Sunday, March 15, 2020
French Conjunction Tant Que Doesnt Need Subjunctive
French Conjunction Tant Que Doesnt Need Subjunctive Tant que is a conjunctive phrase (locution conjonctive) that, unlike many other conjunctive phrases, does not need the subjunctive. It means as / so much as or as long as / while / since, depending on the context. Tant que is a phrase that communicates certainty and intensifies quantity, frequency, degree and the like. Thus, there is really no reason for the subjective subjunctive. Tant que tu es ici, tu peux maider. As long as / Since youre here, you can help me.Jai tant lu que jai mal aux yeux. I read so much that my eyes hurt.Il a tant manger, quil est malade. He ate so much that hes sick.Tant que tu es la, cherche mes lunettes. As long as / since youre here, look for my glasses.Tu peux rester tant que tu veux. You can stay as long as you want. Tant Que vs. Autant Que Do not confuse tant que with autant que, another conjunctive phrase that seems similar but is really more about equalizing and comparisons. It, too, is an adaptable and widely used phrase in French that has a number of possible meanings in English: as far as, as / so much as or as long as / while. So while tant que is about intensity, autant que is about balance. Autant que communicates conjecture and doubt, so the verb following it should be in the subjunctive, indicated in bold below: Autant que je me souvienne... As far as I remember...Autant que je vous le dise tout de suite. I may as well tell you right now. Other French Conjunctive Phrases A conjunctive phrase is a group of two or more words that function as a conjunction that links clauses. French conjunctive phrases end in que, and many, but not all, are subordinating conjunctions, rather than coordinating conjunctions, that require a subjunctive verb. One asterisk below indicates those that take the subjunctive. condition que*  provided thatafin que*  so thatainsi que  just as, so asalors que  while, whereasautant que* as far as / as much as / while mesure que  as (progressively) moins que**  unlessaprà ¨s que  after, when supposer que*  assuming thatau cas oà ¹Ã‚  in caseaussità ´t que  as soon asavant que**  beforebien que*  althoughdans lhypothà ¨se oà ¹Ã‚  in the event thatde crainte que**  for fear thatde faà §on que*  in such a way thatde manià ¨re que*  so thatde mà ªme que  just asde peur que** for fear thatdepuis que  sincede sorte que*  so that, in such a way thatdà ¨s que  as soon asen admettant que*  assuming thaten attendant que*  while, untilencore que*  even thoughjusqu ce que*  untilparce que  becausependant que  whilepour que*  so thatpourvu que*  provided thatquand bien mà ªme  even though/ifquoi que*  whatever, no matter whatsans que**  withoutsità ´t que  as soon assupposà © que*  supposingtandis que  while, whereastant que   as long asvu que  seeing as/that *These conjunctions must be followed by the subjunctive.**These conjunctions require the subjunctive as well as the ne explà ©tif, a more formal negation that uses ne without pas. Additional Resources Tant Que vs. Autant QueFrench ConjunctionsThe SubjunctivatorQuiz: Subjunctive or indicative?
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