27.1 Special Subjunctive Stems
Some common verbs use special stems in the present subjunctive that cannot be formed using the usual present-tense stem rules. These stems simply need to be learned.
The good news is that the subjunctive endings stay the same. Some of these verbs use one special stem throughout the conjugation, while others use two.
27.2 One-Stem Irregulars
Faire, pouvoir, and savoir each use one special stem throughout the present subjunctive:
| Verb | Subjunctive Stem |
|---|---|
| faire (to make, to do) | fass- |
| pouvoir (to be able to) | puiss- |
| savoir (to know) | sach- |
Once you know the special stem, simply add the same subjunctive endings you already learned.
27.3 Two-Stem Irregulars
Aller, vouloir, and valoir use two special stems. One is used with je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles, while the other is used with nous and vous.
| Verb | je / tu / il / ils | nous / vous |
|---|---|---|
| aller (to go) | aill- | all- |
| vouloir (to want) | veuill- | voul- |
| valoir (to be worth) | vaill- | val- |
27.4 Falloir
Remember falloir, the impersonal verb we discussed in Lesson 4? It is only conjugated with il here as well. In the present subjunctive, it's only form is qu'il faille (that it is necessary / that one must).
Je doute qu'il faille partir si tôt.
I doubt that it is necessary to leave so early.
Practice Time!
Master these verb conjugations from Lesson 27