Breakdown of Il est important qu'ils aient la clé.
être
to be
ils
they (masculine/mixed)
avoir
to have
important
important
il
it (impersonal subject)
la clé
the key
que
that (introducing a clause)
Questions & Answers about Il est important qu'ils aient la clé.
Why do we use aient here instead of the regular present tense ont?
We use the subjunctive mood because of the phrase Il est important que. Impersonal expressions starting with Il est + adjective + que (like expressing necessity, emotion, or judgment) are classic triggers that require the verb in the following clause to be in the subjunctive.
What verb does aient come from, and why does it look so different?
Aient is the present subjunctive form of avoir (to have) for ils and elles. Avoir is highly irregular in the subjunctive. Instead of building off the normal present tense stems, it uses the special stem ai- for most of its subjunctive forms.
How do you pronounce qu'ils aient? Does it sound like qu'ils ont?
Can I say C'est important que... instead of Il est important que...?
Yes, in everyday spoken French, you will hear C'est important que... very often. However, Il est important que... is the standard, grammatically correct impersonal structure used in writing and slightly more formal speech. Both versions trigger the subjunctive!
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