Subjunctive with 'mériter que'
When you say someone or something 'deserves that…' something happen, the verb after que goes into the subjunctive. Mériter expresses a judgment about worthiness — and French treats judgment + que clauses as subjunctive territory. Use it for things like 'this story deserves to be told', 'he deserves us to listen', 'this work deserves to be rewarded'.
Structure
[SUBJECT] + mérite(r) + que + [SUBJECT 2] + [VERB IN SUBJUNCTIVE]
may-ree-TAY kuh ... (suhb-ZHOHNK-teef)
How to Think About It
French subjunctive shows up after verbs that express subjective stance — doubt, desire, emotion, judgment, necessity. Mériter falls in the judgment bucket: you're not stating a fact, you're saying something is worthy. The trigger is mériter + que + a different subject. When the subjects match, French swaps que for de + infinitive: il mérite de gagner — no subjunctive needed.
Examples
Une anecdote récente qui mérite vraiment qu'on s'y attarde.
ün ah-nek-DOT ray-SAHNT kee may-REET vray-MAHN kohn see ah-tar-DAY
A recent anecdote that really deserves a closer look.
Ce projet mérite que tu y consacres du temps.
suh pro-ZHAY may-REET kuh tü ee kohn-SAH-kruh dü TAHN
This project deserves that you devote some time to it.
Cette idée mérite qu'on en parle sérieusement.
set ee-DAY may-REET kohn-nahn PARL say-ree-uz-MAHN
This idea deserves to be discussed seriously.
Common Mistake
Learners use the indicative after mériter que, defaulting to forms they know better. The trigger is the subjective judgment built into mériter — once you write que, the next verb must shift to its subjunctive form (e.g., on s'y attarde, qu'il vienne, qu'elle soit).
Cette anecdote mérite qu'on s'y attarde longtemps. (indicative form misused)
Cette anecdote mérite qu'on s'y attarde longtemps.
Don't Confuse With
mériter de + infinitive
Use mériter de when the subject of mériter and of the deserved action are the same: il mérite de gagner (he deserves to win). With different subjects, switch to mériter que + subjunctive.
il faut que + subjunctive
Same subjunctive trigger mechanism, different meaning — il faut que expresses necessity ('it's necessary that…'). Mériter que adds the layer of worthiness.
Indicative after penser que / dire que
Verbs of opinion in the affirmative usually take indicative (je pense qu'il vient). The subjunctive only kicks in when you negate or question them (je ne pense pas qu'il vienne). Don't generalize subjunctive to every que.
Practice
Fill in the blank with the subjunctive of être: Ce livre mérite qu'il ___ lu.
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soit
Fill in the blank with the subjunctive of prendre: Cette question mérite que tu ___ ton temps.
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prennes
Arrange: que / écoute / cette / mérite / on / l' / chanson (This song deserves that we listen to it.)
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Cette chanson mérite qu'on l'écoute.
Translate to French: This problem deserves us to think about it carefully.
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Ce problème mérite qu'on y réfléchisse soigneusement.
Write a sentence using mériter que + subjunctive.
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Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear Subjunctive with 'mériter que' in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
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