Le Subjonctif Présent (Formes Régulières et Verbes Fréquents): A Guide for Hindi-Speaking Learners

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

If you’re learning French and have reached a B1 level, you’re probably familiar with a variety of tenses and moods. However, one tense that often causes confusion is the subjonctif présent. In this blog post, we’ll break down the subjonctif présent, focusing on regular verb forms, common usage, and offering clear comparisons to similar structures in Hindi to make it easier for Hindi-speaking learners.

What is the Subjonctif Présent?

The subjonctif is a mood, not a tense. While tenses like the présent or passé composé tell us when something happened, the subjonctif expresses a speaker’s attitude toward the action — whether it’s a wish, necessity, doubt, emotion, or hypothetical situation.

In French, the subjonctif présent is used when the action of the verb is uncertain, desired, or influenced by external factors (like emotion or necessity). It’s similar to expressions in Hindi that show doubt, wish, or emotion.

When Do We Use the Subjonctif Présent?

Here are the main situations where you will use the subjonctif présent:

1. Wishes or Desires: To express a wish or desire about a present or future event.
   • Example: Je veux que tu viennes.
   • English Translation: “I want you to come.”
   • Pronunciation in Hindi (Romanized): “Juh vuh ke too vyen.”
   • Explanation: In this case, the speaker is expressing a wish that the other person comes. This use of the subjonctif is common after verbs like vouloir (to want), désirer (to desire), and souhaiter (to wish).
2. Necessity: To talk about something that is necessary or important.
   • Example: Il faut que tu sois à l’heure.
   • English Translation: “It’s necessary that you are on time.”
   • Pronunciation in Hindi (Romanized): “Eel fo ke too swaa a luh-r.”
   • Explanation: Here, il faut que (it is necessary that) triggers the subjonctif because the sentence expresses a necessity.
3. Doubt or Uncertainty: When there is doubt or uncertainty about something happening.
   • Example: Je doute qu’il parle français.
   • English Translation: “I doubt that he speaks French.”
   • Pronunciation in Hindi (Romanized): “Juh doot keel parl frahn-say.”
   • Explanation: The use of douter (to doubt) signals that the speaker is unsure, so the subjonctif is required.
4. Emotion: When an action or situation provokes an emotional reaction.
   • Example: Je suis content qu’il ait réussi.
   • English Translation: “I am happy that he succeeded.”
   • Pronunciation in Hindi (Romanized): “Juh swee kon-ton keel ay ray-oo-see.”
   • Explanation: After verbs of emotion like être content que (to be happy that), the subjonctif is used to express the feeling about the action.
5. Impersonal Expressions: These are expressions that refer to general ideas or concepts, like necessity, possibility, or doubt.
   • Example: Il est important que tu comprennes.
   • English Translation: “It is important that you understand.”
   • Pronunciation in Hindi (Romanized): “Eel eh aN-por-tahn ke too kohm-prenn.”
   • Explanation: Impersonal expressions like Il est important que (It is important that) are commonly followed by the subjonctif.

How to Conjugate Regular Verbs in the Subjonctif Présent

In order to use the subjonctif, you need to know how to conjugate regular verbs. Here’s how you do it:

1. For -er verbs (like parler):
   • Take the third person plural form of the verb in the présent (ils parlent) and drop the -ent ending.
   • Add the following endings: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.
   Example: parler (to speak)
   • Que je parle
   • Que tu parles
   • Qu’il/elle parle
   • Que nous parlions
   • Que vous parliez
   • Qu’ils/elles parlent
2. For -ir verbs (like finir):
   • Take the third person plural form of the verb in the présent (ils finissent) and drop the -ent ending.
   • Add the same endings: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.
   Example: finir (to finish)
   • Que je finisse
   • Que tu finisses
   • Qu’il/elle finisse
   • Que nous finissions
   • Que vous finissiez
   • Qu’ils/elles finissent
3. For -re verbs (like vendre):
   • Take the third person plural form of the verb in the présent (ils vendent) and drop the -ent ending.
   • Add the same endings: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.
   Example: vendre (to sell)
   • Que je vende
   • Que tu vendes
   • Qu’il/elle vende
   • Que nous vendions
   • Que vous vendiez
   • Qu’ils/elles vendent

Comparing the Subjonctif Présent to Hindi Grammar

In Hindi, we use the subjunctive-like structures primarily to express wishes, requests, or uncertain statements. While Hindi doesn’t have a direct equivalent of the subjonctif, you can observe similar expressions of doubt, necessity, or desire, especially with verbs like chahiye (need), kaash (wish), and agar (if).

For example:

• French: Il faut que tu sois à l’heure.
• Hindi: Tumhe samay par aana chahiye.
  (Literal translation: “You need to come on time.”)
• French: Je doute qu’il parle français.
• Hindi: Mujhe shaq hai ki voh French bolta hai.
  (Literal translation: “I doubt that he speaks French.”)

Although Hindi does not use a specific mood like the subjonctif, these examples illustrate how both languages express uncertainty, necessity, and emotions, helping Hindi speakers grasp the usage of the subjonctif.

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Summary of Key Points

Use	French Example	English Translation	Pronunciation (Romanized)
Wish/Desire	Je veux que tu viennes.	“I want you to come.”	“Juh vuh ke too vyen.”
Necessity	Il faut que tu sois à l’heure.	“It’s necessary that you are on time.”	“Eel fo ke too swaa a luh-r.”
Doubt/Uncertainty	Je doute qu’il parle français.	“I doubt that he speaks French.”	“Juh doot keel parl frahn-say.”
Emotion	Je suis content qu’il ait réussi.	“I am happy that he succeeded.”	“Juh swee kon-ton keel ay ray-oo-see.”
Impersonal Expressions	Il est important que tu comprennes.	“It is important that you understand.”	“Eel eh aN-por-tahn ke too kohm-prenn.”

By understanding these rules and using examples to practice, you can become more comfortable with using the subjonctif présent in French. Don’t worry if it feels tricky at first—regular practice and comparing it to Hindi structures will help you master it over time.