Il fasse, past or present?

chris w.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Il fasse, past or present?

Le temps qu'il fasse ses valises, elle était déjà partie." means:by the time he's packed his suitcases.... Could this not also be 'By the time he packs..' Does the subjunctive mean ' by the time he be packed' which could be either?
Asked 3 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Le temps qu'il fasse ses valises... -- By the time he packs his suitcases...
Le temps qu'il ait fait ses valises... -- By the time he packed his suitcases...

chris w.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

The English version of this sentence is 'By the time he packed' so the answer should be 'ait fait' or the english should be 'by the time he packs' in which case the french should be  ' she will already be gone' 

chris w.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

The English version of this sentence is 'By the time he packed' so the answer should be 'ait fait' or the english should be 'by the time he packs' in which case the french should be  ' she will already be gone' 

Il fasse, past or present?

Le temps qu'il fasse ses valises, elle était déjà partie." means:by the time he's packed his suitcases.... Could this not also be 'By the time he packs..' Does the subjunctive mean ' by the time he be packed' which could be either?

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Getting that for you now...