced of the concept of one right for all. It's true that a
E
railroad station, just like a post-office, is a very important asset for towns.
P L
Claudia C'est un raisonnement juste. Cependant on ne peut pas continuer à ignorer la dette
M
de la SNCF, et le poids qu'elle fait peser sur le déficit de la France. Il y a un moment où
SA
il faut que les choses changent. Et le changement, les Français n'aiment pas ça !
It's a fair argument. However, we cannot keep ignoring the SNCF's debt, and how much it
weighs on France's deficit. There comes a moment when things need to change. And the
French don't like change!
Page 136 Copyright ©2018 - French TodayÀ Moi Paris - Level 7 Subjunctive Mood - General Remarks
Mary C'est vrai. Mais le gouvernement ne m'a pas l'air d'être prêt à lâcher quoi que ce soit.
Et les syndicats non plus. Alors ça va barder !
That's true. However, the government doesn't seem to be ready to give in on anything. And
neither are the unions. So it's going to be war! [Colloquial expression].
Subjunctive Mood - General Remarks
French subjunctive is a bit tough to understand but that's because it is usually poorly explained…
Hopefully, after you listen to my explanation and also see the verbs being used in the subjunctive in
the story, the subjunctive will have no more secrets for you!
1. "Que" is Often Followed by the Subjunctive in French
The conjunction that is followed by the subjunctive is mostly “que”.
Je suis contente que tu viennes.
I'm happy you are coming.
Other conjunctions like “quand” or “si” don’t use the subjunctive. So you only have to worry about
using the subjunctive when you are about to say a sentence using “que” (in most cases) or “qui”.
Je cherche une personne qui sache parler français et japonais.
I am looking for someone who would know how to speak French and Japanese.
Ok: full disclosure: there are a bit more choices with the superlative constructions: “le seul endroit
où je ne sois jamais allé” (the only place I've ever been) for example… this is quite rare so I won’t
talk about it here. Please just remember the large majority of subjunctive cases are going to be with
“que”.
L E
However, "que" may also be followed by the indicative.
SA M P
Je crois qu'il viendra. C'est certain qu'elle sera avec elle.
So the whole trick is goint to be recognizing when you are in a situation that requires the subjunctive
after a "que", or in a situation that requires the indicative, or even an infinitive.
Page 137 Copyright ©2018 - French TodayÀ Moi Paris - Level 7 Subjunctive Mood - General Remarks
2. When do we Use the Subjunctive in French?
This is only an introduction. We will study all these points in depth in the following chapters. I
thought it would be interesting to have an overview, to give you a feeling for the subjunctive mood
before we really dig into it.
The subjunctive is a mood, a grammatical term which describes the subject’s attitude.
Often, two different people are involved: the first one wanting/hoping/ fearing… that the other one
do something. The subjunctive form reinforces the fact that different people are involved.
If only one person wishes/ hopes/ fears to do something, then you don't have to use the subjunctive,
you can - and should - use an infinitive construction.
1. J'ai peur que tu fasses une erreur - two persons = subjunctive
2. J'ai peur de faire une erreur - only one person "je" is doing both actions = infinitive construction
A subjunctive is also required when a situation applies to a specific person versus everybody.
1. Il faut que vous mangiez des légumes - specific to vous = subjunctive
2. Il faut manger des légumes - applies to everybody = infinitive
Sometimes, it is a specific expression which is followed by the subjunctive, such as “pour que”. You
will need to memorize by heart which expressions are followed by the subjunctive.
1. Il faut de la pluie pour que les plantes grandissent - "pour que" + subjunctive
2. Il faut de la pluie pour arroser les plantes - "pour" + infinitive
Finally, the subjunctive is... subjective! It's when the subject is not sure (doubt), or has no real control
over the action becoming a reality (wish, fear, order...) that we use a subjunctive.
1. Je voudrais qu'il vienne - it's a wish, I have no control over it becoming a reality = subjunctive
2. Je crains qu'il soit malade - I'm not certain of it, it's only a fear = subjunctive
3. J'exige qu'il vienne - it's not because I demand it that it's going to happen though = subjunctive
L E
4. Il est possible qu'il vienne - but it's not certain = subjunctive
M P
If the subject thinks the action is a certainty, or has a high probability of becoming real, then we
SA
use the indicative mood. It's weird, I know, but that's the "subjective" part of the subjunctive: if the
speaker thinks it's real, then... it is as good as real!
