Mode - French Verb Mood

Mood refers to the verb forms that express the attitude of the speaker toward the action/state of the verb - how likely or factual the statement is. The French language has six moods.

Modes personnels			Personal moods		Personal moods make a distinction between grammatical persons; that is, they are conjugated.    Impersonal moods are invariable. They do not distinguish between grammatical persons and thus do not conjugate: they have a single form for all persons. The reflexive pronoun, however, always agrees with its subject.    Related Lessons    Verb timeline    Tenses + moods    Grammar glossary
I.	Indicatif		Indicative	Indicates a fact - the most common mood.
II.	Subjonctif		Subjunctive	Expresses subjectivity, doubt, or unlikelihood.
III.	Conditionnel		Conditional	Describes a condition or possibility.
IV.	Impératif		Imperative	Gives a command.
Impersonnels			Impersonal moods
V.	Participe		Participle	Adjectival form of the verb.
VI.	Infinitif		Infinitive	Name of the verb.

There is some confusion over the difference between tense and mood, but it is really very simple. Tense is the when of the verb: whether the action takes place in the past, present, or future. Mood indicates the feeling of the verb; more specifically, the speaker's attitude or feeling toward the action. Is s/he saying that the action is true or uncertain? Is it a possibility or a command? These nuances are expressed with different moods.

Moods and tenses work together to give verbs a precise meaning. Each mood has at least two tenses. The indicative mood is the most common - you might call it the "normal" mood - and has eight tenses. When you conjugate a verb, you do so by first choosing the appropriate mood and then adding a tense to it. Take a look at my verb timeline for a detailed look at how tenses and moods fit together.

  

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