Subjunctive with Conjunctions

Beyond verbs of wishing, emotion, and doubt, the French subjunctive also appears after certain conjunctions — words that connect clauses. Some conjunctions always require the subjunctive, while others take the indicative. Learning which conjunctions trigger the subjunctive is essential for constructing complex, natural-sounding French sentences.

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Conjunctions That Always Require the Subjunctive

The following conjunctions always trigger the subjunctive, regardless of context. They describe situations that are inherently unrealised, hypothetical, or viewed through a subjective lens:

Purpose (le but)