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Specific circumstances triggering the subjunctive (2)Subordinate clauses as the object of a preposition/conjunctionCertain prepositions and conjunctions trigger the subjunctive in their subordinate clause. Generally speaking, they are:
Within the prepositions, we include prepositions such as sans (que), pour (que), which don't really give any time reference at all. And we include phrases that effectively act as prepositions such as:
Examples with the subjunctive:
Il faut terminer ce travail avant que le patron revienne
We need to finish this job before the boss gets back On terminera ce travail pourvu que le patron ne revienne pas avant midi We'll finish this job provided the boss doesn't get back before midday On terminera ce travail sans que le patron revienne pour nous aider We'll finish this job without the boss coming back to help us On terminera ce travail pour que le patron puisse dormir tranquillement ce soir We'll finish this job so that the boss can sleep soundly in his bed tonight On essayait de finir le travail de crainte que le patron revienne plus tôt que prévu We were trying to finish the job for fear that the boss might come back earlier than expected  Suggest a change / proposez une modificationExamples with the indicative (prepositions that express an event happening at the same time or before the event of the main clause):
j'étais sur le point de partir quand Marie est arrivée
I was about to leave when Marie arrived je finirai ce travail dès que j'aurai un moment de libre I'll finish this job as soon as I have a spare moment pendant que tu finis tes devoirs, je regarderai la télé while you finish your homework, I'll watch TV lorsqu'on parle politique, on dit souvent des bêtises whenever people talk politics, they often say silly things J'ai commencé à dessiner aussitôt que j'ai pu tenir un crayon I started to draw as soon as I could hold a pencil in my hand Suggest a change / proposez une modificationJones (1996: 193) groups sans que with loin que and non (pas) que as introducing 'negative clauses' that trigger the subjunctive:
Pierre ne veut pas y entrer; non (pas) qu'il ait peur.
Pierre doesn't want to go in; not that he's afraid. Suggest a change / proposez une modification'Result' clausesCertain conjunctions introduce a so-called 'result clause' (also called 'manner clause'). They are:
and are translated by phrases such as 'so that', 'in such a way that' in English.
When these conjunctions assert a result, they take the indicative; when they
non-assertively express a purpose (that may or may not have been achieved),
they trigger the subjunctive.
Here is an example of this distinction:
j'ai parlé lentement de façon qu'il a pu comprendre
I spoke slowly so that he could understand (result, assertion) parle lentement de façon qu'il puisse comprendre speak slowly so that he can understand (purpose, non-assertion) Suggest a change / proposez une modification(Note that pour que and afin que always express a purpose, so always trigger the subjunctive.) Click here to go on to the next page, which deals with the subjunctive in relative clauses. Notes1. Though the convention in formal French is for après to take an indicative rather than a subjunctive.
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