Breakdown of Le ministre déclare que plusieurs candidats soutiennent la réforme.
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
la
her, it (feminine direct object pronoun)
que
that (introducing a clause)
le candidat
the candidate
plusieurs
several
le ministre
the minister
déclarer
to declare
soutenir
to support
la réforme
the reform
Questions & Answers about Le ministre déclare que plusieurs candidats soutiennent la réforme.
Why is the verb soutiennent in the present tense here?
In reported speech, when the introductory verb is in the present tense (like déclare here), the tense of the reported statement doesn't change. Because the minister's original words were in the present tense, the reported version stays in the present tense.
In English, we can say "The minister declares several candidates support the reform," dropping the word "that." Can I drop que in French?
No, you can never drop que in French. Even though "that" is optional in English, que is absolutely mandatory to connect the introductory statement to the reported facts.
I don't recognize the conjugation of soutiennent. What is the rule here?
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