Learn French: Je paie la pénalité à condition que vous annuliez l'abonnement. - I pay the penalty provided that you cancel the subscription.

Je paie la pénalité à condition que vous annuliez l'abonnement.

I pay the penalty provided that you cancel the subscription.

Breakdown of Je paie la pénalité à condition que vous annuliez l'abonnement.

Questions & Answers about Je paie la pénalité à condition que vous annuliez l'abonnement.

Why do we use the subjunctive form annuliez here instead of the indicative present tense annulez?

The phrase à condition que (provided that) always requires the subjunctive mood. It introduces a condition that must be met for the main action (je paie) to happen, so it deals with a hypothetical situation rather than a guaranteed fact.

Wait, vous annuliez looks exactly like the imperfect tense (imparfait). How do I know it's the subjunctive?

For regular -er verbs like annuler, the nous and vous forms in the present subjunctive are spelled exactly the same as they are in the imperfect tense (ending in -ions and -iez). The context here—specifically the trigger phrase à condition que—is how you know it is the subjunctive.

Is Je paie a typo for Je paye?

No, both are completely correct! For verbs ending in -ayer (like payer), you can either change the y to an i before a silent e (je paie) or keep the y (je paye). The spelling with the i is just more commonly used in written French.

Does un abonnement only mean "subscription"?

It translates directly to "subscription," but it is much broader in French! You use un abonnement for magazine subscriptions, streaming services, gym memberships, and even seasonal public transit passes.