How do I know when to use the subjunctive?

The subjunctive is a 'mood' commonly used in the French language to convey judgement or attitude rather than a fact. It is a 'mood' and not a tense because many of the tenses take the subjunctive. The subjunctive can be a difficult concept to learn because, whilst it does exist, we do not learn about it in the English language, and therefore the types of phrases in which we use it cannot be translated directly. It is a very important aspect of the French language to learn because French natives use it Generally, the subjunctive is used in expressions in which there is possibility, desire, permission/ request, emotion, or uncertainty. For example: I want him to write to me = je veux qu'il m'écrive. OR, It is possible that she will leave before me = il se peut qu'elle parte avant moi. Another way in which we use the subjunctive is after conjunctions of time, condition, conjunctions indicating purpose, and negative conjunctions, all of which end in 'que'. For example: I listen to music so that I can forget my stresses = j'écoute de la musique afin que je puisse oublier le stress.