Breakdown of Le professeur veut que la punition soit stricte.
être
to be
le professeur
the teacher
vouloir
to want
que
that (introducing a clause)
Questions & Answers about Le professeur veut que la punition soit stricte.
Why does this sentence use soit instead of est?
The verb vouloir (to want) expresses a desire or will. When you want someone or something else to do an action, French requires the phrase vouloir que followed by the subjunctive mood. Because of this, the normal present tense est becomes the subjunctive soit.
In English, we say 'wants the punishment to be'. Why doesn't French use the infinitive être here?
In French, you cannot say veut la punition être. When the person wanting (the teacher) is different from the subject of the second action (the punishment), you must use que (that) and a conjugated verb. Literally, French phrases this as 'The teacher wants that the punishment be strict.'
Is soit a regular subjunctive form?
No, soit is highly irregular. It is the subjunctive form of the verb être (to be) for il, elle, or on. The subjunctive forms for être are completely different from its normal present tense forms, so you just have to memorize them.
Why does stricte end with an extra e here?