The subjunctive is used after impersonal expressions of doubt, emotion, and opinion. Some of these are:
il est
bon (it is good)
il est dommage (it is too bad, it is a
pity)
il est douteux (it is doubtful)
il est impossible (it is impossible)
il est indispensable (it is mandatory)
il est possible (it is possible)
il est temps (it is time)
il convient (it is fitting/proper)
il vaut mieux (it is better)
il suffit (it is enough)
Il est
indispensable que tu voies le medecin.
(It is mandatory that you see the doctor/you absolutely must see
the doctor.)
See also Impersonal Verbs.
Note: In spoken French, the subjunctive is often avoided as it is considered stylistically heavy. The whole subordinate clause is replaced by an infinitive whenever the main and subordinate clauses share the same subject. Similarly, the subordinate clause can sometimes be replaced with a noun phrase:
Nous ne croyons pas que nous
puissions vivre avec vous.
Nous ne croyons pas pouvoir vivre avec vous.
(We do not think that we can live with you.)
Je doute
qu'il soit sincère.
Je doute de sa sincérité.
(I doubt whether he is sincere/I doubt his sincerity.)
See Also: