français · B2 · verb · 4 minutes

Faire in the present subjunctive

Use fass- for four persons and fassions/fassiez for nous and vous.

Understand the choice

Faire keeps a single subjunctive stem, but the nous and vous spellings place i after ss. Concessive bien que presents a fact while setting it against the main statement, and standard usage selects the subjunctive.

Core rule: Faire has the irregular present-subjunctive stem fass- plus -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.

Notice it in context

Bien que nous fassions attention, des erreurs restent possibles.

Although we are careful, errors remain possible.

Bien que triggers the mood; fassions agrees with nous; attention stays in the fixed faire attention phrase.

Je veux que vous fassiez une proposition concrète.

I want you to make a concrete proposal.

Vouloir que with a changed subject triggers fassiez.

Il est possible qu’elle fasse le trajet à pied.

She may make the journey on foot.

Possibility trigger selects fasse.

What to remember

  • Quoique also means although and takes the subjunctive.
  • Fassions is distinct from indicative faisons; the vowel and spelling both change.

Common trap: Do not use faisons after bien que: bien que nous fassions.

Practice this lesson with recall