79 J'ai peur qu'il soit vexé

Subjunctive Mood

Usage Overview

Common Verb Conjugations (Subjunctive Present)

Examples by Category

1. Wishes/Desires

• Il souhaite que vous veniez. (“He wishes you would come.”)
• J’exige qu’elle lise ce document. (“I demand she read this document.”)

2. Emotions

• Je suis heureux que tu réussisses. (“I’m happy you’re succeeding.”)
• Il craint que nous ne soyons en retard. (“He’s worried we’ll be late.”)

3. Doubt

• Il est possible qu’il pleuve demain. (“It might rain tomorrow.”)
• Je ne crois pas qu’elle sache la vérité. (“I don’t think she knows the truth.”)

4. Impersonal Expressions

• Il est crucial que vous compreniez. (“It’s crucial you understand.”)
• Il vaut mieux que je reste. (“I’d better stay.”)

5. Conjunctions

• Je ferme la porte pour qu’il n’entende pas. (“I’m closing the door so he won’t hear.”)
• Bien qu’il soit riche, il est modeste. (“Although he’s rich, he’s modest.”)

Key Rules

1. Two-Subject Requirement:
   Use the subjunctive only when the main and dependent clauses have different subjects.

   • ✅ Je veux qu’il parte. (“I want him to leave.”)
   • ❌ Je veux partir. (Same subject → infinitive)

2. Avoid After Certain Conjunctions:
   Use indicative after après que, parce que, puisque:

   • Je mange après qu’il arrive (indicative: arrive).

3. Irregular Verbs: Focus on mastering être, avoir, aller, faire.

Memory Tips

• “WEIRDOS” Acronym:
  Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal, Recommendations, Doubt, Opinions, Subjunctive triggers.
• Same Subject? Use Infinitive:
  Je préfère manger (Not que je mange).
• Practice Common Triggers: Focus on il faut que, vouloir que, bien que.

💬 Examples from the text

aussi … que

• Le train est aussi cher que l’avion. The train is as expensive as the plane.
• Il est aussi exigeant que maniaque. He’s as demanding as he is finicky.

amener, emmener, apporter, and emporter

Here’s a markdown table explaining the French words amener, emmener, apporter, and emporter, along with examples:

Key Differences:

• Amener/Emmener: Used for people or animals (things that can move).
  • Amener = bring to a place.
  • Emmener = take away from a place.
• Apporter/Emporter: Used for objects (things that cannot move).
  • Apporter = bring to a place.
  • Emporter = take away from a place.

en vouloir à

The French expression en vouloir à and its reflexive form s’en vouloir convey nuanced emotions related to blame or resentment. Here’s a breakdown:

Key Features

1. Indirect Objects:
   Use pronouns (me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur) or nouns with à to specify the target of resentment:

   • Tu m’en veux ? (“Are you mad at me?”)
   • Il en veut à son frère. (“He resents his brother.”)

2. Adding Reasons:
   Use de + noun/infinitive to explain why:

   • Je leur en veux de leur égoïsme. (“I resent them for their selfishness.”)
   • Nous nous en voulons d’être partis. (“We blame ourselves for leaving.”)

3. Negation:
   Often used with ne … pas to soften the statement:

   • Ne m’en veux pas ! (“Don’t be mad at me!”)
   • Je ne t’en veux plus. (“I’m not angry with you anymore.”)

Conjugation Examples

Notes

• Idiomatic Use: The en in en vouloir à doesn’t translate literally. It’s a fixed phrase for expressing blame.
• Formality: Common in informal speech. Avoid in formal writing.
• Extended Meaning: En vouloir à can sometimes mean “to covet” (e.g., Il en veut à notre argent – “He’s after our money”).
• Reflexive Nuance: S’en vouloir often implies lingering regret:
  Je m’en veux encore de cet accident. (“I still blame myself for that accident.”)

Common Phrases

• Ne m’en veux pas, c’était une erreur. (“Don’t hold it against me; it was a mistake.”)
• Elle s’en veut terriblement. (“She’s terribly hard on herself.”)
• Est-ce que tu m’en veux ? (“Are you mad at me?”)

📔 Grammar Breakdown

“Il suffit de le regarder droit dans les yeux et lui dire, gentiment mais fermement.”

1. “Il suffit de” - This is an impersonal expression meaning “It is enough to” or “One only needs to”.

   • “Il” is the impersonal subject pronoun
   • “suffit” is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb “suffire” (to be enough)
   • “de” introduces the infinitive that follows

2. “le regarder” - This is an infinitive verb phrase.

   • “le” is a direct object pronoun (him/it)
   • “regarder” is the infinitive form of the verb “to look at”

3. “droit dans les yeux” - This is an adverbial phrase.

   • “droit” is an adverb meaning “straight”
   • “dans” is a preposition meaning “in”
   • “les yeux” is a plural noun meaning “the eyes”

4. “et” - This is a coordinating conjunction meaning “and”

5. “lui dire” - Another infinitive verb phrase.

   • “lui” is an indirect object pronoun meaning “to him/her”
   • “dire” is the infinitive form of the verb “to say”

6. “gentiment mais fermement” - This is an adverbial phrase modifying “dire”.

   • “gentiment” is an adverb meaning “kindly”
   • “mais” is a coordinating conjunction meaning “but”
   • “fermement” is an adverb meaning “firmly”

The entire sentence is a complex infinitive construction that could be translated as: “It is enough to look him/her straight in the eyes and tell him/her, kindly but firmly”

Vocabulaire