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Je doute qu'elle investisse dans ce secteur.

Je doute qu'elle investisse dans ce secteur.
I doubt that she invests in this sector.
From Lesson 190:Subjunctive for doubt and possibility (douter que, il est possible que)·French

Questions & Answers about Je doute qu'elle investisse dans ce secteur.

Why is investisse in the subjunctive here?
We use the subjunctive because the main clause Je doute que (I doubt that) expresses uncertainty. In French, expressing doubt or impossibility almost always requires the subjunctive in the following clause.
How is the subjunctive form investisse formed?
Investir is a regular -ir verb (like finir). To form the present subjunctive, you take the present tense ils/elles form (ils investissent), drop the -ent to get the stem (investiss-), and add the subjunctive endings. For elle, the ending is -e, resulting in investisse.
Would the sentence still use the subjunctive if I used the reflexive verb se douter?
No, and the meaning would completely flip! Se douter que means to suspect or guess that something is true. Because it expresses a strong belief rather than a doubt, it triggers the indicative, not the subjunctive. You would say Je me doute qu'elle investit (I suspect that she is investing).
What happens if I make the first part negative and say Je ne doute pas que...?
When you make douter negative, you are expressing certainty (I do not doubt = I am certain). Because the doubt is gone, you normally switch back to the indicative: Je ne doute pas qu'elle investit dans ce secteur.

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