1. Il est probable qu'il viendra - I really think he is going to come, for me, it's almost certain =
indicative
Page 138 Copyright ©2018 - French TodayÀ Moi Paris - Level 7 Subjunctive Mood - General Remarks
2. Je suis sûre qu'il viendra - I'm sure of it, for me, it's as good as done = indicative
In the next chapters, I'm going explain the French Subjunctive mood in depth. It's a lot to take in for
an English speaker for whom all these concepts are brand new. I suggest you take your time to go
through it, let the concepts sink in.
Study it point by point, do the exercises. Listen to the explanations again, this time out of order...
Redo and redo the exercises... Refer to the story for more examples of subjunctive used in context.
You won’t conquer subjunctive in one session, so remember, repetition is the key!
Exercises
Put the verbs in parenthesis in the subjunctive.
1. Je doute que tu (avoir) raison.
2. Il regrette que nous (être) déçus.
3. Le gouvernement craint que les pilotes se (mettre) en grève.
4. Elle est sortie sans que ses parents le (savoir).
5. Je l'aime bien qu'il (avoir) des défauts importants.
6. Nous refusons qu'il (signer) ce contrat.
7. Je préfère partir avant qu'il (revenir).
8. Il est indispensable que tu me (prévenir).
Answers
1. Je doute que tu (avoir) raison.
Je doute que tu aies raison.
2. Il regrette que nous (être) déçus.
E
Il regrette que nous soyons déçus.
L
3. Le gouvernement craint que les pilotes se (mettre) en grève.
P
Le gouvernement craint que les pilotes se mettent en grève.
SA M
4. Elle est sortie sans que ses parents le (savoir).
Elle est sortie sans que ses parents le sachent.
5. Je l'aime, bien qu'il (avoir) des défauts importants.
Je l'aime, bien qu'il ait des défauts importants.
6. Nous refusons qu'il (signer) ce contrat.
Page 139 Copyright ©2018 - French TodayÀ Moi Paris - Level 7 Subjunctive Mood - General Remarks
Nous refusons qu'il signe ce contrat.
7. Je préfère partir avant qu'il (revenir).
Je préfère partir avant qu'il revienne.
8. Il est indispensable que tu me (prévenir).
Il est indispensable que tu me préviennes.
3. How to Memorize the French Subjunctive?
In my opinion, to memorize your French irregular subjunctive forms, drilling with audio is the only
solution: you need to create reflexes, “hear” the conjugation in your head.
Concentrate on the most common verbs first : être, avoir, aller, savoir... To memorize the various
verb conjugations I suggest you check out my French Verb Drills.
4. No Interrogative Form With the French Subjunctive
You can use a subjunctive clause in an interrogative sentence. For example :
Voulez-vous que que je vienne avec vous ?
However, you cannot make the subjunctive part into a question. There is no interrogative form for
the French subjunctive.
So for example:
Il faut qu’on parte maintenant.
If you are turning this into a question, it will become:
1. Faut-il qu’on parte maintenant ?
or
2. Est-qu’il faut qu’on parte maintenant ?
or just
L E
3. Il faut qu’on parte maintenant ?
M P
In any case, the “qu’on parte maintenant” part cannot be made into a question. “Que parte-t-on” for
example is not possible.
SA
Page 140 Copyright ©2018 - French TodayÀ Moi Paris - Level 7 Subjunctive Mood - General Remarks
5. French People Make a Lot of Mistakes With the
Subjunctive
To make things worse, you can't always rely on what you hear (or even read) to learn the
subjunctive... A lot of French people make mistakes when it comes to the use of subjunctive.
If a French person didn't get constantly corrected by their parents as a kid, or didn't do a lot of
formal studying, then chances are that s/he'll make mistakes in the subjunctive.
Although the subjunctive is still very commonly used in France, it is somewhat a marker for social
class.
Furthermore, times are changing. There are some situations where French grammar still demands
the use of the subjunctive... but people will use the indicative instead. Why? Because it sounds weird,
that's why! And most French people rely on their ears to tell them what to say... or maybe "instinct"
would be a better word.
In any case, the average French person doesn't know all the grammar rules. They speak the way
they do because... well, once again, their parents and teachers corrected them enough that they
know what they are supposed to say and what sounds "natural" to their ear.
