Agreement of tenses; The tenses of the subjunctive
The tenses of the subjunctive
Agreement of tenses is the name given to the rules governing the choice of tense in a subordinate clause, in relation to the tense which is used in the main clause. The action or the state expressed by the verb in the subordinate clause can be before, at the same time as or after the action or state expressed in the main clause
· The present subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause when the verb in the main clause is in the present or future indicative:
Je redoute qu’il vienne.
Je lui dirai qu’il ne vienne pas.
· The perfect subjunctive is commonly used when the verb in the main clause is in a past tense:
Je redoutais qu’il ne soit parti sans moi.
Je souhaitais qu’il ait réussi.
This is only possible if the action in the subordinate clause takes place before that of the main clause, as in the examples above. Otherwise the present subjunctive is used, even when the verb in the main clause is in a past tense:
Il voulait que je le fasse. (He wanted me to do it.)
Je craignais qu’il ne soit pas d’accord. (I was afraid he wouldn’t agree.)
In literary French, the imperfect subjunctive may still be found:
Je craignais qu’il ne fût pas d’accord.
Je redoute qu’il vienne.
Je lui dirai qu’il ne vienne pas.
· The perfect subjunctive is commonly used when the verb in the main clause is in a past tense:
Je redoutais qu’il ne soit parti sans moi.
Je souhaitais qu’il ait réussi.
This is only possible if the action in the subordinate clause takes place before that of the main clause, as in the examples above. Otherwise the present subjunctive is used, even when the verb in the main clause is in a past tense:
Il voulait que je le fasse. (He wanted me to do it.)
Je craignais qu’il ne soit pas d’accord. (I was afraid he wouldn’t agree.)
In literary French, the imperfect subjunctive may still be found:
Je craignais qu’il ne fût pas d’accord.