The subjunctive after qui and que — un appartement qui soit calme

In one line

After qui and que the verb is normally indicative. Use the subjunctive in two places: when you haven't found the thing yet (Je cherche un appartement qui soit calme), and after "the best / the only / the first" (le meilleur film que j'aie vu).

The forms on this page

Step by step — one question

Before the verb after qui or que, ask yourself: "Have I actually found this thing?"

Look at the English: "is" both times. English makes no distinction here, so your ear won't help — the question will. Think of the second sentence as a classified ad: the apartment exists only in your ad, so it gets the subjunctive.

The table — four places the subjunctive appears

The first three are one idea: the thing exists only in your head — the ad you wrote, the question you're asking, the thing you say isn't there. The fourth needs its own explanation — below.

"The best … that" — listen for "ever"

French wants the subjunctive after a superlative or "only", even though nothing is uncertain:

English has a hook for this: the word "ever". "The best film I've ever seen" — "ever" means "out of everything I've seen, up to now". That comparison against everything you've experienced is exactly what French marks with the subjunctive. French can even keep the "ever": le meilleur film que j'aie jamais vu.

If you would naturally say "ever" in English, use the subjunctive in French.

When the indicative stays

chercher is not the trigger — "not found" is. la clé (a specific key) → indicative. une clé (any key that would do) → subjunctive.

After le seul, when it's an objective fact, both are correct: C'est la seule pharmacie qui est ouverte la nuit. /sɛ la sœl faʁ.ma.si ki ɛ.t‿u.vɛʁt la nɥi/ · … qui soit ouverte la nuit. /ki swa u.vɛʁt la nɥi/ — the subjunctive is more formal and more written.

You only see it with a handful of verbs

For most -er verbs with il and elle, subjunctive and indicative look the same: qu'il parle = il parle. Nothing to worry about there. The difference shows only with these common verbs:

So in practice: whenever one of these verbs follows qui/que, ask "have I found it?". The other verbs take care of themselves.

Present or past

The same decision as subjonctif-passe: the action already happened → past subjunctive.

English switches to "could" in that last one ("a roommate who could bring their furniture"). French keeps puisse — don't go looking for a conditional.

With que and the past subjunctive, participle agreement still applies: la meilleure journée que j'aie passée — journée is the direct object and comes first, so passée. (The rule is in accord-participe-passe.)

Examples

Common mistakes

ai and aie sound almost the same in everyday speech (/ʒe/ and /ʒɛ/). The difference is in the writing — exactly where letters and written exam tasks are marked.

For the exam

• Speaking, Task 2 (asking questions): Vous avez un logement qui soit libre en juillet ? /vu.z‿a.ve œ̃ lɔʒ.mɑ̃ ki swa libʁ ɑ̃ ʒɥi.jɛ/ — when you ask for information, you describe what you're looking for.
• Writing, Task 2 (an experience): le plus beau voyage que j'aie fait — telling an experience almost always involves a "best" or a "first".

Why the difference