Subjonctif with "il faut que"

Think of il faut que as a grammar traffic light. It tells the next verb to change its shape. You cannot just use a normal verb after it. You need the Subjunctive mood. The structure is simple: il faut que + Subject + Subjunctive verb. The word que is the bridge. Without the bridge, the sentence falls apart. This pattern expresses that something must happen. It is stronger than a suggestion. It is a requirement. It focuses on a specific person. If you say il faut que tu manges, you are talking to *you*. It is personal. It is direct. It is very French.

1. 1Creating the Subjunctive is like a three-step dance. Most verbs follow a very predictable pattern.
2. 2Start with the ils (they) form of the present tense. For example, ils parlent.
3. 3Drop the -ent ending. Now you have the stem: parl-.
4. 4Add the special Subjunctive endings. They are mostly familiar!
5. 5For je: add -e (que je parle)
6. 6For tu: add -es (que tu parles)
7. 7For il/elle: 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. 11Yes, the nous and vous forms look like the Imparfait. The others look like regular -er verbs. It is a bit of a mix-and-match situation. Even native speakers find the spelling tricky sometimes!

Use this pattern when there is a specific obligation. Imagine you are at a restaurant. Your friend is late. You say, il faut que tu viennes maintenant! (You must come now!). Or imagine a job interview. The boss says, il faut que vous parliez anglais (It is necessary that you speak English). It is perfect for giving strong advice. Use it when you want to sound firm but grammatically correct. It works for:

• Giving orders to friends or colleagues.
• Expressing urgent needs in an emergency.
• Setting rules in a classroom or at home.
• Asking for directions: il faut que je tourne ici ? (Do I need to turn here?).

Do not use the Subjunctive if you are speaking generally. If you want to say "One must eat to live," use the infinitive. That would be il faut manger. Notice there is no que. There is no specific person. Use the infinitive for general truths. Use the Subjunctive for specific people. Also, do not use it after je pense que. That is a different rule for a different day! If you aren't using que, you aren't using the Subjunctive. Simple as that. Think of que as the key that unlocks the Subjunctive door.

The biggest mistake is using the normal present tense. People say il faut que tu vas. This is wrong! It must be il faut que tu ailles. Another mistake is forgetting the que. You cannot say il faut tu pars. The que is mandatory. Many learners also struggle with irregular stems. Verbs like être, avoir, and faire change completely. They don't follow the ils rule. You just have to memorize those rebels. Finally, don't overthink the pronunciation. For many verbs, the Subjunctive sounds exactly like the present tense. If you say it correctly, people might not even know you're using a complex mood!

Compare il faut que tu fasses with tu dois faire. Both mean "you must do." However, tu dois (from devoir) feels more like a personal debt or duty. Il faut que feels like an external necessity. It is like the difference between "I have to" and "It is necessary that I." Also, compare it to il est nécessaire que. This is much more formal. You will see it in legal documents. In daily life, il faut que is the king of the mountain. It is the most natural way to speak.