When do I use the Subjunctive?

First and foremost, it is important to understand that the subjunctive is rarely used in spoken French nowadays, and is becoming less significant even in modern written French. The subjunctive is still used in formal French, however, especially in business environments, which is why it is important to be comfortable with it. Another important concept to understand is that the subjunctive is a ‘mood’ and not a ‘tense’, meaning that it conveys emotion in its use, rather than placing an action in time. (You may have already seen this in learning imperatives at GCSE, as the imperative is also a ‘mood’, this time conveying orders).When someone expresses feelings of doubt, fear or desire, we use the subjunctive. There are also set phrases that must always be followed by the subjunctive mood. Examples: Doubt: Je ne crois pas que tu aies raison  - I don’t think that you are right Fear: J’ai peur que nous perdions le match– I am worried that we are losing the match Desire: Sa mère voudrait qu’il fasse ses devoirs – His mother would like him to do his homework. Set phrases: Il est important qu’on s'intègre afin que nous puissions améliorer notre société - It is important to integrate so that we may improve our society (There are many set phrases that are easy to learn from a vocab list and can be slipped in to give your essays more authenticity) Finally, a good indicator is the word ‘que’, especially after an opinion has been given, as the subject of the sentence is changing:E.g. Je suis contente que tu fasses les vaisselles – I am happy that you’re doing the washing up.WHEREASJe suis contente de faire les vaisselles – I am happy to do the washing upThe subject in this sentence is the same so the subjunctive is not needed.