This French B1 lesson explains pour que subjunctive volunteering step by step, with examples in French and English. Then practise with the worksheet on pour que subjunctive volunteering and check yourself with the quiz.
Quick answer: To explain why you volunteer in French, use pour plus an infinitive when the same person acts twice: Je m’engage pour aider. When someone else benefits, use pour que plus the subjunctive: Je m’engage pour que le quartier change. Key words are le bénévolat, une association and un bénévole.
Level: French B1 (CEFR intermediate) · Standards: CEFR B1, Spoken production
Pour que subjunctive volunteering: the lesson
How do you talk about volunteering in French?
Volunteering is le bénévolat in French. A volunteer is un bénévole or une bénévole, and the group they work for is usually une association. These words come up in job interviews, neighborhood meetings and everyday small talk.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le bénévolat | volunteering (unpaid work) |
| s’engager dans une association | to get involved in a nonprofit |
| donner un coup de main | to lend a hand |
| une permanence | a staffed shift at the association’s office |
| une maraude | a night round to help homeless people |
| une cotisation | a membership fee |
| un don | a donation |
How do you explain why you do something with pour?
To give a goal, French uses pour. When the person who acts and the person who benefits are the same, add an infinitive: Je m’engage pour rencontrer mes voisins. — I get involved to meet my neighbors.
Rule: pour que + subjunctive
When the subject changes, use pour que (pour qu’ before a vowel) and put the verb in the subjunctive: Elle cuisine pour que les familles mangent bien. — She cooks so that the families eat well.
How do you form the subjunctive after pour que?
For regular verbs, take the ils form of the present, drop -ent, and add the endings -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent. Only nous and vous differ from the present tense.
| Subject | aider | faire (irregular) | pouvoir (irregular) |
|---|---|---|---|
| pour que je / j’ | aide | fasse | puisse |
| pour que tu | aides | fasses | puisses |
| pour qu’il / elle | aide | fasse | puisse |
| pour que nous | aidions | fassions | puissions |
| pour que vous | aidiez | fassiez | puissiez |
| pour qu’ils / elles | aident | fassent | puissent |
Four more verbs cannot be guessed: être gives que je sois, avoir gives que j’aie, aller gives que j’aille and savoir gives que je sache.
Common mistake
English speakers often copy the English pattern and repeat the subject. Say Je viens pour aider, not Je viens pour que j’aide. After pour que, say pour qu’ils puissent, never pour qu’ils peuvent.
Examples
- Marc vient le jeudi pour que Nadia puisse se reposer. — Marc comes on Thursdays so Nadia can rest.
- Nous collectons des manteaux pour que personne n’ait froid. — We collect coats so nobody is cold.
- Je tiens la permanence pour rendre service. — I staff the desk to do a favor.
Culture note
Most French nonprofits are an association loi 1901, a legal form created in 1901. Young people aged 16 to 25 can also do a service civique, a paid volunteer mission of several months.
Zoé’s tip
Ask one question before choosing: who does the second action? If it is the same person, use pour + infinitive. If it is someone else, use pour que and reach for the subjunctive!
Key points to remember
- Pour + infinitive expresses a goal when both actions have the same subject.
- Pour que + subjunctive is required when the second subject is different.
- Regular subjunctive endings: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.
- Irregular stems: fasse, puisse, soit, ait, aille, sache.
- A volunteer is un bénévole or une bénévole; most nonprofits are associations loi 1901.
Joining an association and giving your reasons: frequently asked questions
What does bénévole mean in French?
Un bénévole or une bénévole is a person who works without pay for a cause or an association. The activity is called le bénévolat. Do not confuse it with le volontaire, who often has a formal, sometimes paid, mission.
When do you use pour que instead of pour?
Use pour que when the second verb has a different subject from the first. If the same person does both actions, use pour plus an infinitive. Je travaille pour gagner is correct; Je travaille pour que je gagne is not.
Why does pour que take the subjunctive?
A goal is not yet a fact, so French marks it with the subjunctive mood. The same is true of afin que and bien que. Memorize each form together with its subject, for example pour que tu puisses.
How do you say to join an association in French?
Say adhérer à une association for becoming an official member, or s’inscrire for signing up. Rejoindre une association also works in conversation and simply means to join the group.
Can I use pour que when the subject does not change?
In standard French, no. Replace the clause with pour plus an infinitive. Je prépare la salle pour pouvoir commencer is natural, while pour que je puisse commencer sounds heavy and is avoided when the subject has not changed.