What's the difference between subjunctive and conditional moods?

We would use the subjunctive tense when talking about an event which is uncertain, possibilities. For example: "Il est possible qu'il soit là demain" (it's possible that he will be there tomorrow) here we would use the subjunctive "soit" because it is uncertain whether or not he will be there.The conditional is used when talking about events that are uncertain, but events that would definitely occur depending on something else. For example: "Il aurait été là hier, s'il ne pleuvait pas". (He would have been there yesterday, had it not rained.) In this case, him being there was exclusively dependant on it not raining. Had it not rained, he would definitely have been there.

IR
Answered by Isabel R. French tutor

2629 Views

See similar French A Level tutors

Related French A Level answers

All answers ▸

What is the difference between the imperfect and the simple past tense? They are both past tenses, and i am barely even aware of how to use them or what the difference between them is in English, let alone in French!


How do I know whether a word is masculine or feminine?


Comment peut-on traduire la phrase suivante: 'They would have liked to attend the wedding, but they were too tired to bring themselves to make the two-hour long trip'.


Identifiez les erreurs dans les phrases suivantes : Le caractère principe du bouquin s'appelle Thomas. L'histoire se déroule aux alentour de Paris dans le 20e siècle. Les grand thèmes sont plusieurs, y compris l'amour, le perte et l'isolation social.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning