Question 1

Since this lesson involves subjunctive conjunctions, would I ever use "pour que" and the subjunctive here?

Accepted Answer

Not in this exact sentence, because the person taking the water and kneading the dough is the same. When the subject doesn't change, you just use the preposition pour followed by the infinitive (pétrir) to express purpose. You only use pour que + subjunctive if the subjects are different, such as Prends l'eau pour qu'il pétrisse la pâte (Take the water so that he kneads the dough).

Question 2

I thought we drop the "s" at the end of "tu" command forms. Why does "Prends" still have one?

Accepted Answer

You only drop the final "s" in the tu imperative form for verbs that end in -er (like mange or regarde) and for the verb aller (va). Because prendre is an -re verb, it keeps its "s" in the imperative.

Question 3

The word "pâte" means dough here. Is this the same word used for pasta?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but with a difference in number. In the singular, la pâte refers to dough, batter, or pastry. When talking about pasta, you almost always use the plural form: les pâtes.

Question 4

Is "pétrir" (to knead) a regular -ir verb?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is a regular second-group -ir verb. It conjugates just like finir or choisir, meaning it gets the -iss- addition in its plural present-tense forms, such as nous pétrissons (we knead).

Prends l'eau tiède pour pétrir la pâte.

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