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Que…ou and Subjunctive Mood

In French, “que” can be used at the beginning of an adverbial clause to introduce an alternative—similar to how we use “whether…or” in English. This structure often requires the subjunctive mood.

🧐 Structure:

The formula generally looks like this:

Que + subjunctive verb, ou + subjunctive verb

This conveys that regardless of the alternative, the main clause remains true.

✅ This construction is often used to express uncertainty, doubt, or hypothetical situations, hence the subjunctive.

✨ Examples:

🚀 Why Use the Subjunctive?

The subjunctive is required because:

• These clauses introduce hypothetical or uncertain alternatives.
• The situation is not factual, but rather a possibility or condition.

🎭 Variations:

You may also see:

• Que ce soit… ou… → Whether it be… or…
  • Ex: Que ce soit difficile ou facile, je le ferai. → Whether it is difficult or easy, I will do it.
• Que je veuille ou non… → Whether I want to or not…
  • Ex: Que je veuille ou non, je dois y aller. → Whether I want to or not, I must go.

🔥 Key Takeaways:

• “Que” introduces two alternative situations.
• The verbs following “que” must be in the subjunctive.
• It emphasizes indifference or inevitability of the alternatives.

que…ou and soit que… soit que

Let’s dive into “soit que… soit que” and compare it to “que… ou”, along with other similar conjunctions that introduce alternatives and require the subjunctive.

🔥 Comparison Table

🧐 Differences Between “Que… ou…” and “Soit que… soit que…”

✨ Examples for Each Structure

🏆 1. “Que… ou…” (Common & Flexible)

➡️ Used when stating two alternatives, often in everyday speech.

✅ Que tu sois prêt ou non, nous devons partir.
(Whether you are ready or not, we must leave.)

✅ Que tu aimes ou que tu détestes, il faudra le supporter.
(Whether you love it or hate it, you’ll have to endure it.)

📚 2. “Soit que… soit que…” (More Formal, Used for Causes)

➡️ Used when explaining a situation by offering two possible reasons.

✅ Soit que tu sois fatigué, soit que tu ne veuilles pas venir, je comprends.
(Either you are tired, or you don’t want to come—I understand.)

✅ Soit que le temps nous manque, soit que nous ayons mal prévu, nous avons échoué.
(Either we lacked time, or we planned poorly—we failed.)

🛑 Key difference: “Soit que… soit que…” is often about causes or explanations, whereas “Que… ou…” is more general and can introduce any kind of alternatives.

🎭 Other Alternative Conjunctions Requiring Subjunctive

🔥 Key Takeaways

1. “Que… ou…” → Common, neutral, states two possibilities.
2. “Soit que… soit que…” → More formal, explains two possible causes.
3. Both require the subjunctive, as they introduce uncertainty or hypotheses.
4. Other structures like “Où que… où que…” or “Quoi que…” work similarly to express alternatives but are more specific.

The French Negative Construction “ne … aucun” 🚫🇫🇷

The “ne … aucun” construction is a negative expression in French used to mean “not any” or “no”. Let’s break down its usage and provide some examples.

Grammar Rules

1. “Ne” is placed before the conjugated verb.
2. “Aucun” is placed after the verb, usually before the noun it modifies.
3. “Aucun” agrees in gender with the noun it modifies:
   • Masculine singular: aucun
   • Feminine singular: aucune
4. There is no plural form of “aucun” as it already means “not any”.

Usage

This construction is used to negate the existence or presence of something. It’s stronger than simply using “pas de” and emphasizes the total absence of something.

Examples

Additional Notes

1. “Aucun” can sometimes be used alone as a pronoun:

   • Aucun n’est venu. (None came.)

2. In more formal or literary contexts, “ne” can be used without “aucun”:

   • Je n’ai cure de vos excuses. (I have no care for your excuses.)

3. In spoken French, the “ne” is often dropped in informal situations:

   • J’ai aucune envie d’y aller. (I have no desire to go there.)

Remember, “ne … aucun” is a strong negative that emphasizes the complete absence of something, making it more emphatic than a simple negation with “ne … pas”.

💬 Examples from the text

• Pour certains, s’entretenir dans la rue avec un inconnu ne pose aucun problème ;
• alors que pour d’autres, ça n’a aucun intérêt - et ils le font savoir.
• En vérité, je n’ai aucune opinion, tout court.
• Je n’en connais aucun.
• Ils ne posent aucune question intéressante.

The French Negative Construction “ne … ni … ni” 🚫🇫🇷

The “ne … ni … ni” construction is a negative expression in French used to mean “neither … nor”. It’s used to negate two or more elements in a sentence.

Grammar Rules

1. “Ne” is placed before the conjugated verb.
2. “Ni” is placed before each element being negated.
3. The verb is usually conjugated in the singular, even if the subjects are plural.
4. If “ni” is used with nouns, no article is used after it.

Usage

This construction is used to exclude multiple options or possibilities simultaneously.

Examples

Additional Notes

1. You can use more than two “ni” in a sentence:

   • Je ne veux ni pommes, ni poires, ni oranges. (I want neither apples, nor pears, nor oranges.)

