28.8: Part 1: 7 THE VERB: MOOD

7 THE VERB: MOOD

Mood is a term from traditional grammar that divides verb forms into two or more large sets that reflect the attitude of the speaker towards the content of what he or she is saying. We recognize three moods in French: the indicative, the subjunctive, and the imperative. As we mentioned earlier, many grammarians classify the conditional as a mood also. For the purposes of a teaching grammar such as this one, it really is not important whether or not we count the conditional as a mood, or for that matter whether we recognize and name a category called "mood" at all. All you have to learn to do is produce the proper sets of verb forms in certain constructions. Nevertheless, it probably helps to see that those choices fit a general pattern as described for each "mood".

7.1 Mood: Indicative Mood

The large majority of verb forms are in the indicative mood. All the forms discussed throughout section 6 are in the indicative. As you will see if you look back at all the examples, they are statements, questions, negations—many different kinds of locutions—but all share the quality of reflecting a neutral linguistic attitude on the part of the speaker. Why do we say "linguistic attitude"? Consider these examples:

Tu es très gentil.	You're very nice.
Enfin, tu as fini?!	Well, have you finally finished!
Non, je ne vais pas t'accompagner.	No, I'm not going to go with you.

We can all imagine situations in which the speaker has very strong feelings about the content of the statement, question or negation above, but note that, linguistically, all that the speaker has done is give information, ask a question, or reply to a request. These are all in the indicative mood, grammatically.

Form and Function (See all the discussions above under "Tense".)

7.2 Mood: Imperative Mood

In the imperative, the verb construction indicates that the speaker wants the hearer(s) to do or not to do something. The linguistic attitude is not neutral: it is expressed by the total verb construction, which is noticeably different from the various indicative constructions.

Form

As in English, the imperative is a present tense form, without the subject pronoun.

Parlez.	Speak.
Écoutez-moi.	Listen to me.
Donne-moi ton stylo.	Give me your pen.
Allons au théâtre.	Let's go to the theater.
Ne me dis pas de bêtises.	Don't be stupid (say stupid things to me).

Note that the 2nd singular form of all verbs that end in -er (whether they are "regular" or "irregular") drop the -s of the present indicative form, unless the verb is followed by a word that begins with a vowel sound.

Va-t'en.	Get out of here.
Vas-y!	Go to it! (Go ahead!)

(See also the discussion of imperative constructions for word order rules, particularly with pronoun objects: Sections 1.1.2 and 1.1.3.)

Function

As stated above, the imperative is used as it is in English, to command/order/ request someone to do/not to do something. We can always soften a "command": the following are in descending order of firmness, the last one using a conditional verb form rather than the imperative.

Donnez-moi vos copies.	Give me your papers.
Donnez-moi vos copies, s'il vous plaît.	Give me your papers, please.
Voudriez-vous me donner vos copies, s'il vous plaît?	Would you please give me your papers?

7.3 Mood: Subjunctive Mood

In many grammars, there is much discussion about the way the subjunctive is determined by, and expresses, a particular set of attitudes on the part of the speaker: certain emotions (fear, joy, anger), a sense of necessity or obligation, desire. All of these are indeed found in one or another subjunctive construction, but—despite our general characterization of "mood" (see the statement in 7), we strongly urge you to approach the French subjunctive mood from the point of view of the structures in which they are found and the particular sets of verbs, verbal expressions and conjunctions that trigger the use of the subjunctive forms. The few instances in which that approach does not work are beyond the level of a first-year text.

7.3.1 Subjunctive Mood: Tense Forms

a. The present subjunctive is by far the most common and is the one we will emphasize, almost to the exclusion of all other forms. When various subjunctive construe tions are taken up in the text, you'll be given drills and exercises to help you acquire those forms, and the verb tables give all necessary forms in case you wish to look them up.

