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Elle affirme que la loi protégera la planète.

Elle affirme que la loi protégera la planète.
She affirms that the law will protect the planet.
From Lesson 177:Reported statements (il dit que)·French

Questions & Answers about Elle affirme que la loi protégera la planète.

Why is protégera in the future tense here? Shouldn't reported speech change it?
Because the introductory verb (affirme) is in the present tense. When introducing reported speech with a present tense verb in French, the tense of the original statement doesn't change. If the original quote was in the future tense, it stays in the future tense (protégera).
Can I leave out que and just say Elle affirme la loi protégera la planète?
No, you can never skip que in French reported speech. In English, it's perfectly fine to drop "that" and say "She affirms the law will protect...", but French strictly requires que (or qu' before a vowel) to connect the two clauses.
How does the spelling of protégera work with the accents?
Protéger is an -éger verb. Traditionally, it keeps its acute accent (é) in the future tense (protégera) and the conditional. You might occasionally see it spelled protègera with a grave accent due to a 1990 spelling reform, but protégera is the classic and most widely used spelling.
Does affirme sound very formal in French?
It is slightly formal but used much more often in everyday French than "affirms" is in English. You will frequently see affirmer in French news or hear it in discussions to mean "maintains," "asserts," or simply "states as a fact."

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