Neues Konzept

A mood, not a tense

Almost every verb you've used so far has stated something as fact — that's the indicative. The subjunctive (le subjonctif) is the mood for things that are needed, wanted, felt or doubted rather than stated. It almost always follows que, after a trigger in the first half of the sentence:

Trigger Meaning Example
Il faut que… … must, … have to Il faut que tu viennes. — You have to come.
Je veux que… I want … to Je veux que tu sois là. — I want you to be there.
J'aimerais que… I'd like … to J'aimerais que tu fasses ta tarte. — I'd like you to make your tart.
Je suis content(e) que… I'm glad that… Je suis contente que tu viennes. — I'm glad you're coming.
Bien que… although Bien qu'il fasse froid, on sort. — Although it's cold, we're going out.
Pour que… so that Je parle lentement pour que tu comprennes. — I'm speaking slowly so that you understand.

English says I want you to come; French can't. It's always je veux que tu viennes. But when the subject stays the same, use the infinitive: Je veux venir. — I want to come.