Like the present indicative, the present subjunctive has a set of endings that are found on most verbs, even "irregular" ones:

Singular	Plural
-e	-ions
-es	-iez
-e	-ent

Some examples of present subjunctive verb forms, including both "regular" and "irregular" stems:

PARLER	SAVOIR
que je parle	que je sache
que tu parles	que tu saches
qu'elle parle	qu'on sache
que nous parlions	que nous sachions
que vous parliez	que vous sachiez
qu'ils parlent	qu'ils sachent

 

FINIR	SORTIR
que je finisse	que je sorte
que tu finisses	que tu sortes
qu'il finisse	qu'elle sorte
que nous finissions	que nous sortions
que vous finissiez	que vous sortiez
qu'elles finissent	qu'ils sortent

(The above are just random examples: present subjunctive forms of all verbs used in this text are given in the Verb Tables.)

b. The past subjunctive is simply the passé composé of the subjunctive—thus the auxiliary is in the present subjunctive. All the usual rules of choice of auxiliary and agreement of past participle apply as they do for the passé composé and all other compound verb forms.

(with AVOIR)	(with ÊTRE)
que j'aie fini	que je sois entré(e)
que tu aies fini	que tu sois entré(e)
qu'il ait fini	qu'elle soit entrée
que nous ayons fini	que nous soyons entré(e)s
que vous ayez fini	que vous soyez entré(e)s
qu'elles aient fini	qu'ils soient entrés

c. The imperfect subjunctive, which you may see in some reading passages, but will never be asked to produce or even recognize formally (will not be in dictations or a reading comprehension exam), is given in the Verb Tables for reference purposes. It may be helpful for recognition (enough to lead you to the right verb as you try to find what the form represents) to note that the third-person singular forms almost always end in a vowel (with circumflex) plus t (e.g., parlât, finît, eût, prît) and that the other person-number forms often contain -ss- (e.g., fusses, eussions, chantassiez, mentissent).

d. The pluperfect subjunctive is also unlikely to occur in any materials you will deal with. It is a compound tense form composed of the auxiliary in the imperfect subjunctive plus the past participle of the main verb.

7.3.2 Subjunctive Mood: Functions and Conditions of Use

a. General

We will focus on when the subjunctive forms occur and will give most examples with the present subjunctive. The past subjunctive is used when the subjunctive verb expresses something that happened before the moment of speaking. Since that situation does not occur very frequently in combination with contexts that require the subjunctive, the present subjunctive is used much more often. The present refers to both present and future time (there is no future subjunctive in French).

Before we begin to look at verbs, verbal expressions, and conjunctions that "trigger" the subjunctive, let's emphasize two general constructional rules:

(1) The subjunctive verb forms occur only in subordinate clauses introduced by que⁸, including specific "compound conjunctions" formed with que, such as pour que, afin que, quoique (complete list given below). The subjunctive does NOT occur in independent clauses, NOR in subordinate clauses introduced by quand, lorsque, si, etc.

(2) There is most often a change of subject from the main clause to the subjunctive subordinate clause. If there is not, the preference (in some cases it is obligatory) is for an infinitive construction. We will point this out in some of the following examples.

⁸ The exception is that the subjunctive may occur in relative clauses, and thus may be introduced bv one of the relative pronoun forms other than que. However, that optional subjunctive will not be used in this text. The general rule above should be learned as it stands.

b. Verbs That Take the Subjunctive

When the verb of the main clause is one of the following, the verb in a following (dependent) subordinate clause introduced by que is always in the subjunctive. Rather than grouping these verbs by meaning-classes, we list them alphabetically, but you will easily observe that the list generally includes verbs that express some emotion, desire, or expression of necessity or volition (one's will to do something) on the part of the speaker.

