Subjunctive is used for « réunisse » but nor for « prend »

Mohamed Amine G.C1Kwiziq community member

Subjunctive is used for « réunisse » but nor for « prend »

Why was the subjunctive used for « réunisse » in the first part of the sentence but not for « prend » for the second part?

« Mais ce qui me touche le plus est le fait qu'on se réunisse tous en famille et que chaque invité prend le temps de choisir un cadeau. »


Asked 2 months ago
CélineNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Bonjour Mohamed Amine,

Both Le Subjonctif and Le Présent are accepted in the exercise. However, if you use Le Subjonctif, you do emphasize the speaker's feelings about the family gathering and gift-choosing (as per Jim's explanation: "there is an element of emotion") while, using Le Présent will state the family gathering and choosing a gift as a fact. 

Also, it's best to use the same mood (Subjonctif or Indicatif) for parallel clauses within the same sentence. The all-Subjonctif version is definitely considered more standard in this context.

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Jim J.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Bonjour Mohamed Amine,

There is an element of emotion being expressed in the first phrase but not in the second (introduced by the conjunction que), this is why I see the subjunctive being used for se réunir.

Bonne journée

Jim

Subjunctive is used for « réunisse » but nor for « prend »

Why was the subjunctive used for « réunisse » in the first part of the sentence but not for « prend » for the second part?

« Mais ce qui me touche le plus est le fait qu'on se réunisse tous en famille et que chaque invité prend le temps de choisir un cadeau. »


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