2. In informal spoken French, the “ne” is often omitted:

   • J’aime ni l’un ni l’autre. (I like neither one nor the other.)

3. When used with infinitives, “ni” is placed before each verb:

   • Il ne veut ni manger ni boire. (He wants neither to eat nor to drink.)

4. “Ni” can also be used to mean “not even”:

   • Il ne m’a même pas dit bonjour, ni au revoir. (He didn’t even say hello, not even goodbye.)

💬 Examples from the text

• Je n‘ai ni le temps, ni l’envie de discuter avec quelqu’un que je ne connais pas sur un trottoir encombré.

s’agir de

“S’agir de” is a common French expression that means “to be about” or “to be a question of.” It’s an impersonal verb construction always used in the third person singular form “il s’agit de”.

Key points about “s’agir de”:

1. Formation: It’s a pronominal verb (always preceded by “s’”) and impersonal (always uses “il” as the subject).

2. Usage:

   • To indicate the subject or object of a discussion or action.
   • To express an obligation or necessity (similar to “il faut”).

3. Common constructions:

   • Il s’agit de + noun: To describe what something is about.
   • Il s’agit de + infinitive: To express a necessity or important action.
   • Il s’agit que + subjunctive: A more formal way to express obligation.

Examples:

• Il s’agit d’un livre sur l’histoire. (It’s a book about history.)
• Il s’agit de faire un bon travail. (It’s necessary to do a good job.)
• Il s’agit que tu réussisses tes examens. (It’s important that you pass your exams.)

“S’agir de” is frequently used in both written and spoken French, often replacing expressions like “être à propos de” or “concerner”.

💬 Examples from the text

• *Il ne s’agit pas de *parler de tout et de rien mais simplement de répondre à quelques petites questions.

jurer

“Je vous le jure” is a French phrase that means “I swear it to you” or “I swear it.” Let’s break it down:

• Je: I
• vous: to you (formal or plural)
• le: it (direct object pronoun referring to something previously stated or understood)
• jure: I swear (present tense of the verb “jurer”)

This phrase is used to emphasize the truthfulness or sincerity of a statement. It’s a way to convince someone that what you’re saying is genuine.

Here’s a breakdown of the grammar:

• “Je” is the subject pronoun.
• “vous” is an indirect object pronoun, indicating to whom the swearing is directed.
• “le” is a direct object pronoun, representing the thing being sworn.
• “jure” is the present tense conjugation of the verb “jurer” (to swear).

Examples:

• Je vous le jure, je n’ai rien fait. (I swear to you, I didn’t do anything.)
• Je vous le jure, c’est la vérité. (I swear to you, it’s the truth.)
• Je vous le jure, je serai là à l’heure. (I swear to you, I will be there on time.)

Ça m’est indifférent

“Ça m’est indifférent” is a French phrase that means “I don’t mind,” “It’s all the same to me,” or “I’m indifferent.”

Let’s break it down:

• Ça: This; it (shortened form of “cela”)
• m’: to me (shortened form of “me,” an indirect object pronoun)
• est: is (third-person singular present tense of the verb “être,” to be)
• indifférent: indifferent, of no concern

Here’s the grammar breakdown:

• “Ça” is the subject of the sentence.
• “m’” is an indirect object pronoun, indicating to whom the indifference applies.
• “est” is the verb.
• “indifférent” is an adjective that describes the subject “ça.” Because the implied noun is masculine, “indifférent” takes the masculine form.

The sentence structure is somewhat inverted to emphasize the indifference. A more literal, but less common, word order would be “Ça est indifférent à moi.”

Examples of how you might use this phrase:

• “On va au cinéma ou au restaurant?” “Ça m’est indifférent.” (“Are we going to the movies or a restaurant?” “I don’t mind.”)
• “Tu préfères le bleu ou le rouge?” “Ça m’est indifférent.” (“Do you prefer blue or red?” “It’s all the same to me.”)

Grammar Breakdown

“Le sondeur s’en va, découragé.”

• Le sondeur: The pollster (subject of the sentence)
• s’en va: is leaving, is going away (verb phrase)
  • se: reflexive pronoun, part of the pronominal verb “s’en aller”
  • en: adverbial pronoun, means “away” or “from here/there”
  • va: third-person singular present tense of the verb “aller” (to go)
• découragé: discouraged (adjective modifying “le sondeur”)

In detail:

• “Le sondeur” is a definite noun phrase specifying the person who conducts surveys or polls.
• “s’en va” is the verb “s’en aller” (to leave, to go away) conjugated in the present tense. The “en” here emphasizes the act of leaving.
• “découragé” is a past participle used as an adjective. It describes the state of the pollster (i.e., he is discouraged). It agrees in gender and number with the subject “le sondeur,” which is masculine singular.

Therefore, the sentence means: “The pollster is leaving, discouraged.” It implies that the pollster is disheartened or has lost motivation, possibly due to the results of the poll, the difficulty of conducting it, or some other related reason.

Vocabulaire