Use of the subjunctive with espérer.

Question

I believe that's the subjunctive in the final sentence.

If so, I would like to understand why it's being employed here with espérer.

I always understood that this would not use the subjunctive in the affirmative (indicative), but perhaps the imperative changes this somehow?

No doubt I'm missing something here...

Accepted Answer

Hi Steve,
The last sentence is :
Espérons que ça se rafraîchisse dans les jours à venir.
This is the verb 'se rafraîchir' which is indeed in the subjunctive.
Espérons = let's hope!   indicates a wish but also a doubt here in a middle of heat wave, hence the subjunctive.
Hope this helps!

Answer

Please email me, too, with Steve's answer as I had the same question.

Answer

You are right, normally espérer does not use the subjunctive, unless:

(a) it is used in a negative sense: Je n'espére pas que tu sois malade.

(b) you really, really insist on underlying the uncertainty.

I guess the case in the text is one of (b).

Answer

Cécile - in reference to your reply above : doesn’t “hope” ALWAYS  “indicate a wish but also a doubt” - I hope it rains, I hope I win Lotto tonight, I hope you pass your exam, I hope he gets better - in which case we should ALWAYS use the subjunctive with espérer que ??? (I can’t think of an example of using the word hope where there is no doubt involved)

Answer

Hi Paul,
Good point! I think the difference is the degree of doubt.
If you say -
Espérons que ça va se rafraîchir dans les jours à venir! 
There’s less doubt of the possibility introduced by using a subjunctive...

Answer

Hi Steve.Like you I understood that espérer would not take the subjunctive. I presumed that was because hoping is a positive thing.