📖LearnModule 7 · Lesson 4 of 30Independent User · CEFR B1, completedUnit 1 · Il faut que — the subjunctive opens
Two people, or one? — que or the infinitive
Module 7 of the free French course (CEFR B1, completed), lesson 4 of 30: . 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 4.
The words
French
English
Say it
il faut partir
we must leave
eel foh pahr-TEER
que tu partes
that you leave
kuh tew PAHRT
je veux partir
I want to leave
zhuh vuh pahr-TEER
il vaut mieux
it is better to
eel voh MYUH
éviter
to avoid
ay-vee-TAY
la règle
the rule
lah REHGL
le sujet
the subject (of a verb)
luh sew-ZHEH
compter
to count
koh(n)-TAY
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
Here is the rule that saves you half the work: if the sentence has only ONE person in it, French skips the subjunctive and uses an infinitive. Il faut partir — someone has to leave, no one named. Il faut que tu partes — YOU have to leave.
Et aussi · And also
The same applies to wishing: je veux partir (I want to leave — me) against je veux que tu partes (I want YOU to leave). Count the people first, then choose the shape. Two subjects means que; one means the infinitive.
Attention · Watch out
Count the people: il faut partir (everyone, or nobody in particular) takes the infinitive; il faut que tu partes (you) takes que and the subjunctive.
partir — the table
je pars · tu pars · il/elle part · nous partons · vous partez · ils/elles partent
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the French spelling alone — begin with il faut partir.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the French.
Write out partir 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.