Learn French: J'ai peur que le commerce local ferme. - I am afraid that the local shop will close.

J'ai peur que le commerce local ferme.

I am afraid that the local shop will close.

Breakdown of J'ai peur que le commerce local ferme.

Questions & Answers about J'ai peur que le commerce local ferme.

Why does this sentence use the subjunctive?

The phrase avoir peur que (to be afraid that) expresses a strong emotion. In French, expressions of emotion or feeling followed by que require the verb in the second part of the sentence to be in the subjunctive mood. Here, that verb is ferme.

Is ferme really in the subjunctive here? It looks exactly like the normal present tense.

Yes, it is! For regular -er verbs like fermer, the il/elle/on form in the present subjunctive (qu'il ferme) is spelled exactly the same as the regular present tense (il ferme). You know it is the subjunctive here because it follows the trigger J'ai peur que.

The English translation says 'will close', so why isn't the French verb in the future tense?

The subjunctive mood in French does not have a future tense. When you need to talk about a future event after a subjunctive trigger like J'ai peur que, you simply use the present subjunctive. So, que le commerce local ferme can mean either that it is closing right now or that it will close in the future.

Could I use le magasin instead of le commerce to mean 'shop'?

Yes, le magasin local works too. However, le commerce is a very natural choice that can refer to a specific shop or to local business in general. The phrase le commerce local is commonly used in French to talk about neighborhood shops and local trade.