This is not an exhaustive list, but includes all those you'll find in this text and that are likely to occur in supplementary materials.

aimer	J'aimerais que vous partiez tout de suite.	I'd like you to leave right away.
craindre	Il craint que tu ne^9 sois fâchée.	He's afraid that you're angry.
demander	Jean demande que je reste ici jusqu'à midi.	John asks that I remain here until noon.
désirer	Elle désire que nous assistions au concert.	She wants us to attend the concert.
douter	Je doute qu'il l'épouse.	I doubt that he'll marry her.
s'étonner	Je m'étonne que tu ne le comprennes pas.	I'm surprised that you don't understand it.
falloir	Il faut que tu prennes un taxi.	You have to take a taxi.
préférer	Vous préférez que je ne dise rien?	You prefer that I say nothing at all?
souhaiter	Elle souhaite que je sorte avec quelqu'un d'autre.	She wishes that I'd go out with someone else.
vouloir	Tu veux que je le fasse?	Do you want me to do it?

⁹ This is a pleonastic ne. You'll see or hear it from time to time. Ignore it and perhaps it will go away. Seriously, there is an historical explanation for it and it is sometimes used by French speakers today, but it serves no obvious function.

(Note: If there is no change of subject with vouloir, an infinitive construction is obligatory.)

Tu veux le faire?

Do you want to do it?

Many verbs are not followed by the subjunctive in subordinate clauses introduced by que. One of those that students often wonder about is the following (it takes the INDICATIVE).

espérer

J'espère que tu l'accepteras.

I hope you'll accept it.

c. Impersonal Verbs

These are verbs that regularly occur in the third person singular (with il). When they are followed by a subordinate clause introduced by que (rather than, for example, by an infinitive construction), the verb in the subordinate clause is in the subjunctive.

falloir	Il faut que tu ailles voir ce film.	You have to go see this film.
sembler	Il semble que Jean vende tous ses disques.	It seems that John is selling all his records.
valoir mieux	Il vaut mieux que tu restes avec nous.	It would be better for you to stay with us.

d. Impersonal Expressions With Être + Adjective

These are expressions composed of il or ce + être + adjective + a subordinate clause introduced by que. The ones listed below regularly take the subjunctive in the subordinate clause. As in (b) above, we list them alphabetically (according to the adjective). We'll give most examples with il, because that is the more frequent pronoun, although ce is used frequently in colloquial speech.

bon	Il est bon que vous ayez décidé de nous aider.	It's good that you decided to help us.
dommage	C'est dommage qu'elle ne puisse pas nous rejoindre.	It's a shame that she can't join us.
juste	Il est juste que nous t'aidions.	It's right that we should help you.
logique	Il est logique qu'on le fasse ainsi.	It's logical that it be done that way.
possible	Il est possible qu'il vienne.	It's possible that he'll come.
temps	II est temps qu'il l'épouse.	It's (about) time he married her.

NB: (1) The list above is not a complete list, but includes all the impersonal expressions used in this text.

(2) There are, of course, many impersonal expressions that do not take the subjunctive. In contrast with the expressions that take the subjunctive (see the characterization of subjunctive contexts at the beginning of Section 7.3), the expressions that take the indicative can be characterized as indicating a fact or something of which the speaker is certain.

Examples

Il est vrai que la grammaire française est très facile.	It's true that French grammar is very easy.
Il est certain que nous n'arriverons pas à l'heure.	It's certain that we won't arrive on time.

e. Personal Expressions With "Être'' + Adjective

These are verbal expressions composed of a (personal) subject pronoun or noun, + être + ADJECTIVE + a subordinate clause introduced by que. Those listed below regularly take the subjunctive in the subordinate clause. As for (b) and (c), these adjectives could be listed by semantic category, but we feel it is more useful to give you an alphabetical listing.

content	Nous sommes contents que vous soyez venus.	We're glad that you (all) came.
désolé	Il sera désolé que tu ne saches pas l'adresse.	He'll be very sorry that you don't know the address.
étonné	Je suis étonnée que tu ne comprennes pas.	I'm very surprised that you don't understand.
fâché	Elle est fâchée qu'il ne lui téléphone plus.	She's angry that he doesn't call her anymore.
heureux	Êtes-vous heureux qu'elle parte demain?	Are you happy that she's leaving tomorrow?

