Subjunctive - After Expressions of Emotion

To use this pattern, you need a specific recipe. First, you need a person expressing a feeling. Second, you need the word que. Third, you need a second person doing an action. This "change of subject" is the golden rule. If you are talking about yourself, you do not need the subjunctive. For example, "I am happy to go" uses a simple infinitive. But "I am happy that YOU are going" triggers the subjunctive. It is like a relay race. You start the sentence with your emotion, and then you hand the baton over to someone else. The que is the hand-off point. Once that baton is passed, the second verb must change into its subjunctive form. It is a bit like a grammar traffic light. The emotion turns the light green for the subjunctive to enter the lane.

1. 1Creating the subjunctive is easier than it looks. Follow these three steps for most verbs:
2. 2Take the ils (they) form of the present tense. For parler, that is parlent.
3. 3Drop the -ent ending. Now you have the stem: parl-.
4. 4Add the special subjunctive endings:
5. 5je: -e
6. 6tu: -es
7. 7il/elle: -e
8. 8nous: -ions
9. 9vous: -iez
10. 10ils/elles: -ent
11. 11Wait! Some verbs are rebels. You will need to memorize être (sois), avoir (aie), aller (aille), and faire (fasse). They like to stand out at parties. Just remember: the nous and vous forms usually look exactly like the Imparfait. It is a nice little gift from the French language to make your life easier.

You use this pattern whenever an emotion is the "trigger." This includes:

• Happiness: Je suis ravi que tu viennes. (I am delighted that you are coming.)
• Sadness: Il est triste que nous partions. (He is sad that we are leaving.)
• Fear: J'ai peur qu'elle soit malade. (I am afraid she is sick.)
• Surprise: Ça m'étonne que vous sachiez cela. (It surprises me that you know that.)
• Regret: Je regrette qu'il ne puisse pas venir. (I regret that he cannot come.)

Imagine you are at a job interview. You might say, "I am happy that your company is growing." That is an emotion! Or imagine ordering food and the waiter says they are out of snails. You might say, "I am sorry that you don't have any left." These are real-world moments where the subjunctive makes you sound polite and sophisticated.

This is where many people trip up. Do not use the subjunctive if the subject does not change. If you say "I am happy that I am here," a French person would just say Je suis content d'être ici. Using que and the subjunctive there sounds very clunky and unnatural. Also, watch out for the verb espérer (to hope). Even though hoping feels like an emotion, it usually takes the indicative because we view the future result as a likely reality. It is the one "emotional" verb that plays by different rules. Think of espérer as the one friend who refuses to follow the dress code at a party.

The biggest mistake is forgetting the que. In English, we often skip it: "I'm glad you're here." In French, que is the glue. You cannot build the house without the glue! Another common slip is using the regular present tense. Je suis triste que tu vas partir is wrong. It must be tu partes. Finally, watch out for the "ne explétif." With verbs of fear like avoir peur, you might see a random ne appear: J'ai peur qu'il ne pleuve. This ne doesn't mean "not." it is just a "ghost ne" that hangs around to look fancy. You do not have to use it, but do not let it confuse you when you see it!

Compare these two sentences:

1. 1Je pense qu'il est là. (I think he is there.)
2. 2Je suis content qu'il soit là. (I am happy he is there.)

The first one uses the indicative (est) because thinking is a mental observation of a fact. The second one uses the subjunctive (soit) because happiness is a feeling. If the head is talking, use indicative. If the heart is talking, use subjunctive. It is a battle between the brain and the chest! Also, compare Je suis désolé de déranger (Same subject) vs Je suis désolé que tu déranges (Different subjects). The first is a simple apology for your own action; the second is a comment on someone else's behavior.