Present Tense Subjunctive of Avoir and Être
In this lesson we learn how to create the present tense of the subjunctive mood of the verbs avoir and être.
What is the subjunctive mood?
Verbs have moods as well as tenses.
The most commonly used mood for verbs is the indicative. We have also encountered the conditional mood.
The mood of a verb tells us more about the speaker’s attitude towards the activity being referred to. The indicative mood means that the speaker is articulating a statement of fact. The conditional mood is so called because the action of the verb is based on the condition of something else being fulfilled.
The subjunctive mood, meanwhile, means that the verb is expressing something uncertain from the perspective of the speaker. It could be a wish, desire or an imagined state that is dependent on some external condition.
Consider for a moment a couple of English phrases. If someone says, “God saves the King,” then the mood would suggest that this is a statement of fact and its tense, the present tense, means that it has some relevance to the current time. However, this is not, of course, the phrase that we usually hear. We’re much more likely to hear, “God save the King,” the title of the UK national anthem.
The phrase we know is in the subjunctive mood, which in English means losing the ‘-s’ so that ‘saves’ becomes ‘save.’
We are now expressing hope. We hope that God would save the King should that be required, but it is not a statement of fact – we cannot know if this is happening or not. Remembering this example should help you to get a sense of whether a verb should be in the indicative or the subjunctive mood.
While English tries to avoid the subjunctive as much as possible, except in a few set phrases such as the example above, French continues to make great use of this distinction in everyday language.
What is the Present Subjunctive of Avoir?
Like its indicative forms, avoir (‘to have’) is irregular in the subjunctive. In the table below, we can compare the indicative form to the subjunctive:
| Indicative | Subjunctive | Subjunctive Phrase English |
|---|---|---|
| j’ai | que j’aie | that I may have |
| tu as | que tu aies | that you may have |
| il a | qu’il ait | that he may have |
| elle a | qu’elle ait | that she may have |
| nous avons | que nous ayons | that we may have |
| vous avez | que vous ayez | that you may have |
| ils ont | qu’ils aient | that they may have |
| elles ont | qu’elles aient | that they may have |
Note on que
For this reason, grammar books usually show the subjunctive forms together with que, as listed in the table above. However, this does not mean that que is always followed by the subjunctive – the test remains whether the action being referred to by the verb is one of fact (indicative) or supposition (subjunctive).
What are some common phrases using the subjunctive mood and avoir in French?
Make a note of the use of the subjunctive after the following phrases that are all introduced by que:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Le professeur est content que j’aie le temps de le faire | The teacher is happy I have the time to do it. |
| Je regrette que tu n’aies pas le temps de le faire | I am sorry that you do not have the time to do it. |
| Nous voulons qu’il ait un grand impact | We want him to have a big impact. |
| Nous voulons qu’elle ait un grand impact | We want her to have a big impact. |
| En supposant que nous ayons un chien nommé “Bruno”… | Supposing we have a dog called “Bruno”… |
| Nous sommes heureux que vous ayez aimé votre séjour | We are pleased that you enjoyed your stay. |
| J’aimerais qu’ils aient le temps de le faire | I would like them to have the time to do it. |
| Je doute qu’elles aient le temps | I doubt they have the time. |
What is the Present Subjunctive of Être?
Also like its indicative forms, être (‘to be’) is irregular in the subjunctive. In the table below, we can compare the indicative form to the subjunctive:
| Indicative | Subjunctive | Subjunctive Phrase English |
|---|---|---|
| je suis | que je sois | that I may be |
| tu es | que tu sois | that you may be |
| il est | qu‘il soit | that he may be |
| elle est | qu’elle soit | that she may be |
| nous sommes | que nous soyons | that we may be |
| vous êtes | que vous soyez | that you may be |
| ils sont | qu’ils soient | that they may be |
| elles sont | qu’elles soient | that they may be |
What are some common phrases using the subjunctive mood and être in French?
| French | English |
|---|---|
| C’est bien que tu sois là. | It is good that you are here. |
| Je veux qu’il soit fier de moi. | I want him to be proud of me. |
| Je veux qu’elle soit fier de moi. | I want her to be proud of me. |
| Il doute que nous soyons à l’heure. | He doubts that we’re on time. |
| Je suis contente que vous soyez là. | I am happy that you are here. |
| Les stéréotypes, quels qu’ils soient, continuent d’être un problème. | Stereotypes, whatever they may be, continue to be a problem. |
| Les circonstances, quelles qu’elles soient, jouent en votre faveur. | The circumstances, whatever they are, are in your favour. |