The Subjunctive in a Formal Email
A B2 learner writes a formal email to a university office:
'Gentile ufficio, vorrei che mi confermate la ricezione della domanda. È importante che la pratica è completata prima della scadenza. Penso che sia necessario allegare il certificato, ma non sono sicuro che basta la copia. Se avessi bisogno di chiarimenti, scriva pure a me.'
The teacher must decide which errors to correct in class, which to mark but not drill, and which to leave for later. The class has just finished a unit on the subjunctive in noun clauses; the conditional-perfect and polite imperative have not been taught yet.
1. Classify the bolded forms as correct or incorrect, and identify the governing rule for each.
Read the worked answer
| Form | Verdict | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| confermate | Incorrect | Vorrei che + subjunctive → confermiate |
| è | Incorrect | È importante che + subjunctive → sia |
| sia | Correct | Penso che + subjunctive (opinion) |
| basta | Incorrect | Non sono sicuro che + subjunctive → basti |
| avessi | Correct | Hypothetical se + imperfect subjunctive |
| scriva | Correct | Polite imperative, formal Lei form |
Pattern: three of the four errors are the same rule - subjunctive after expressions of wish, necessity, opinion, and doubt. The learner applies it inconsistently, which is typical of a rule that is known but not yet automatized.
2. Given that the class has just studied the subjunctive in noun clauses, which errors should be the focus of correction now, and which should be deferred? Justify.
Read the worked answer
Correct and drill now: confermate → confermiate, è → sia, basta → basti. These are the target structure of the current unit, and the learner already produces sia correctly - so the gap is consistency, not knowledge. Focused feedback on the trigger phrases (vorrei che, è importante che, non sono sicuro che) will consolidate the rule.
Mark but defer: avessi and scriva are actually correct, so no correction is needed - but do not single them out for praise-as-rule yet, since the conditional-perfect and polite imperative have not been taught. Flagging them as 'advanced structures used well' is fine; turning them into a lesson now would overload the unit.
Principle: correct what the syllabus is currently targeting; acknowledge but do not drill what has not been taught. Correcting everything at once dilutes the focus and can make a learner over-edit and lose fluency.