12.11.3 Conjunctionen of conditions and hypotheses
In the chapter of conditional clauses we have seen that conditional clauses are usually formed with the conjunction si and with the indicatif. If the same sentence is formed with similar conjunctions as pourvu que, à moins que, à la condition que, the same sentence is to be formed with the subjonctif.
Examples
Pourvu
qu' il me le dise, je le fais.
S'
il me le dit, je le fais.
If he tells me so I will do it.
A moins qu' il ne vienne pas, nous allons partir sans lui.
S' il ne vient pas, nous allons partir sans lui.
If he does not come, we will go without him.
A condition qu' il le fasse maintenant, nous pouvons partir.
S' il le fait maintenant, nous pouvons partir.
If he does it now, we can leave.
This logical exception does only exist in French, but not in other Roman languages like Spanish and Italian. They use the subjonctif for the Irrealis of present and past. In French again always the indicatif is used, unless the conjunction changes to one as to be seen now.
