Breakdown of Il faut que nous puissions appeler les secours.
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
pouvoir
to be able to / can
il
it (impersonal subject)
falloir
to be necessary / must (impersonal)
les
them (direct object pronoun)
que
that (introducing a clause)
appeler
to call (general)
le secours
the rescue
Questions & Answers about Il faut que nous puissions appeler les secours.
Why is it puissions and not pouvons?
The phrase Il faut que (It is necessary that / We must) always requires the verb that follows it to be in the subjunctive mood. Puissions is the nous form of the verb pouvoir (to be able to) in the subjunctive.
How is the subjunctive formed for pouvoir?
Pouvoir has a highly irregular subjunctive stem: puiss-. For the nous form, you add the standard subjunctive ending -ions to this stem, giving you puissions.
Why is appeler in the infinitive here, and why isn't there a preposition like à or de before it?
When two verbs are used together and the first one is a modal verb like pouvoir (can / to be able to), vouloir (to want), or devoir (must), the second verb always stays in the infinitive. Pouvoir connects directly to the next verb without needing any preposition.
Why is "help" translated as the plural les secours?
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