Dialogue
Pourvu que: “provided that” or “I hope”?
Read a planning dialogue to hear both meanings of pourvu que. Practise conditions, hopeful wishes and negative wishes with the subjunctive.
- B2
- 12 lines
- Practice mode
- Learn this in the B2 notebook →
In short
In a full sentence, pourvu que + subjunctive means “provided that”: J’accepte pourvu que tu sois d’accord. On its own, it expresses a hope: Pourvu que tout se passe bien ! Both uses take the subjunctive.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Léa and Samir are preparing a group presentation. They can change the speaking order, but Léa wants everyone to agree. Read their exchange, then hide Léa’s lines and answer from the English cues.
- Samir
On doit confirmer l’ordre des interventions aujourd’hui.
English
We need to confirm the speaking order today.
- Léa
D’accord. Pourvu que tout le monde soit disponible !
Express the hope that everyone is available.
English
All right. I hope everyone is available!
- Samir
Nora voudrait parler en premier. Ça te convient ?
English
Nora would like to speak first. Does that suit you?
- Léa
Oui, pourvu que chacun ait assez de temps.
Accept, provided everyone has enough time.
English
Yes, provided that everyone has enough time.
- Samir
On peut limiter chaque intervention à dix minutes.
English
We can limit each contribution to ten minutes.
- Léa
Ça me va. Pourvu que nous soyons prêts à temps !
Accept, then hope that you will be ready in time.
English
That suits me. I hope we’re ready in time!
- Samir
J’ai envoyé les consignes à tout le monde.
English
I’ve sent everyone the instructions.
- Léa
Pourvu que personne n’oublie de répondre !
Hope that nobody forgets to reply.
English
I hope nobody forgets to reply!
- Samir
Tu préfères garder ta conclusion ?
English
Would you prefer to keep your conclusion?
- Léa
On peut la raccourcir, pourvu que l’idée principale reste claire.
Agree to shorten it if the main idea stays clear.
English
We can shorten it, provided that the main idea stays clear.
- Samir
Alors, je propose cette version au groupe.
English
Then I’ll put this version to the group.
- Léa
Très bien. Pourvu qu’ils soient d’accord !
Hope that they agree.
English
Very good. I hope they agree!
What does pourvu que mean?
| French | What it does |
|---|---|
| Oui, pourvu que chacun ait assez de temps. | Accepts the plan subject to a requirement. |
| Pourvu que nous soyons prêts à temps ! | Voices a hope; there is no separate acceptance statement. |
| Pourvu que personne n’oublie de répondre ! | Hopes that nobody forgets; personne and ne make the meaning negative. |
Pourvu que ça ne dure pas trop longtemps !
I hope it doesn’t last too long!
Use ne… pas for a negative wish. The subjunctive can look like the indicative: dure has the same spelling in both moods.