Breakdown of Tu es surpris qu'elle ait demandé la mutation ?
être
to be
tu
you (informal singular)
elle
she
avoir
to have
la
her, it (feminine direct object pronoun)
que
that (introducing a clause)
surpris
surprised
demander
to ask (for) / to require / demand
la mutation
the transfer
Questions & Answers about Tu es surpris qu'elle ait demandé la mutation ?
Why do we use ait demandé instead of the regular past tense (a demandé)?
The phrase Tu es surpris expresses an emotion, which requires the verb in the following que clause to be in the subjunctive mood. Because her asking for the transfer happened in the past, before the feeling of surprise, we must use the past subjunctive (le subjonctif passé) rather than the present subjunctive.
How do I know whether to use the auxiliary avoir or être to form this past subjunctive?
The subjonctif passé uses the exact same auxiliary rules as the passé composé. Since the verb demander takes avoir in the passé composé (elle a demandé), you simply conjugate avoir in the present subjunctive (qu'elle ait) and add the past participle (demandé).
Does la mutation refer to a genetic mutation here?
Could I avoid the subjunctive here by using de + infinitive?
Not in this sentence. You can only use de + infinitive to avoid the subjunctive if the subject of both halves of the sentence is the same (for example, Tu es surpris d'avoir demandé... meaning 'Are you surprised that YOU asked...'). Since the subjects are different (Tu and elle), you must use que followed by the subjunctive.
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