Subjunctive: Irregular Verbs

While most French verbs follow the regular formation pattern in the subjunctive (ils stem + endings), there are several important verbs that are truly irregular — their subjunctive forms cannot be predicted from any indicative form. These are among the most commonly used verbs in French, so mastering them is essential.

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The Six Truly Irregular Verbs

Six verbs have subjunctive stems that must be memorised:

Verb	Meaning	Subjunctive Stem(s)
être	to be	soi- / soy-
avoir	to have	ai- / ay-
aller	to go	aill- / all-
faire	to do/make	fass-
pouvoir	to be able	puiss-
savoir	to know	sach-

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Être (to be)

Être is probably the most important irregular subjunctive verb. Note the two-stem pattern:

Person	Subjunctive
que je	sois
que tu	sois
qu'il/elle/on	soit
que nous	soyons
que vous	soyez
qu'ils/elles	soient

Example sentences: