📖LearnModule 10 · Lesson 11 of 30Independent User · CEFR B1 + B2 mastery, and the C1 bridgeUnit 3 · Le subjonctif, la carte complète
Les quatre familles
Module 10 of the free French course (CEFR B1 + B2 mastery, and the C1 bridge), lesson 11 of 30: The whole subjunctive fits on one card. On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line, the conjugation table and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's lesson 11.
The words
French
English
Say it
la nécessité
necessity
lah nay-say-see-TAY
la famille de déclencheurs
the family of triggers
lah fah-mee duh day-klah(n)-SHUHR
la carte mentale
the mind map
lah kahrt mah(n)-TAHL
deviner
to guess
duh-vee-NAY
l'abusmasculine — the article elides to l'
the overuse
lah-BEW
la maîtrise
the command of something
lah meh-TREEZ
systématique
systematic
sees-tay-mah-TEEK
par famille
family by family
pahr fah-MEE
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
Hear the words
Each word is read twice — say it back in the gap. Computer-generated voice; credits on the course page.
La règle · The rule
The whole subjunctive fits on one card. NECESSITY: il faut que, il est important que. WILL: vouloir que, souhaiter que, exiger que. EMOTION: content que, peur que, dommage que. DOUBT: douter que, possible que, and any negated opinion.
Et aussi · And also
Everything else is indicative. If a trigger is not in one of those four families and not on the conjunction list, do not reach for the subjunctive — most over-use comes from guessing.
Attention · Watch out
Four families take the subjunctive, plus the relative-clause case after a superlative or seul. Most over-use comes from guessing: if a trigger is not in a family or on the conjunction list, use the indicative.
faire, subjonctif — the table
je fasse · tu fasses · il/elle fasse · nous fassions · vous fassiez · ils/elles fassent
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the French spelling alone — begin with la nécessité.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the French.
Write out faire, subjonctif in full from memory, every person, and check each form against the table above.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The French Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Keep these words
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.