Do you need to use the subjunctive or the indicative after …croire que… ?
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Subjunctive or Indicative Expression List
Decide whether you need the subjunctive or the indicative in the following sentence:
👉 Tu ne crois pas qu’ils (venir)?
When you begin a sentence with …ne pas croire que, you must follow up with a subject and verb in the subjunctive. When the verb croire is negative, it indicates doubt. The same rule applies for the verb penser.
To form the subjunctive, begin with the present tense indicative form of venir.
👉 ILS VIENNENT
Take off -ent to find the subjunctive stem.
👉 VIENN-
Add the correct ending for ils.
👉 Tu ne crois pas qu’ils viennent?
👉 Translation: You don’t believe (think) that they are coming?
Decide whether you need the subjunctive or the indicative in the following sentence:
👉 Ils croient que je (vivre) en Californie.
When you begin a sentence with …croire que, you do not need to use the subjunctive because the verb is not negative, and the same is true once more for penser. All doubt is removed because your beliefs and thoughts are your own, therefore what follows is not subjective in nature.
👉 Ils croient que je vis en Californie.
👉 They believe (think) that I live in California.
RELATED POSTS:
👉 French Subjunctive – How to form and when to use it
👉 French Subjunctive or Indicative Expressions List
👉 French Verb Falloir – How to avoid using the subjunctive
👉 Il est possible que – Mini French Lesson
👉 Jusqu’Ă ce que + Subjunctive – Mini French Lesson
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