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Il exige que vous soyez ordonnés parce que c'est une colocation.

Il exige que vous soyez ordonnés parce que c'est une colocation.
He demands that you be tidy because it is a flatshare.
From Lesson 185:Present subjunctive of to be and to have (être, avoir)·French

Questions & Answers about Il exige que vous soyez ordonnés parce que c'est une colocation.

Why is soyez used here instead of the normal present tense êtes?
The verb exiger (to demand) expresses a strong order or necessity. In French, whenever you have a verb expressing an order, desire, or demand followed by que, the following verb must be in the subjunctive mood. Soyez is the vous form of être in the present subjunctive.
Is the subjunctive of être always this irregular?
Yes, être is completely irregular in the subjunctive. While regular verbs use their present tense "they" form as a starting base, être has entirely unique forms: que je sois, que tu sois, qu'il soit, que nous soyons, que vous soyez, and qu'ils soient. You simply have to memorize them!
Why does the adjective ordonnés have an s at the end?
Even though vous can sometimes be a formal singular "you", the context here is a colocation (a flatshare). This tells us the subject is multiple roommates. Adjectives used with être must agree with the subject, so ordonné gets an s to match the plural vous.
Why do we use c'est une colocation instead of elle est une colocation?
When you introduce or identify something using an article (like un, une, or la) followed by a noun, you must use c'est. You generally only use il est or elle est when the verb is followed directly by an adjective with no article at all.

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