In the first part of this lesson, we learned how to avoid the subjunctive by using an infinitive. In this part, we will explore how to use the infinitive in impersonal expressions. We will also focus on other creative ways to get around the subjunctive in negative sentences and other phrases, and discuss some of the pitfalls to avoid while making changes.

Some impersonal expressions that trigger the subjunctive such as il faut que (it's necessary that) and il est important que (it’s important that) can change to il faut + infinitive (it's necessary to) and il est important de + infinitive (it's important to). However, bear in mind that using the infinitive changes the meaning slightly, as we switch from a command addressed to a specific person to a general statement.

In the example below, Sophie uses il faut que tu + subjunctive (you have to) to tell Olivier to be patient when growing avocadoes from seeds:

Et puis là, il faut que tu sois patient.

And then there, you have to be patient.

Caption 25, Sophie et Olivier Les avocatiers de Sophie

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Sophie could have used the infinitive instead, but as mentioned earlier, it would change the meaning slightly. In this case, il faut + infinitive would no longer be a personal recommendation addressed specifically to Olivier, but general advice for avocado growers:

Et puis là, il faut être patient.

And then there, one has to be patient.

Likewise, c’est important que (it’s important that), which calls for the subjunctive, can be reworked with an infinitive without altering the meaning. The problem is that it would require making some major changes that might seem tricky:

C'est important que le sucre soit bien dissout et que la vanille infuse correctement.

It's important that the sugar be well dissolved and that the vanilla infuse properly.

Captions 52-53, Whoogy's Crème brûlée facile & ultra-onctueuse

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C'est important de bien dissoudre le sucre et d’infuser la vanille correctement.

It's important to dissolve the sugar well and infuse the vanilla properly.

Indeed, this required us to overhaul the whole sentence structure. In the end, it may be simpler to learn how to use the subjunctive! 

Other times, switching to the infinitive may look deceptively easy, but under close scrutiny, we realize that it is not grammatically possible:

Il faut que j'y aille. J'ai un métro à prendre, moi.

I have to go. I have a metro to catch.

Captions 73-74, Sophie et Patrice Les transports publics

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Since this is a first-person sentence, it wouldn't make sense as a general statement, which involves more than one person. It would only work if the recommendation was made by someone else, for example by changing je to tu:

Il faut y aller. Tu as un métro à prendre.

You have to go. You have a metro to catch.

Il faut + infinitive is really a euphemism for “you should" here. It would also work if we used nous/on:

Il faut y aller. On a/Nous avons un métro à prendre.

We should go. We have a metro to catch.

If that sounds far too complicated, there's a simpler way to avoid all this: find a synonym instead! Instead of il faut que j’y aille, you can say je dois y aller (I must/have to go).

Je dois y aller. J'ai un métro à prendre.

I have to go. I have a metro to catch.

There are other creative ways to avoid some subjunctives. One of them is to split a main clause and dependent clause into two independent clauses:  

Mais je suis content que ce soit toi qui l'achètes.

But I'm glad it's you who's buying it.

Caption 42, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience: Détournement d'argent dans le couple ? - Part 2

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Instead of saying je suis content que tu + subjunctive, we could split the sentence in two after content:

Mais je suis content. C’est toi qui l'achètes.

But I'm glad. It's you who's buying it.

Or we could keep it all one sentence and link the two clauses with parce que (because) or puisque (since):

Mais je suis content parce que/puisque c’est toi qui l'achètes.

But I'm glad because/since it's you who's buying it.

There is yet another way to avoid the subjunctive: replacing an impersonal expression with an adverb. For instance, il est heureux que (it’s fortunate that) can change to heureusement (fortunately):

Il est heureux que la Confédération ne connaisse pas de problèmes pour l'heure.

It's fortunate that the Confederation isn't experiencing any problems for the time being.

