Structure de la langue: Savoir vs. Connaître and the French Subjunctive

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the distinctions between savoir and connaître, the formation and usage of the present participle, regular and irregular subjunctive conjugations, and impersonal expressions triggering the subjunctive.

Savoir

A French verb meaning "to know" that is used for factual information or knowing how to do something.

Connaître

A French verb meaning "to know" that is used to express being familiar or acquainted with people, places, or things.

Su

The irregular past participle of the French verb savoir.

Connu

The irregular past participle of the French verb connaître, which is also frequently used as an adjective meaning known or famous.

Present participle (Le participe présent)

A verb form used when two actions occur at the same time, formed by adding -ant to the stem of the nous form of the present tense.

Subjunctive mood (Le subjonctif)

A grammatical mood in French that typically appears after que (qu') in a dependent clause to express necessity or opinions.

Regular subjunctive endings

The set of personal endings added to the base of the third-person plural (ils/elles) present indicative form: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, and -ent.

Il faut que

A French subjunctive expression of necessity translated into English as "it is necessary that," "must," "have to," or "should."

Il est nécessaire que

An impersonal expression followed by the subjunctive meaning "it is necessary that."

Il est important que

An impersonal expression followed by the subjunctive meaning "it is important that."

Il est indispensable que

An impersonal expression followed by the subjunctive meaning "it is indispensable that."

Il est essentiel que

An impersonal expression followed by the subjunctive meaning "it is essential that."

Il est possible que

An impersonal expression followed by the subjunctive meaning "it is possible that."

Il est impossible que

An impersonal expression followed by the subjunctive meaning "it is impossible that."

Il est bon que

An impersonal expression followed by the subjunctive meaning "it is good that."

Il est surprenant que

An impersonal expression followed by the subjunctive meaning "it is surprising that."

Il est utile que

An impersonal expression followed by the subjunctive meaning "it is useful that."

Il vaut mieux que

An impersonal expression followed by the subjunctive meaning "it is better that."

Il se pourrait que

An impersonal expression followed by the subjunctive meaning "it is possible that."

Aller, faire, pouvoir, savoir, and vouloir (subjunctive)

A group of verbs that take regular subjunctive endings but have irregular stems (e.g., aill-, fass-, puiss-, sach-, veuill-).

Avoir and être (subjunctive)

Two irregular verbs that have both irregular endings and irregular stems in the subjunctive mood.