To say "whatever the food may be" or "no matter the ingredients," use the expression quel que.
Whatever it may be (Quel que)
To say "whatever the [noun] may be," French uses a specific formula:
quel que + subjunctive of être + subject
Two rules for this structure:
- Quel agrees in gender and number with the noun.
- The verb être is always in the subjunctive and matches the noun in number (soit for singular, soient for plural).
| Gender & Number | Formula |
|---|---|
| Masculine Singular | quel que soit |
| Feminine Singular | quelle que soit |
| Masculine Plural | quels que soient |
| Feminine Plural | quelles que soient |
Notice how the subject noun comes after the verb in these examples:
| Whatever the food may be, it contains lactose. | Quel que soit l'aliment, il contient du lactose. |
| Whatever his intolerance may be, he never drinks milk. | Quelle que soit son intolérance, il ne boit jamais de lait. |
| Whatever the ingredients may be, peanuts are dangerous for him. | Quels que soient les ingrédients, l'arachide est dangereuse pour lui. |
| Whatever your restrictions may be, we can prepare a meal. | Quelles que soient vos restrictions, nous pouvons préparer un repas. |
Allergies and Intolerances
When managing a food intolerance (une intolérance), you might need to avoid peanuts (l'arachide), soy (le soja), or dairy if someone cannot digest (digérer) lactose.
| He is intolerant to lactose and does not digest this cheese. | Il est intolérant au lactose et ne digère pas ce fromage. |
| Whatever the new ingredient may be, I do not digest it. | Quel que soit le nouvel ingrédient, je ne le digère pas. |
| Whatever the intolerances may be, this dish without soy is perfect. | Quelles que soient les intolérances, ce plat sans soja est parfait. |
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