When is the subjunctive tense required in French?

The French subjunctive tense/mood is required when expressing cases of doubt, necessity or emotion. For example, "Je veux que tu gagnes" (I hope that you win), "Il faut que tu sois à l'heure" (You need to be on time/It is necessary that you're on time) and "J'ai peur qu'il ne vienne pas" (I'm afraid that he won't come) are all examples of when the subjunctive is required. However, it is important that you remember that verb constructions ending with 'que' that relate to time e.g. "dès que", "après que", and "tandis que" are followed by the INDICATIVE and not the subjunctive, even though they too end with 'que'.

GW
Answered by Georgia W. French tutor

1735 Views

See similar French A Level tutors

Related French A Level answers

All answers ▸

What is the difference between using depuis/pendant/pour in French when saying for?


Correct the two errors in this sentence: S'il avait été beau, j'aurais sorti


When do you need to agree the past participle when using the passé composé?


- What is the difference between ‘ce que’ and ‘ce dont’ in French?


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:

© 2026 by IXL Learning