Subjonctif with "il est important que"

This pattern has two main parts. First, you have the trigger. The trigger is il est important que. This tells the listener that something big is coming. It sets the stage for a requirement. The second part is the Subjunctive verb. This is where the magic happens. The verb changes its form to match the mood. Usually, French verbs tell us about time. They tell us if something happened yesterday or today. But the Subjunctive is different. It does not care about time as much. it cares about the feeling. It cares about the necessity of the act. The word que is your best friend here. It acts like a bridge. It connects your opinion to the action. Without que, there is no bridge. Without the bridge, you cannot reach the Subjunctive. Imagine a traffic light. The green light is the que. It tells the verb it is time to change. It is a signal to switch gears. If you forget the que, the whole sentence falls apart. So, always keep your bridge in place.

1. 1Creating the Subjunctive is like following a recipe. Most verbs follow the same simple steps. Here is how you build it for regular verbs:
2. 2Look at the "they" form of the verb in the present. For example, parler becomes ils parlent.
3. 3Remove the -ent ending. Now you have the stem: parl-.
4. 4Add the special Subjunctive endings to this stem.
5. 5For je, add -e (que je parle)
6. 6For tu, add -es (que tu parles)
7. 7For il/elle/on, add -e (qu'il parle)
8. 8For nous, add -ions (que nous parlions)
9. 9For vous, add -iez (que vous parliez)
10. 10For ils/elles, add -ent (qu'ils parlent)
11. 11Wait! There are two rebels you must know. être and avoir do their own thing. They are the rockstars of French grammar. They don't follow rules. For être, the forms are sois, sois, soit, soyons, soyez, soient. For avoir, they are aie, aies, ait, ayons, ayez, aient. You will use these two a lot. It is worth memorizing them first. Think of them as your primary tools in your grammar kit.

You use this pattern whenever something is vital. Think of real-world scenarios. Imagine you are at a job interview. You want to impress the boss. You might say, "It is important that I be professional." In French, that is Il est important que je sois professionnel. Or imagine you are giving directions to a friend. They are lost in Paris. You say, "It is important that you turn right." That is Il est important que tu tournes à droite. You are also going to use it at the doctor. "It is important that you take this medicine." It shows authority but with a soft touch. It is also great for giving advice to friends. "It is important that we eat together." It makes your suggestions sound serious but caring. Use it when you want to emphasize the "must" in a sentence. It is perfect for setting goals or rules. If you are a parent, you will use this constantly! "It is important that you finish your homework." It is the language of priority.

There is a common trap here. You only use the Subjunctive when you have two different people. If you are talking about yourself, there is an easier way. If I say, "It is important for me to eat," I don't need the Subjunctive. I just say Il est important de manger. Notice the de. When you use de, you use the infinitive. The infinitive is the basic form of the verb. It is much simpler! So, use the Subjunctive for "You", "Him", or "Them". Use the infinitive for general rules or for yourself. Il est important que tu viennes (Subjunctive) vs Il est important de venir (Infinitive). Think of it like a party. If you are inviting others, use the Subjunctive bridge. If you are going alone, just walk through the door with de. This will save you a lot of headache. Don't overcomplicate your life if you don't have to. French people love shortcuts too!

The biggest mistake is using the normal present tense. It is very tempting. Your brain wants to say Il est important que tu parles using the indicative. Luckily, for many verbs, they sound the same! But for others, it is a giveaway. Another mistake is forgetting the que. Some learners try to translate directly from English. They say "Il est important tu..." but that is a no-go. You need that bridge! Also, watch out for être. Many people say il est important que tu es. That sounds very wrong to a French ear. It is like wearing socks with sandals. It just doesn't fit. Remember to use sois instead. Finally, don't forget the -i- in the nous and vous forms. It is nous parlions, not nous parlons. That little -i- is the secret mark of the Subjunctive. It is like a secret handshake for the nous form. If you miss it, you are just using the normal present tense.

You might know il faut que. This is very similar to il est important que. Both trigger the Subjunctive. Il faut que is a bit stronger. It is like a command. Il est important que is a bit more polite. It sounds like a recommendation. Then there is je pense que. This one is tricky. Je pense que usually uses the normal present tense. Why? Because it is a fact in your mind. The Subjunctive is for things that are not facts yet. They are just things that *should* happen. Facts use the Indicative. Necessity uses the Subjunctive. Think of the Indicative as a photograph. It shows what is real. Think of the Subjunctive as a painting. It shows what we want or need to see. One is about reality. The other is about the "vibe" of the situation.