Learn French: Je suis content qu'ils commencent le chantier. - I am happy that they are starting the construction site.

Je suis content qu'ils commencent le chantier.

I am happy that they are starting the construction site.

Breakdown of Je suis content qu'ils commencent le chantier.

they (masculine/mixed)

Questions & Answers about Je suis content qu'ils commencent le chantier.

Why doesn't "commencent" look like it is in the subjunctive here?

The phrase Je suis content que expresses an emotion, which strictly requires the subjunctive. However, for regular -er verbs like commencer, the ils/elles form in the subjunctive (qu'ils commencent) is spelled and pronounced exactly the same as the regular present tense.

If a woman is speaking, does the sentence change?

Yes! The adjective content describes the subject Je. If a woman is speaking, she must add an e and say Je suis contente. This changes the pronunciation, making the "t" at the end clearly pronounced.

Why isn't there a cedilla on the "c" in "commencent"?

The letter c naturally makes a soft "s" sound when it is followed by an e or an i. You only need to add a cedilla (ç) to keep the "s" sound when the next letter is a, o, or u (like in nous commençons).

I have heard French people use the word "chantier" to mean a mess. Is that right?

Yes! Literally, un chantier is a construction or building site, which is how it is used here. But informally, French speakers often use it to describe a very messy room or a disorganized situation, much like calling a room a disaster zone in English.