Breakdown of Tes articulations resteront jeunes, mais il faut que tu t'étires souvent.
tu
you (informal singular)
mais
but
jeune
young
souvent
often
ton
your (ton, ta, tes)
rester
to stay
il
it (impersonal subject)
falloir
to be necessary / must (impersonal)
que
that (introducing a clause)
l'articulation
the joint (f)
s'étirer
to stretch
Questions & Answers about Tes articulations resteront jeunes, mais il faut que tu t'étires souvent.
Why do we use the subjunctive form étires in this sentence?
The phrase il faut que (it is necessary that / you must) expresses a necessity or obligation. In French, this phrase is a classic "trigger" that must always be followed by the subjunctive mood.
How do we build the subjunctive form of t'étires?
To form the present subjunctive for a regular verb like s'étirer (to stretch), you start with the ils/elles present tense form: ils s'étirent. Drop the -ent to get the stem (étir-), and then add the subjunctive ending for tu, which is -es.
tu t'étires looks exactly like the normal present tense. Is it really the subjunctive?
Yes! For regular -er verbs, the subjunctive endings for je, tu, il/elle, and ils/elles are identical to the standard present tense endings. Even though it looks the same, it is grammatically in the subjunctive here because it follows il faut que.
The first half of the sentence is in the future tense (resteront). Why isn't the second half in the future tense?
Even though the sentence is talking about something you must do for your future health, the expression il faut que rigidly requires the present subjunctive. You cannot use the future tense directly after il faut que.
A quick vocabulary check: is resteront related to the English word "rest"?
No, the verb rester is a classic false friend! It means "to stay" or "to remain," which is why resteront jeunes means "will stay young." If you wanted to talk about resting your joints, you would use the verb se reposer.
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