Breakdown of Il est possible qu'il veuille aider.
être
to be
il
he
vouloir
to want
aider
to help
possible
possible
que
that (introducing a clause)
Questions & Answers about Il est possible qu'il veuille aider.
Why is veut changed to veuille in this sentence?
Because the phrase il est possible que expresses possibility or uncertainty, which requires the verb that follows to be in the subjunctive mood. veuille is the present subjunctive form of vouloir (to want).
How do you form the subjunctive for vouloir?
Vouloir has an irregular subjunctive stem. For the singular pronouns (je, tu, il/elle/on) and the third-person plural (ils/elles), the stem changes to veuill-, to which you add regular subjunctive endings (like the -e here). For nous and vous, it uses the stem voul- (e.g., que nous voulions).
Why doesn't aider have a preposition like à or de before it?
When vouloir is followed by another verb, that second verb stays in the infinitive (the basic, unconjugated form) and attaches directly, with no preposition. This rule applies no matter what tense or mood vouloir is in.
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