French · Chapter 19 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
The present subjunctive: how to form it
The mechanical rule: take the ils form of the present (ils parlent), drop the -ent, add -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent. The nous / vous forms borrow the imperfect stem, plus the handful of irregulars you memorise - etre, avoir, aller, faire, pouvoir, savoir, vouloir, falloir.
The short version
The ils form builds the whole subjunctive
Take the ils form of the present, knock off -ent and add -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent. Ils parlent gives que je parle, ils finissent gives que je finisse, ils vendent gives que je vende. For -er verbs the result matches the indicative exactly, which is why the mood is so quiet.
Il faut que tu finisses ton travail.
Aller and vouloir change stems for nous
Both keep an odd stem in the heavy forms and revert for nous and vous. Que j'aille but que nous allions; que je veuille but que nous voulions. Carrying the singular stem across gives you que nous aillions, which is not a word in anybody's French.
Il vaut mieux que nous allions ensemble.
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