#71 : How to express emotions 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 - subjontif III

Grammar to go!

Hello, friends 🤗 Have you ever wondered how to express your emotions towards someone else or about their actions? For example, how would you say in French, "I’m so happy that you are here"?

Just a heads up, I'm not a professional teacher, but rather another learner. The information I share might not be entirely accurate.

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Do you still remember the definition of subjonctif, and in what occasion do we use them?

We use subjonctif when our sentence adds subtle touch of subjectivity and personal perspective.

So when you are speaking about your emotions, of course don’t we need to use subjonctif non? (If you are unsure have a quick look the post below 💗)

#65 : Subjonctif - Introduction

In French, the subjunctive is used in four main situations: volonté (will or desire), sentiments (feelings), doute (doubt), and opinion. In this post, I’d like to focus specifically on how we express our emotions. C’est parti !

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Expressing Emotions Towards Someone Else

Here are examples of expressing emotions toward someone else. Try to find:

1. vocabulary that expresses emotions and;

2. the verb that is conjugated in the subjunctive mood.

Make sure you have already mastered conjugation. Bon courage ! 💪

#68 : Subjonctif - Conjugation

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1. Joy (Joie)

• Elle est heureuse que nous ayons gagné. (She is happy that we won.)

• Nous sommes contents que tu aies un travail en France. (We are happy that you have a job in France.)

• Je suis très contente que la situation soit débloquée. (I'm very pleased that the situation has been resolved.)

• Je suis ravi qu’elle soit ici. (I’m delighted that she is here.)

• Ce serait sympa qu’il habite dans le même quartier que moi. (It would be nice if he lived in the same neighbourhood as me.)

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2. Sadness (Tristesse)

• Je suis triste qu’il parte si tôt. (I’m sad that he’s leaving so soon.)

• Ils sont désolés que tu ne sois pas venu. (They are sorry that you didn’t come.)

• C’est vraiment dommage que tu ne puisses pas venir en France cette année. (It’s really a shame that you can’t come to France this year.)

• Je regrette que vous n'ayez pas pris cette opportunité. (I regret that you didn’t take this opportunity.)

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3. Anger (Colère)

• Je suis en colère qu’il ait menti. (I’m angry that he lied.)

• Nous sommes furieux qu’elle n’ait pas respecté les règles. (We are furious that she didn’t follow the rules.)

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4. Disgust (Dégoût)

• Il est dégoûté que tu aies touché ça. (He is disgusted that you touched that.)

• Elle a horreur qu’il parle de cette façon. (She hates that he speaks that way.)

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5. Fear (Peur)

• J’ai peur qu’il ne vienne pas à temps. (I’m afraid that he won’t arrive on time.)

• Nous craignons qu’ils ne réussissent pas à finir. (We’re afraid that they won’t manage to finish.)

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… ah some more?!

6. Surprise (Surprise)

• Je suis surpris qu’elle sache parler japonais. (I’m surprised that she knows how to speak Japanese.)

• Nous sommes étonnés qu’il ait dit ça. (We’re amazed that he said that.)

7. Disappointment (Déception)

• Je suis déçu qu’il n’ait pas fait l’effort. (I’m disappointed that he didn’t make the effort.)

• Elle est déçue que tu ne sois pas venu. (She’s disappointed that you didn’t come.)

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Attention ⚠️

The subjunctive is generally used when there are two different subjects in the sentence. Did you notice? That is why with subjunctive clauses, there is always a 'que' in the sentence.

What happens when we express emotion but the subject is the same?

1. the subjunctive is not used, but we use the infinitive form of the verb and;

2. we use ‘de’ instead of ‘que’ even though we express our emotion

For example…

• Je suis content(e) de finir ce projet. (I’m happy to finish this project.)

• Je suis triste de partir si tôt. (I’m sad to leave so early.)

• Elle est ravie de rencontrer de nouvelles personnes. (She’s delighted to meet new people.)

• Il est déçu de ne pas avoir gagné. (He’s disappointed not to have won.)

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I believe that now you can express your emotions toward others or their actions in French! How exciting is it that you can expand and sophisticate your expressions, right?