Caption 17, Il était une fois: L’Espace 3. La planète verte - Part 2

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Rephrasing the sentence with an adverb makes it less formal and more concise:

Heureusement, la Confédération ne connaît pas de problèmes pour l'heure.

Fortunately, the Confederation isn't experiencing any problems for the time being.

It is also possible to avoid the subjunctive by finding a close alternative. For example, replace subjunctive-triggering expressions such as je ne suis pas sûr que (I am not sure that) with je ne sais pas (I don’t know). Here, we're removing the degree of uncertainty, so we don’t need the subjunctive anymore:

Je suis pas sûre que ça soit la bonne version, par contre.

I'm not sure that's the right version, though.

Caption 14, Le Jour où tout a basculé À la recherche de mon passé - Part 7

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Je ne sais pas si c’est la bonne version, par contre.

I don't know if that's the right version, though.

However, it is sometimes not possible to make changes without losing the meaning of the sentence. For example, in both French and English you cannot change je ne crois pas qu'ils soient (I don’t believe they are) to je crois qu’ils ne sont pas (I believe they are not) without changing the meaning:

Je ne crois pas que ce soit [qu'ils soient] des amis.

I don't believe they are friends.

Caption 9, Il était une fois: les Explorateurs 10. Amerigo Vespucci - Part 7

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If we were to restructure the sentence to avoid the subjunctive, we'd be switching from a doubt to a categorical statement:

Je crois qu’ils ne sont pas des amis.

I believe they are not friends.

In conclusion, you can avoid the subjunctive for the sake of simplicity, as French speakers often do, using many different techniques. Just be aware that it is not always advisable or possible to avoid it, as it can alter the meaning of a sentence. For some practice rewording subjunctive sentences, click here. Thank you for reading!

The French have an appreciation for quality living. The enjoyment of fine food, wine, and life’s simple pleasures are an essential part of French culture. Hence the abundance of French terms—such as bon vivant, gourmet, gourmand, connaisseur and more—that capture this ethos. Many of these expressions have filtered into the English language, highlighting the influence of French culture and values. 

Some of these terms are loanwords and are left as is. In France people who enjoy food fall into two broad categories, gourmet and gourmand. Both words convey the idea of enjoying food but in a slightly different way. A gourmet has a more refined taste than a gourmand, who may not have the same knowledge or might enjoy food to excess, especially sweet food:

Ou que vous soyez gourmet ou gourmand, je vous propose aujourd'hui de faire des crêpes

Or whether you're a gourmet or gourmand, today I propose that you make crêpes

Captions 2-3, Le saviez-vous? Comment faire des crêpes

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As a noun, when referring to people, "gourmand" and "gourmet" are considered loanwords and are usually not translated. However, when used as adjectives, they take on different meanings in English depending on context. In this video, la Bretagne gourmande refers to “the foodies of Brittany," which is a more specialized meaning:

Difficile alors d'échapper au Marché des Lices à Rennes; c'est comme si toute la Bretagne gourmande s'y retrouvait.

It's difficult then to escape the Lices Market in Rennes; it's as if all the foodies of Brittany were there.

Captions 4-5, Le Journal Gourmet en Bretagne

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Usually though, the adjective gourmand/gourmande simply refers to someone with a sweet tooth:

Je suis pas très gourmand...

I don't have much of a sweet tooth...

Caption 12, LCM Recette: Crêpes

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In addition, the adjective gourmand can also apply to food itself to mean “delicious.” In his cooking series Whoogy’s, Hugo uses the word gourmand to describe one of his tasty creations, une crème méga gourmande (a mega-tasty cream): 

Pour une crème méga gourmande, on va utiliser de la crème.

For a mega-tasty crème, we're going to use cream.

Captions 34-35, Whoogy's Crème brûlée facile & ultra-onctueuse

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In another video, Hugo describes his mushroom gnocchi dish using this simple phrase: C’est gourmand. Interestingly, gourmand translates as “gourmet” in English here, conveying the idea that Whoogy’s dish is not only delicious but refined:

C'est bon. C'est gourmand.

