Les Subordonnées: tableau de synthèse | French Grammar

This page is a synthesis. By the time you reach B2, you have met most of the French subordinate-clause conjunctions one at a time, scattered across pages on cause, time, purpose, concession, and condition. The trouble is that the system reveals its logic only when you see it whole. Some conjunctions take the indicative because they describe established reality; others take the subjunctive because they introduce something hypothetical, desired, doubted, or merely projected. A handful straddle both moods depending on what they mean in context.

The table below groups every major subordinate-clause conjunction by clause type, lists its required mood, and gives a short example. Use it as a lookup. The sections after the table walk through the patterns the table hides — why the moods land where they do — so you can predict the right form for conjunctions you have not yet memorized.

The master table

Clause type	Conjunction(s)	Mood	Example
Time — simultaneous	quand, lorsque, pendant que, tandis que, comme, au moment où	Indicative	Quand il vient, on dîne ensemble.
Time — anteriority (before)	avant que, jusqu'à ce que, en attendant que	Subjunctive	Avant qu'il parte, dis-lui au revoir.
Time — posteriority (after)	après que, dès que, aussitôt que, une fois que	Indicative	Après qu'il est parti, j'ai rangé la cuisine.
Cause	parce que, car, puisque, comme, étant donné que, vu que, du fait que	Indicative	Parce qu'il pleut, on reste à la maison.
Cause — denied	non que, non pas que, ce n'est pas que	Subjunctive	Non qu'il soit méchant, mais il est maladroit.
Result (consequence)	si bien que, de sorte que, tellement que, tant que, au point que	Indicative	Il a tellement crié qu'il a perdu la voix.
Purpose (aim)	pour que, afin que, de peur que, de crainte que	Subjunctive	Je parle lentement pour qu'il comprenne.
Result or purpose	de sorte que, de manière que, de façon que	Indicative (result) / Subjunctive (purpose)	Il a parlé fort, de sorte que tout le monde l'a entendu (result) / Parle fort, de sorte que tout le monde t'entende (purpose)
Concession — factual	bien que, quoique, encore que	Subjunctive	Bien qu'il pleuve, je sors.
Concession — hypothetical	même si	Indicative	Même si tu pleures, je ne céderai pas.
Concession — parallel	alors que, tandis que	Indicative	Il étudie, alors qu'elle joue.
Comparison — manner	comme, ainsi que, de même que	Indicative	Fais comme tu veux.
Comparison — degree	que (after plus, moins, aussi, autant)	Indicative	Il travaille plus que je pensais.
Comparison — counterfactual	comme si	Indicative (imparfait or pluperfect, never present)	Il parle comme s'il savait tout.
Condition — real	si	Indicative	Si tu viens, je serai content.
Condition — hypothetical	à condition que, pourvu que, à moins que, pour peu que, supposé que	Subjunctive	Je viendrai à condition qu'il fasse beau.
Doubt / negation of belief	je doute que, il n'est pas certain que, il se peut que	Subjunctive	Je doute qu'il vienne.
Opinion — negative or interrogative	je ne pense pas que, crois-tu que, il n'est pas évident que	Subjunctive	Je ne pense pas qu'il soit là.
Opinion — affirmative	je pense que, je crois que, il est évident que	Indicative	Je pense qu'il est là.
Emotion / reaction	je suis content que, je regrette que, c'est dommage que, je crains que	Subjunctive	Je suis content qu'il vienne.
Wish / volition	j'aimerais que, je voudrais que, je veux que, il faut que	Subjunctive	J'aimerais qu'il vienne.
Indirect speech — statement	que	Indicative	Il dit qu'il vient.
Indirect speech — yes/no question	si (= whether)	Indicative	Il demande si tu viens.
Relative clauses — defining	qui, que, dont, où, lequel	Indicative (or subjunctive after a superlative or indefinite antecedent)	L'homme qui parle est mon père. / Je cherche un livre qui soit clair.

