Breakdown of Je veux que tu sois respectueux dans la colocation.
je
I
être
to be
tu
you (informal singular)
dans
in, inside
Questions & Answers about Je veux que tu sois respectueux dans la colocation.
Why does this sentence use sois instead of the regular present tense es?
The phrase Je veux que (I want) expresses a desire, wish, or demand. In French, this always triggers the subjunctive mood for the action that follows. Sois is the highly irregular subjunctive form of être (to be) for tu.
Since the English is "I want you to be", could I translate it literally as Je veux te être?
No, you cannot translate "want someone to do something" word-for-word into French. When the person wanting (I) is different from the person doing the action (you), you must use vouloir que (to want that) plus a brand new subject and a conjugated subjunctive verb: Je veux que tu sois (literally: I want that you be).
Would the word respectueux change if I am speaking to a woman?
What exactly does la colocation mean here? Is it just the physical apartment?