It's good. It's gourmet.

Captions 9-10, Whoogy's Gnocchis maison faciles (champignons & parmesan)

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Speaking of delicious food, each region of France offers its own variety of gourmandises (treats or delicacies). In this video, a shopkeeper will tempt you with une gourmandise called a madeleine: 

À savoir, une gourmandise, un magnifique gâteau qui est déjà assez ancien et qui se nomme la "madeleine".

Namely, a sweet treat, a magnificent cake that is quite old already and that is called the "madeleine".

Captions 23-25, Lionel La boutique de madeleines de Liverdun - Part 1

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Une gourmandise can also mean a “delicacy” that is not necessarily sweet:

Des gourmandises de toutes sortes vous attendent dans cette épicerie fine.

All kinds of delicacies await you in this delicatessen.

Une gourmandise has a synomym, une friandise. Une friandise more often describes a treat for grownups, although that’s not always the case. In this video, Saint-Nicolas is in charge of giving out friandises to good children:

C'est pour ça qu'il fait le tour, euh... -Des écoles -Des écoles pour donner... des friandises.

This is why he is doing a tour of, uh... -Schools -Schools to give... treats.

Caption 3, Grand Lille TV Focus: la tradition de Saint-Nicolas

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Here is an interesting quote from Mazouz Hacène contrasting the word gourmandise (gluttony) and friandise (delicacy):

Ne sois pas la gourmandise des hommes mais la friandise d’un homme.

Be not the gluttony of men but the delicacy of one man.

Indeed, the word gourmandise spells pleasure and indulgence. When discussing different types of wine in France, this winegrower makes an interesting distinction between vins de garde (wines to keep) and vins de gourmandise (wines to indulge in):

Et ça, c'est plus un vin de garde alors que le "Dentelle" était plus un vin... de gourmandise à boire rapidement.

And this is more of a wine to keep, while the "Dentelle" was more of a wine... to indulge in, to drink quickly.

Captions 17-18, Provence Domaine Rouge-Bleu - Part 1

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Speaking of indulgence, the term "guilty pleasure" comes to mind, but the French prefer to call it a “cute sin” (un péché mignon), sans guilt:

Ça a toujours été mon péché mignon, avec le vin et le fromage.

It's always been my guilty pleasure, along with wine and cheese.

Caption 22, Le Village de la Bière Ceci n'est pas un bar!

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In fact, there is a special word in French and English for people who know how to enjoy life to the fullest. They are called bons vivants (literally, "good living"). According to Merriam-Webster, a bon vivant is "a sociable person who has cultivated and refined tastes especially with respect to food and drink.” According to this video, there is no shortage of bons vivants in the Burgundy region:

Dijon est l'une des capitales de la gastronomie française. Et ses habitants sont réputés pour être de bons vivants. On adore manger ici en Bourgogne.

Dijon is one of the capitals of French gastronomy. And its inhabitants are known for being bons vivants. We love to eat here in Burgundy. 

Captions 73-78, TF1 Info Week-end à Dijon, capitale des ducs de Bourgogne - Part 1

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And people who know a lot about food and wine especially are connaisseurs (with an a—don't let autocorrect change it to the English spelling “connoisseur” when writing in French!). In this humorous video, wannabe cook Isabelle leaves it to un connaisseur to judge her dubious entry in a cooking competition:

C'est un connaisseur, lui.

He's a connoisseur.

Caption 78, Mère & Fille Cuisine Monster

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Finally, here is one expression that is often used in anticipation of a delicious meal:

On va se régaler.

We're going to enjoy it [It's going to be delicious].

Caption 57, Sophie et Patrice Les ustensiles de cuisine

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Sample some of Yabla's food-related videos and learn how to prepare some gourmandises (delicacies). In no time, you will become a connaisseur! Régalez-vous!