Breakdown of Ne mange pas le biscuit croustillant en attendant que le pain gonfle !
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
manger
to eat
le pain
the bread
Questions & Answers about Ne mange pas le biscuit croustillant en attendant que le pain gonfle !
Why is gonfle in the subjunctive here?
The conjunction en attendant que (while waiting for / until) always requires the subjunctive. It introduces an anticipated event that has not yet occurred, which triggers the subjunctive mood for the verb gonfler.
Gonfle looks exactly like the present tense. Is it definitely subjunctive?
Yes! For regular -er verbs like gonfler, the present subjunctive endings for je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles are completely identical to the present indicative. We know it is subjunctive here strictly because the grammatical rule for en attendant que demands it.
Could I use en attendant de instead of en attendant que here?
No, because the two verbs have different subjects. The implied subject of the first verb is 'you' (do not eat), but the thing rising is the bread (le pain). You must use en attendant que + subjunctive when there is a change of subject. You only use en attendant de + infinitive when the same subject performs both actions.
Why is there no 's' at the end of mange since this is a command to tu?