Breakdown of Nous ne voulons pas qu'il triche pendant l'examen.
il
he
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
vouloir
to want
l'examen
the exam (m)
que
that (introducing a clause)
pendant
for / during (duration)
tricher
to cheat
Questions & Answers about Nous ne voulons pas qu'il triche pendant l'examen.
Why does the French sentence use qu'il triche instead of an infinitive like the English 'him to cheat'?
In English, we often use the pattern 'want someone to do something'. French doesn't work this way. When the subject changes from the person wanting (nous) to the person doing the action (il), you must use que followed by a new clause in the subjunctive mood. You cannot say nous ne voulons pas le tricher.
Is triche really in the subjunctive here? It looks exactly like the normal present tense.
Yes, it is! For regular -er verbs like tricher, the present subjunctive endings for je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles are completely identical to the regular present tense (indicative). Even though it looks exactly the same, the grammar rule triggered by vouloir que means it is technically the subjunctive mood here.
Does making the sentence negative (ne voulons pas) change the subjunctive rule?
No, it doesn't. Verbs of will, desire, and emotion like vouloir always trigger the subjunctive when followed by que, whether they are affirmative, negative, or questions. You might be thinking of verbs of opinion like penser (to think) or croire (to believe), which only trigger the subjunctive in negative sentences or questions.
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