Learn French: Le mage espère que tu vendras ce grimoire. - The mage hopes that you will sell this grimoire.

Le mage espère que tu vendras ce grimoire.

The mage hopes that you will sell this grimoire.

Breakdown of Le mage espère que tu vendras ce grimoire.

you (informal singular)

Questions & Answers about Le mage espère que tu vendras ce grimoire.

Why is vendras in the indicative mood rather than the subjunctive? After all, hoping expresses a desire!

You are right that verbs expressing desire usually take the subjunctive. However, espérer is a major exception. When used in the affirmative, espérer que takes the indicative mood. Because the action takes place in the future, we use the future indicative vendras.

Would it be wrong to say Le mage espère que tu vends ce grimoire using the present tense?

Yes, it would sound unnatural if the selling is meant to happen later. Unlike English, which often uses the present tense for future hopes (hopes that you sell), French prefers to be logically precise. If the action is in the future, you must use the future tense after espérer que.

How would this exact sentence look if it were negative?

This is where the mood changes! If the mage does not hope you sell it, espérer is in the negative, which triggers the subjunctive mood. The sentence would become: Le mage n'espère pas que tu vendes ce grimoire.

Why is it ce grimoire and not cet grimoire?

Grimoire (spellbook) is a masculine noun starting with a consonant, so it takes the standard masculine demonstrative adjective ce (this/that). You only use cet for masculine nouns that start with a vowel or a mute H.