The present subjunctive
A mood rather than a tense, and at A2 you need it for a short list of triggers rather than for a theory. Learn the forms, then learn what pulls them.
*Formation: the ils form of the present, minus -ent, plus these endings, inside que*:
| que je -e | que tu -es | qu'il -e |
|---|---|---|
| que nous -ions | que vous -iez | qu'ils -ent |
| infinitif | forme ils | subjonctif |
|---|---|---|
| parler | ils parlent | que je parle |
| finir | ils finissent | que je finisse |
| partir | ils partent | que je parte |
| écrire | ils écrivent | que j'écrive |
For -er verbs, four of the six forms are identical to the present. Que je parle and je parle are the same word. Most of the time the subjunctive is invisible, which is why it frightens learners more than it should.
The irregulars you actually need — six:
| être | que je sois, que nous soyons |
|---|---|
| avoir | que j'aie, que nous ayons |
| aller | que j'aille, que nous allions |
| faire | que je fasse |
| pouvoir | que je puisse |
| savoir | que je sache |
What triggers it — at A2, three families and nothing more:
| necessity | il faut que je parte · il est important que tu viennes |
|---|---|
| wanting | je veux que tu viennes · j'aimerais que vous restiez |
| emotion | je suis content que tu sois là · c'est dommage qu'il parte |
And the one negative you will meet constantly: je ne pense pas que ce soit vrai. Week 20 flagged this and left it; here it is.
*Not after espérer. J'espère que tu viens* — indicative. Hoping does not take the subjunctive in French even though wanting does, and this exception catches everyone.
At B1 this opens out into a system. At A2, these three triggers are the whole requirement.
What this unlocks
Knowing the rule is not the same as producing it.
This page explains the pattern. The track drills it: the point arrives inside a mini-dialogue, then production marked against a CEFR descriptor, then a module test that returns you to your two weakest sessions if you miss it.