b Before you leave, may I ask you a favour?
Before leaving, I gave her a ring.
c She is frightened of travelling alone.
He is afraid of her having an accident.
d He left without saying goodbye.
She left without his seeing her.6 Translate into French, using the subjunctive where appropriate.
a Whatever you do, you can never please him.
b Although we like the town, we are not sorry to be leaving.
c He wants you to give him a ring tonight.
d He is the most outstanding student I know.
e Whatever his reasons may be, there can really be no excuse.
f He has ordered that the prisoners be released.
g I am afraid that he may come back later.
h Are you saying that he is lying?
i We are going to have lunch on the terrace unless it rains.
j It is possible that they may know the result already.
k He hopes that she will be back tonight.
l Whether he knows it or not, he is going to be elected president of the organization.7 Oral work (pair work)
a Working with a partner, discuss what the government should do to improve conditions in
higher education. Try to use expressions such as: il faut que, il faudrait que, il est essentiel
que, il est grand temps que, il est important que+ subjunctive as much as possible.
b Discuss how possible/probable it is that the following will happen:- you will go to France this year
- you will win the National Lottery
- you will become a teacher
- contact will be established with alien life on another planet.
Try to use expressions such as il est possible que, il est peu probable que, je ne crois pas que+
subjunctive where appropriate. Remember, however, that such expressions as il est probable
que, je crois quetake the indicative.
c Imagine that you have received the following items of news. Discuss your emotional
reaction to each item: - your parents are moving to a new area
- a friend has won a large sum of money in the National Lottery
- you have won a holiday in the Caribbean
- a friend has been involved in a road accident.
Remember to use the subjunctive after, e.g., craindre que, je suis content/désolé que, je
regrette que, etc., but to use the indicative after, e.g., espérer que.
The subjunctive (present and perfect) 177