More Ways of Avoiding the Subjunctive

By Marie-Claire Lander

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!

Topics Grammar

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