All of the above personal expressions (and others: this is not an exhaustive list, just those used in this book and some other common ones) always take the subjunctive in subordinate clauses introduced by que, whether they are affirmative or interrogative, declarative or negative.

There are a few personal verbal expressions that normally do not take the subjunctive (but see f.):

certain	Je suis certain qu'elle viendra.	I'm certain she will come.
sûr	Nous sommes sûrs qu'il l'achètera.	We're sure that he'll buy it.

f. Optional Subjunctive

All of the above (a-e) are verbs/verbal expressions that regularly take the subjunctive in subordinate clauses introduced by que. There are, in addition, some verbs and verbal expressions that may and often do take the subjunctive in subordinate clauses introduced by que, depending on additional factors, principally whether the main verb is in the negative or interrogative.

The following constructions, which in general express belief, conviction, or thought, take the subjunctive only when they are negative or interrogative, and even then they do not always do so. In other words, this is a case in which the subjunctive is selectively used by the speaker to indicate doubt (the speaker chooses to imply that he or she does not believe x will/did occur). We feel you should know about this use of the subjunctive, but we will not ask you to control the distinction between the indicative and subjunctive in such constructions in our text. We much prefer to emphasize the obligatory use of subjunctive forms triggered by specific verbs and expressions, as in Sections a-e above.

croire	Croyez-vous qu'il vienne/vient?	Do you think he's coming?
(with the subjunctive, the speaker indicates more doubt)
	Je ne crois pas que tu me dises toute la vérité.	I don't think you're telling me the whole truth.
dire	Très bien, je ne dis pas que ce soit certain, mais...	OK, I don't say that this is certain, but...
penser	Penses-tu qu'il finisse/finira à l'heure?	Do you think he'll finish on time?
sûr	Jacques n'est pas sûr que vous l'acceptiez.	Jim isn't sure that you'll accept it.

g. Conjunctions That Take the Subjunctive

No matter what the main verbal construction is, the subjunctive is found in subordinate clauses introduced by the following conjunctions:

afin que	Je te le dis afin que tu saches ce que je veux faire.	I'm telling you so that you'll know what I want to do.
bien que	Bien qu'elle ne veuille pas m'aider, je vais essayer.	Even though she doesn't want to help me, I'm going to try.
jusqu'à ce que	Je vais répéter jusqu'à ce que tu comprennes.	I'm going to repeat until you understand.
pour que	Je lui donne le camion pour qu'il transporte le frigo.	I'm giving him the truck so that he'll transport the fridge.
quoique	Quoique tu dises que tu n'en veux pas, je sais que tu en prendras.	Even though you say you don't want any, I know you'll take some.

7.3.3 Subjunctive Mood: Alternative Constructions

You will sometimes hear that the subjunctive is disappearing in French as it has, essentially, in English. That is an incorrect statement: the subjunctive mood forms still occur fairly frequently in both written and spoken French—not just in textbooks and literature. However, it is true that people will use alternate constructions (that mean more or less the same thing) very often both in colloquial speech and in informal writing.

The simplest alternative is to avoid producing a subordinate clause introduced by que. For example, instead of saying any of the following:

Il faut que tu partes tout de suite.	You have to leave right away.
Il faut que nous partions tout de suite.	We have to leave right away.
Il faut que je parte tout de suite.	I have to leave right away.

one can use the infinitive.

Il faut partir tout de suite.

"One/you/we" have to leave right away.

Obviously, the infinitive construction is ambiguous without context, but we usually speak with a context, so there is no problem using it.

Another alternative is to insert a verb that does not govern the subjunctive.

Je suis heureux que tu prennes l'avion.

I'm happy that you're taking the plane.

COULD BE REPHRASED:

Je suis heureux de savoir que tu prends l'avion.

I'm happy to learn that you're taking the plane.