Breakdown of Je veux que l'explorateur trouve l'accès.
je
I
trouver
to find
vouloir
to want
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
que
that (introducing a clause)
l'explorateur
the explorer (m)
l'accès
the access (m)
Questions & Answers about Je veux que l'explorateur trouve l'accès.
Why does this sentence use que instead of an infinitive like the English "to find"?
In English, we say "I want [someone] to do [something]". In French, when you want someone else to do an action, you cannot use an infinitive. You must use que (that) followed by a new subject and a conjugated verb. Literally, you are saying "I want that the explorer finds the access."
Is trouve in the subjunctive mood here? It looks like the normal present tense.
Yes, it is the subjunctive! Expressions of desire like vouloir que trigger the subjunctive. However, for regular -er verbs like trouver, the subjunctive forms for je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles are spelled exactly the same as the regular present tense (the indicative). You would only see a difference if the subject were nous or vous (e.g., Je veux que vous trouviez...).
How would I say "I want to find the access" if I'm doing it myself?
If the person wanting and the person doing the action are the same, you drop the que and simply use the infinitive. You would say: Je veux trouver l'accès.
Since this lesson is about the conditional for unconfirmed information, why isn't it used here?
This sentence is stating a direct, personal desire (Je veux que...), which requires the subjunctive. The "journalistic conditional" taught in this lesson is used to report hearsay or unverified facts. If we were reporting an unconfirmed rumor without the "I want", it would look like this: L'explorateur trouverait l'accès (The explorer reportedly found / would find the access).
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