The pattern behind the table: indicative vs subjunctive

The table looks long, but it follows a single underlying logic: French uses the indicative for what is asserted as real and the subjunctive for what is not asserted as real. Once you see it that way, most of the conjunctions sort themselves automatically.

Indicative = asserted as real or factual. Causes that actually happened (parce qu'il pleut), times that hold (quand il vient), real conditions (si tu viens), parallel facts (alors qu'elle joue), affirmative opinions (je pense qu'il est là), and consequences that have occurred (si bien qu'il a réussi) all stay in the indicative because the speaker is presenting them as established.

Subjunctive = not asserted as real. Wishes (je veux que), doubts (je doute que), emotions about a fact (je suis content que), purposes that haven't been realized yet (pour qu'il comprenne), concessions where the fact is set aside rather than asserted (bien qu'il pleuve), conditions framed as hypothetical (à condition qu'il vienne), and times anterior to the main clause (avant qu'il parte) all switch to the subjunctive because the speaker is not committing to them as established reality.

This single test — am I asserting this as real, or am I doing something else with it? — predicts the mood for almost every conjunction in the table.

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If you want one sentence to summarize the system: the indicative reports, the subjunctive does everything else (wants, doubts, fears, projections, concessions, anticipated events). When in doubt, ask whether the clause is being asserted as fact.

Tricky pairs and edge cases

Après que vs avant que. Logically, both involve time, so it would be tidy if both took the same mood. They don't. Avant que takes the subjunctive because the action hasn't happened yet from the perspective of the main clause: Pars avant qu'il arrive — he hasn't arrived. Après que takes the indicative because the action has happened: Je suis parti après qu'il est arrivé. The asymmetry tracks the asserted/not-yet logic exactly. Note that careless native speakers sometimes use the subjunctive after après que — this is a hypercorrection that has spread widely but is still considered a mistake by careful writers.

Avant qu'il parte, dis-lui au revoir.

Before he leaves, say goodbye to him.

Après qu'il est parti, j'ai rangé la cuisine.

After he left, I tidied the kitchen.

De sorte que: indicative or subjunctive? This conjunction is genuinely two-faced. With the indicative it states a result that occurred: Il a parlé fort, de sorte que tout le monde l'a entendu ("He spoke loudly, so everyone heard him"). With the subjunctive it states a purpose that hasn't been realized: Parle fort, de sorte que tout le monde t'entende ("Speak loudly, so that everyone can hear you"). The same conjunction, two different jobs — and the mood does the work of disambiguating. The same applies to de manière que and de façon que.

Il s'est levé tôt, de sorte qu'il est arrivé à l'heure.

He got up early, so he arrived on time. (result — indicative)

Lève-toi tôt, de sorte que tu arrives à l'heure.

Get up early so that you arrive on time. (purpose — subjunctive)

Bien que vs même si. Both correspond to "even though / even if" in English, but they are not interchangeable. Bien que + subjunctive concedes a fact: the rain is real, you are setting it aside. Même si + indicative entertains a hypothetical: the rain may or may not happen, and your decision holds either way. Choose based on whether the subordinate clause is fact or possibility.

Bien qu'il pleuve, je sors.

Although it's raining (right now, fact), I'm going out.

Même s'il pleut, je sors.

Even if it rains (hypothetical), I'm going out.

Si — never with the subjunctive. Si introducing a real condition takes the indicative, period. The temptation, especially after a verb of doubt or hypothesis, is to reach for the subjunctive — si tu viendrais, si tu sois — both wrong. Stick to the si-clause tense rules: si + present indicative for real conditions, si + imparfait for hypothetical, si + plus-que-parfait for counterfactual.

✅ Si tu viens, je serai content.

If you come, I'll be happy.

❌ Si tu viendrais, je serais content.

Wrong — never use the conditional or subjunctive after si in a real conditional clause.

