Subjunctive with Emotions and Wishes

Emotions and wishes are the most natural triggers for the subjunctive in French. When you express what you want, hope, fear, or feel about another person's actions, you enter the realm of the subjunctive. This lesson covers two of the most important categories of subjunctive triggers: wishes (la volonté) and emotions (les sentiments).

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Part 1: Wishes and Desires (la volonté)

The Key Verbs

When you express a desire about what someone else should do, the verb in the subordinate clause must be in the subjunctive: