FlexiLingoIn one line
Put the auxiliary in the present subjunctive and add the participle — the same shape as the passé composé, with a subjunctive auxiliary.
The forms on this page
| Form | Means | Sound |
|---|---|---|
que j'aie fait | that I have done — subjunctive, for something already finished | /kə ʒɛ fɛ/ |
The table
With avoir | With être | |
|---|---|---|
que je /kə ʒə/ | aie fait /ɛ fɛ/ | sois allé(e) /swa.z‿a.le/ |
que tu /kə ty/ | aies fait /ɛ fɛ/ | sois allé(e) /swa.z‿a.le/ |
qu'il /kil/ | ait fait /ɛ fɛ/ | soit allé /swa a.le/ |
qu'elle /kɛl/ | ait fait /ɛ fɛ/ | soit allée /swa a.le/ |
que nous /kə nu/ | ayons fait /ɛ.jɔ̃ fɛ/ | soyons allé(e)s /swa.jɔ̃.z‿a.le/ |
que vous /kə vu/ | ayez fait /ɛ.je fɛ/ | soyez allé(e)(s) /swa.je.z‿a.le/ |
qu'ils /kil/ | aient fait /ɛ fɛ/ | soient allés /swa.t‿a.le/ |
All the passé composé rules apply here unchanged: which verbs take
être, participle agreement, adverb position.
English has a past subjunctive too and almost never uses it. "I wish I had known", "if he had been here" — those are the surviving forms. French uses its version regularly, in the same places where the present subjunctive appears but the action is already complete.
When past and when present
The only question: did the subjunctive action happen before the main verb?
| Tense | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
Je suis content que tu viennes. | you're coming now or later → present | /ʒə sɥi kɔ̃.tɑ̃ kə ty vjɛn/ |
Je suis content que tu sois venu. | you came, it's done → past | /ʒə sɥi kɔ̃.tɑ̃ kə ty swa və.ny/ |
Il faut que tu finisses. | you must finish → present | /il fo kə ty fi.nis/ |
Il faut que tu aies fini avant midi. | you must have finished by midday → past | /il fo kə ty ɛ fi.ni a.vɑ̃ mi.di/ |
The main verb can be in any tense — that does not affect the choice. Only the order of the two actions matters.
This is the same logic as English "I'm glad you came" versus "I'm glad you're coming" — the difference is simply which one is already done.
With a past main verb
In modern French, even when the main verb is in the past, the present subjunctive is used:
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
Je voulais qu'il vienne. | I wanted him to come | /ʒə vu.lɛ kil vjɛn/ |
J'étais content qu'il soit là. | I was glad he was there | /ʒe.tɛ kɔ̃.tɑ̃ kil swa la/ |
Classical literary French had an imperfect subjunctive for this (qu'il vînt), but it is now virtually extinct. Do not use it in an exam; just recognise it if you meet it in a text.
Note the first row again: "I wanted him to come" has no French equivalent as an infinitive. It must be
que+ subjunctive. Seesubjonctif-present.
Structural examples
| Trigger | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|
Je suis content que… /ʒə sɥi kɔ̃.tɑ̃ kə/ | … tu sois arrivé. |
Je doute que… /ʒə dut kə/ | … il ait compris. |
Bien que… /bjɛ̃ kə/ | … il ait essayé. |
Il est possible que… /il ɛ pɔ.sibl kə/ | … elle soit partie. |
Avant que… /a.vɑ̃ kə/ | … tu aies fini. |
Je regrette que… /ʒə ʁə.ɡʁɛt kə/ | … vous n'ayez pas pu venir. |
In the negative
ne … pas wraps the auxiliary, as in any compound tense:
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
Je regrette qu'il n'ait pas compris. | I'm sorry he didn't understand | /ʒə ʁə.ɡʁɛt kil nɛ pa kɔ̃.pʁi/ |
Je doute qu'elle ne soit pas venue. | I doubt she didn't come | /ʒə dut kɛl nə swa pa və.ny/ |
Examples
| English | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| I'm glad you came. | Je suis content que tu sois venu. | /ʒə sɥi kɔ̃.tɑ̃ kə ty swa və.ny/ |
| I doubt he understood. | Je doute qu'il ait compris. | /ʒə dut ki.l‿ɛ kɔ̃.pʁi/ |
| Although he tried. | Bien qu'il ait essayé. | /bjɛ̃ ki.l‿ɛ.t‿e.se.je/ |
| She may have left. | Il est possible qu'elle soit partie. | /i.l‿ɛ pɔ.sibl kɛl swa paʁ.ti/ |
| You must have finished by midday. | Il faut que tu aies fini avant midi. | /il fo kə ty ɛ fi.ni a.vɑ̃ mi.di/ |
| I'm sorry you couldn't come. | Je regrette que vous n'ayez pas pu venir. | /ʒə ʁə.ɡʁɛt kə vu ne.je pa py və.niʁ/ |
| I'm surprised he said that. | Je suis surpris qu'il ait dit ça. | /ʒə sɥi syʁ.pʁi ki.l‿ɛ di sa/ |
| Before you have finished. | Avant que tu aies terminé. | /a.vɑ̃ kə ty ɛ tɛʁ.mi.ne/ |
| I'm glad they succeeded. | Je suis content qu'ils aient réussi. | /ʒə sɥi kɔ̃.tɑ̃ kil.z‿ɛ ʁe.y.si/ |
| He's unlikely to have left. | Il est peu probable qu'il soit parti. | /i.l‿ɛ pø pʁɔ.babl kil swa paʁ.ti/ |
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ | Why |
|---|---|---|
que tu as venu | que tu sois venu | The auxiliary must be subjunctive |
que j'ai fait | que j'aie fait | The subjunctive of avoir is aie |
qu'il soit venue for a man | qu'il soit venu | Agreement with the subject |
que tu sois fini | que tu aies fini | finir takes avoir |
Je suis content que tu viens. | … que tu sois venu. or … que tu viennes. | A subjunctive is required |
qu'ils aie fait | qu'ils aient fait | The auxiliary agrees with the subject |
Why French has only two subjunctives
there were four; two survived
Classical French had four subjunctives:
| Tense | Example | Today | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| present | qu'il vienne | alive | /kil vjɛn/ |
| past | qu'il soit venu | alive | /kil swa və.ny/ |
| imperfect | qu'il vînt | dead | /kil vɛ̃/ |
| pluperfect | qu'il fût venu | dead | /kil fy və.ny/ |
The last two disappeared from speech in the twentieth century and then from ordinary writing — they survive only in classical literature and very formal prose.
The reason was how odd they sounded: vînt · fût · eussions seemed ridiculous in speech, and the language dropped them.
The result today is good news for a learner:
There are only two subjunctives, and choosing between them takes one question: before the main verb, or not?
English shed its own subjunctive over the same centuries and kept even less. Where French kept two, English kept fragments — "if I were", "I insist that he be" — and nothing else. Both languages moved in the same direction; French simply stopped further along the road.
In exams up to B2, vînt and fût are never required. If you meet them in a literary text, recognise them as vienne and soit in older clothes.