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Use the indicative when the speaker presents the action as a fact, certainty, observation, or real event; use the subjunctive when the speaker presents it as desired, doubtful, necessary, emotional, judged, or not yet confirmed. The trigger is usually in the main clause before que: je pense qu'il vient takes the indicative because the speaker treats it as likely, while je veux qu'il vienne takes the subjunctive because the second action is desired, not asserted.
fact / certainty → indicatif · desire / doubt / emotion / necessity → subjonctif
The indicative is the normal mood for reporting reality: what happens, what happened, what will happen, what you know, what you see, and what you believe as a fact. The subjunctive appears when the main clause stops presenting the second action as a fact and instead frames it through a mental attitude: wanting it, fearing it, doubting it, requiring it, regretting it, or judging it.
So do not ask whether the event is objectively true in the real world. Ask how the speaker is packaging it grammatically. Je suis content qu'elle soit là uses the subjunctive even though she is actually there, because the main point is emotion. Je constate qu'elle est là uses the indicative because the main point is observation.
Je sais qu'il est malade.
I know that he is sick.
certainty → indicative
Je veux qu'il soit honnête.
I want him to be honest.
desire → subjunctive
Elle pense que nous avons raison.
She thinks we are right.
belief presented as likely → indicative
Elle doute que nous ayons raison.
She doubts that we are right.
doubt → subjunctive
dire / savoir / voir / croire / penser / constater + que → indicatif
Verbs of saying, knowing, seeing, noticing, and believing usually take the indicative when they are affirmative, because they introduce information the speaker treats as real. Dire que, savoir que, voir que, constater que, croire que, and penser que do not automatically make the sentence advanced; they simply report a fact or belief.
The trap is that some of these verbs can flip in the negative or interrogative when the speaker no longer asserts the information: je ne crois pas qu'il soit prêt, crois-tu qu'il soit prêt ? In everyday French you may hear the indicative after negative croire or penser, but exam writing rewards the subjunctive when the sentence expresses real doubt.
Je vois que tu comprends la règle.
I see that you understand the rule.
Nous pensons que cette solution fonctionnera.
We think this solution will work.
Je ne crois pas que cette solution fonctionne.
I do not think this solution works.
negative belief often triggers subjunctive
Crois-tu qu'elle puisse venir ?
Do you think she can come?
question with uncertainty
| Meaning in the main clause | Mood after que | Example |
|---|---|---|
| certainty / knowledge | indicatif | Je sais qu'il vient. |
| observation | indicatif | Je vois qu'il travaille. |
| affirmative belief | indicatif | Je pense qu'elle a raison. |
| desire / will | subjonctif | Je veux qu'elle vienne. |
| necessity | subjonctif | Il faut qu'il parte. |
| emotion | subjonctif | Je suis ravi qu'il soit ici. |
| doubt / denial | subjonctif | Je doute qu'il comprenne. |
| judgment | subjonctif | Il est important que vous sachiez cela. |
Do not use the subjunctive just because a sentence contains que. Que is only the door; the main clause decides what walks through it. Je dis que tu as raison, je sais que tu as raison, and je vois que tu as raison all keep the indicative because they assert information.
Do not translate English mechanically. English often uses the same verb form in both moods: I want him to come, I know he comes. French marks the difference visibly: je veux qu'il vienne, je sais qu'il vient. The form vienne is not optional decoration; it changes the grammatical relationship between the clauses.
Watch espérer. In standard French, espérer que normally takes the indicative because the speaker expects the event: j'espère qu'il viendra. Many learners overgeneralize desire triggers and write j'espère qu'il vienne, which sounds non-standard in most exam contexts.
Think of the indicative as the camera mode: it records the world as the speaker presents it. Think of the subjunctive as the reaction mode: it records the speaker's attitude toward an action. If the first clause could be replaced by it is true that, stay in the indicative. If it could be replaced by I want / fear / doubt / require / judge that, move to the subjunctive.
Subjonctif vs indicatif is one of the clearest B2 grammar signals in TEF, TCF, DELF, and SLE writing. A candidate who only writes je pense que, parce que, and il y a can still be understood, but the grammar ceiling stays low. One accurate sentence such as bien que cette solution soit coûteuse, elle reste nécessaire shows control of subordination, mood, and argument nuance. In speaking, do not force rare triggers; use a small reliable set: il faut que, je veux que, je suis content que, je ne pense pas que. Examiners penalize both missing subjunctives after mandatory triggers and decorative subjunctives after ordinary fact verbs.
No. Que can introduce both indicative and subjunctive clauses. The meaning of the main clause decides: je sais que tu viens is indicative because it asserts a fact; je veux que tu viennes is subjunctive because it expresses desire.
In standard French, use the indicative after espérer que: j'espère qu'il viendra. Espérer expresses expectation more than doubt. The subjunctive may appear in some regional or highly uncertain uses, but it is not the safe exam choice.
Because the main clause expresses emotion. The subjunctive does not always mean unreal; it means the action is framed through subjectivity, emotion, judgment, doubt, desire, or necessity rather than asserted as plain information.
Start with il faut que, vouloir que, souhaiter que, être content que, être important que, douter que, bien que, pour que, and avant que. These cover most exam writing and speaking needs without sounding forced.