# FR: sois sage !



## veux savoir

"Sois-sage" -- pourquoi est-ce qu c'est au subjonctif?

Is it because it is expressing a wish/desire (for someone to behave)? 
Est-ce qu'on peut aussi dire sois-courageux! / sois-gentil! etc.?? 

Why does this imperative command take the subjunctive and others don't (when you're ordering someone else to do something you want... taisez-vous!) ?


Je ne sais pas s'il y a une explication...

Merci d'avance,
Anna


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## Missrapunzel

If you check the conjugation of être, you will notice that it is _imperative_ tense. 
It may sound like subjonctive but it's not.
*NB:* 
sois-sage  sois sage  
sois-gentil  sois gentil 
etc.


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## Micia93

Well, the imperative command always takes the subjunctive mode
for instance : "sois sage" means "je veux que tu sois sage"
you can of course have "sois courageux" sois gentil" ... (always good qualities)
you will hardly hear :" sois bête" "sois méchant" ... (apart in certain contexts such as "sois méchant et tu seras puni)
is it clearer ?

you're right Missrapunzel, my answer is a bit confusing when I speak of "subjunctive mode" (I was speaking of the example like in "je veux que tu sois sage")


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## bobepine

Yes, several verbs have the same form in the imperative and the subjunctive (avoir, être, -er verbs in the first person singular...), but they are two entirely different tenses.


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## veux savoir

Oh la la! j'ai jamais su! Merci beaucoup!!!


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## veux savoir

Puis-je continuer et poser la question: quand est-ce qu'on utilise le "-" avec l'impératif? C'est juste entre un verbe et un nom/sujet?


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## Micia93

can you give an example ?


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## veux savoir

Comme 

taisez-vous!
contre
sois sage!


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## Micia93

So you put the " " like that : "sois sage"


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## MoineZen

I think you'd want to use a hyphen when you use pronouns. As in:

Allez-y!
Donne-moi-le!
Nettoyez-la!
Parle-lui-en!

etc

A native speaker might be able to add more detail


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## Missrapunzel

veux savoir said:


> Comme
> 
> taisez-vous!
> contre
> sois sage!


_taisez-vous_ is reflexive ----> Vous vous taisez.
_Sois sage_ is not reflexive and _sage_ is just an adjective ---> Tu es sage.


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## Micia93

Oups, I suddenly realize I was completely off the track ! 
I was focused on the " ", but hadn't notice the -
sorry to all


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## melu85

Just so we are clear: "sois sage" is not the subjunctive but the imperative form of be in the second person of the singular.


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## geostan

I'd like to make two points here:

1. The imperative is not a tense; it is a mood. Three verbs come from the root of the subjunctive. They are not subjunctive forms as such. The proof is the verb _savoir_, which in the subjunctive gives us: _sachions_. But the imperative form is _sachons_. The three verbs of course are _être_, _avoir_ and _savoir_.

2. Conjunctive pronouns normally precede the verb they complete. Thus, if for some reason, they must follow, a hyphen is used to signal the relationship of the pronoun to the verb to which it belongs.

In the sentence: _Il veut le faire_,_ le_ belongs to _faire_ (its normal positon). In the sentence: _Fais-le pour moi._ _le_ still belongs to _faire_, but this time it is used after its verb, so a hyphen marks the relationship.


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## Fred_C

MoineZen said:


> Allez-y
> Donne-moi-le! *Donne-le-moi*.
> Nettoyez-la
> Parle-lui-en


You can hear "donne-moi-le" sometimes, but be aware that this sounds very uneducated...


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