Baking Basics
Get ready to bake! First, you will need essential ingredients and tools like la levure (baking powder), la pâte (dough), and le bol (bowl).
| You must add the baking powder to the dough. | Tu dois ajouter la levure à la pâte. |
Sequencing with Avant que
When you want to express that one action happens before another, use the conjunction avant que (before). Because the action following avant que has not yet occurred, it requires the subjunctive mood.
| I prepare the bowl before you make the cake. | Je prépare le bol avant que tu fasses le gâteau. |
Notice how the verb faire becomes the irregular fasses in the subjunctive.
Baking Verbs and Contractions
As you construct a dessert, you will use verbs like cuire (to bake), étaler (to spread), and refroidir (to cool down).
| We add the vanilla before the tart bakes. | Nous ajoutons la vanille avant que la tarte cuise. |
Remember that que must contract to qu' before a vowel. Here is an example using le moule (the mold) and the irregular subjunctive form of aller (aille):
| He puts the dough in the mold before it goes into the oven. | Il met la pâte dans le moule avant qu'elle aille au four. |
For regular verbs in the nous and vous forms, the subjunctive looks just like the imperfect tense, adding an i before the ending:
| The cake must cool down before we eat it. | Le gâteau doit refroidir avant que nous le mangions. |
The Verb Être
You will also frequently use the highly irregular verb être (to be) when checking on the status of your baked goods. In the subjunctive il/elle form, it becomes soit.
| The oven is very hot before the tart is ready. | Le four est très chaud avant que la tarte soit prête. |
