Expressing Concession
To express a contrast or concession in French, you will often use the conjunction bien que (although).
Because a concession expresses an exception rather than a straightforward fact, bien que is always followed by the subjunctive mood. In this example, the verb être takes its subjunctive form, soit:
| This extreme challenge is dangerous, although it is fascinating. | Ce défi extrême est dangereux, bien qu'il soit fascinant. |
Like in English, the bien que clause can appear at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. Note that que becomes qu' before a vowel, such as in bien qu'il.
When pushing your limits outdoors—whether aiming for le sommet (the summit) or trying to grimper (to climb) despite having le vertige (vertigo)—you will often see the subjunctive form of avoir (ait).
| Although he has vertigo, he climbs toward the summit. | Bien qu'il ait le vertige, il grimpe vers le sommet. |
Quoique
The conjunction quoique (even though) is interchangeable with bien que. It follows the exact same rules, always requiring the subjunctive and contracting to quoiqu' before a vowel.
| Even though the cliff is high, the man who is climbing is not afraid. | Quoique la falaise soit haute, l'homme qui grimpe n'a pas peur. |
Whether you need to rely on your endurance or surmonter (to overcome) an obstacle, these conjunctions consistently trigger the subjunctive across all subjects. For example, nous takes the subjunctive soyons:
| Even though we are tired, we can overcome this extreme challenge. | Quoique nous soyons fatigués, nous pouvons surmonter ce défi extrême. |
