Ch 19 · Lesson 10French · Chapter 19 · Lesson 10 · Grammar primer
Subjunctive irregulars: sois, aie, aille, fasse
Eight verbs to learn by heart: , , , , , , and . , , .
The short version
,
.
Why?Hide
The two auxiliaries are irregular all the way through: , , ; , , . There is no i after the y, ever. And keeps a silent -e that does not have.
stems for
.
Why?Hide
Both keep an odd stem in the heavy forms and revert for and . but ; but . Carrying the singular stem across gives you aillions, which is not a word in anybody's French.
The irregulars to learn by heart
Eight common verbs break the rule. Learn them as blocks.
Être and avoir
Irregular all the way through, with no i after the y in and .
| Person | être | avoir |
|---|---|---|
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| |
.- You have to be patient..- I want you to have the time.
sounds like but ends in a silent -e.
Aller and vouloir
An irregular stem in four persons, then the ordinary stem, exactly like the two-stem verbs:
| Person | aller | vouloir |
|---|---|---|
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| |
.- I want him to go to the doctor..- It's better that we go together.
Faire, pouvoir, savoir and falloir
One irregular stem for all six persons, with the regular endings:
| Person | faire | pouvoir | savoir |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
.- We have to be careful..- I need to know the truth.
(the verb behind ) has only one form: , as in (although we have to leave).
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
aillions | | switches back for |
viennions | | takes the stem |
| | is irregular |
(avoir) | | the silent -e |
prendes | | the stem is from |
soyions | | no i after the y |
French has no future subjunctive: a future idea still takes the present. . - I want him to come tomorrow.
Going further: At a glance and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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