When it comes to saying complicated things, however, then they don't know for sure anymore...
They may use the subjunctive in one situation, because it sounds good, and use the indicative the
next day, because that day, it sounded better to them. We all make mistakes, for sure!
6. Ways to Avoid the Subjunctive in French
This is news to many students, but as you are starting to understand now, French people are not too
crazy about the subjunctive either!!
So, when we are not sure whether we should be using the subjunctive or something else, we work
around it. Although avoiding the subjunctive is not always possible, here are some tricks that can
L E
help you avoid using the subjunctive:
A. Use a noun
SA M P
If you used a noun instead of a verb, there would be no problem at all… this applies mostly to
conjunctions followed by the subjunctive such as “avant que”.
Page 141 Copyright ©2018 - French TodayÀ Moi Paris - Level 7 Subjunctive Mood - General Remarks
1. Il finira avant le départ de sa femme (instead of "Il finira avant que sa femme parte")
2. Tu poseras pour la photo (instead of "tu poseras pour qu'il te prenne en photo")
B. Make a general statement
Instead of applying your sentence to one specific person, make it so it is a general statement.
1. Il faut faire du sport (instead of “il faut que tu fasses du sport”)
2. Il est important de manger des légumes (instead of "il est important que tu manges des légumes")
C. Use "devoir" instead of "il faut que"
1. Tu dois faire la vaisselle (instead of "il faut que tu fasses la vaisselle")
2. Vous devez être prêts à huit heures (instead of "il faut que vous soyez prêts à huit heures")
D. Use conjunctions that aren't followed by the Subjunctive
1. Use "même si" (even if) instead of "bien que"
C'est bon même si c'est froid (instead of "c'est bon bien que ce soit froid")
2. Use "sauf si" (unless) instead of "à moins que"
Je ne partirai pas sauf si vous me présentez vos excuses (instead of "je ne partirai pas à moins que
vous me présentiez vos excuses")
3. Use "Peu importe ce que" + indicatif instead of "quoi que"
Je sais qu'il m'aime, peu importe ce que tu dis. (Instead of "je sais qu'il m'aime, quoi que tu dises")
E. Use two sentences instead of one
L E
1. Tu dois partir immédiatement. Je l’éxige. (Instead of “j’exige que tu partes immédiatement”)
P
2. Il viendra avec Isabelle, et ça me fait vraiment plaisir. (Instead of "ça me fait vraiment plaisir qu'il
M
vienne avec Isabelle")
Page 142
SA Copyright ©2018 - French TodayÀ Moi Paris - Level 7 Subjunctive Mood - General Remarks
Exercises
Find a way to avoid a subjunctive in the following sentences:
1. Préviens-moi avant que le train arrive.
2. J'ai peur que tu te blesses.
3. Il faut absolument qu'ils me le disent.
4. Je pense à lui bien que je n'aie pas beaucoup de nouvelles.
5. Quoi qu'elle dise, je te promets que je l'ai fait !
6. Commencez à préparer le projet en attendant qu'ils décident.
7. Elle ne veut pas y aller à moins que tu viennes la chercher en voiture.
8. C'est vraiment agaçant que tu arrives tout le temps en retard.
Answers
1. Préviens-moi avant que le train arrive.
Préviens-moi avant l'arrivée du train.
2. J'ai peur que tu te blesses.
Tu risques de te blesser / Fais attention à ne pas te blesser.
3. Il faut absolument qu'ils me le disent.
Ils doivent absolument me le dire.
4. Je pense à lui bien que je n'aie pas beaucoup de nouvelles.
Je pense à lui même si je n'ai pas beaucoup de nouvelles.
5. Quoi qu'elle dise, je te promets que je l'ai fait !
Peu importe ce qu'elle dit: je te promets que je l'ai fait !
6. Commencez à préparer le projet en attendant qu'ils décident.
Commencez à préparer le projet en attendant leur décision.
7. Elle ne veut pas y aller à moins que tu viennes la chercher en voiture.
Elle ne veut pas y aller sauf si tu viens la chercher en voiture.
E
8. C'est vraiment agaçant que tu arrives tout le temps en retard.
L
Tu arrives tout le temps en retard. C'est vraiment agaçant.
SA M P
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