Learn French: Il faut que le maire développe notre quartier. - The mayor must develop our neighborhood.

The phrase Il faut que means 'it is necessary that' or 'must'. Because it is an impersonal expression of necessity, it forces the verb in the following clause to be in the subjunctive mood. In this sentence, the subjunctive verb is développe.

Wait, développe looks exactly like the normal present tense. Is it really the subjunctive?

Yes, it really is! For regular -er verbs like développer, the subjunctive forms for je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles are spelled exactly the same as the regular present tense. Even though it looks identical to the normal present tense, it is grammatically the subjunctive because of the il faut que structure.

Could I just use the verb devoir here to avoid the subjunctive?

Absolutely. You could say Le maire doit développer notre quartier using the verb devoir (must / to have to) followed by the infinitive. Both sentences mean the same thing and are used frequently, but mastering the il faut que structure is essential because native speakers use it all the time.

Does maire sound just like the word mère (mother)?

Yes, it does! The words maire (mayor), mère (mother), and mer (sea) are all pronounced exactly the same way in French. You will always have to rely on the context of the sentence to know which one is being used.