Penser que / croire que and friends. Affirmative je pense que and je crois que take the indicative — you are committing to a belief: je pense qu'il est intelligent. Negative or interrogative versions switch to the subjunctive because the commitment is suspended: je ne pense pas qu'il soit intelligent; crois-tu qu'il soit intelligent ?. This is one of the most reliable subjunctive triggers and a common stumbling point for English speakers, who don't mark this distinction at all.

Je pense qu'il est honnête.

I think he's honest. (affirmation — indicative)

Je ne pense pas qu'il soit honnête.

I don't think he's honest. (suspended belief — subjunctive)

Comme si — never the present. The conjunction comme si introduces a counterfactual comparison ("as if") and takes the indicative — but only the imparfait or the plus-que-parfait, never the present. Il parle comme s'il savait tout ("He speaks as if he knew everything"). The construction looks like it should pattern with si-clauses, and in fact it does: this is a hypothetical si-clause condensed to a comparison.

Il parle comme s'il savait tout.

He speaks as if he knew everything.

Tu agis comme si rien ne s'était passé.

You're acting as if nothing had happened.

How to use this page

This is a reference, not a tutorial. When you write or speak and you reach a subordinate clause, the question to ask yourself is: which clause type is this, and what mood does it require? The table above gives you the answer in one lookup. If you find yourself returning to a particular row repeatedly — say, the bien que / même si contrast, or the de sorte que split — that is a signal to read the dedicated page on that conjunction (linked in the related pages list at the bottom) and drill it until the choice becomes automatic.

Native speakers don't run this table in their heads, of course. But they have internalized exactly the pattern it encodes. Until you have done the same, treating French subordination as a system rather than a list of memorized pairs is the fastest path forward.

Common Mistakes

Using the subjunctive after après que

❌ Après qu'il soit parti, j'ai rangé la cuisine.

Hypercorrection — common in modern speech but still considered wrong by careful writers.

✅ Après qu'il est parti, j'ai rangé la cuisine.

After he left, I tidied the kitchen.

The action in the subordinate clause has already happened — that's the meaning of après. Indicative is correct.

Using the subjunctive after si in a real conditional

❌ Si tu viennes demain, on sortira.

Si never takes the subjunctive in a real conditional.

✅ Si tu viens demain, on sortira.

If you come tomorrow, we'll go out.

The si-clause uses present indicative for present-tense real conditions. The mood doesn't change because of the conjunction; it changes because of the time frame and reality status.

Using the indicative after bien que

❌ Bien qu'il pleut, je sors.

Bien que requires the subjunctive — no exceptions.

✅ Bien qu'il pleuve, je sors.

Although it's raining, I'm going out.

Bien que, quoique, and encore que are among the most rigid subjunctive triggers. Even when the fact is plainly true, the mood stays subjunctive.

Treating je pense que and je ne pense pas que the same way

❌ Je ne pense pas qu'il est honnête.

Negation suspends the assertion — switch to the subjunctive.

✅ Je ne pense pas qu'il soit honnête.

I don't think he's honest.

The mood marks the speaker's commitment. Affirmation = indicative; negation or question = subjunctive. This is one of the cleanest rules in the system.

Confusing comme (cause) with comme si (counterfactual)

❌ Il parle comme il sait tout.

Wrong — comme alone means 'as / since' (cause), not 'as if'.

✅ Il parle comme s'il savait tout.

He speaks as if he knew everything.

Comme by itself is causal or comparative ("as / since"). Comme si + imparfait is the counterfactual "as if." The two are different conjunctions; don't drop the si.

Key Takeaways

The system is large but it follows a single rule: assertions stay in the indicative; everything else (wants, doubts, fears, anticipations, concessions of fact, hypothetical conditions, purposes, anteriorities) switches to the subjunctive. The conjunctions in the table are not arbitrary — each one carries a meaning that pulls the verb into one mood or the other. When you forget which mood a conjunction takes, ask what the clause is doing in the sentence. The answer almost always picks the mood for you.

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