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Je doute que cet investissement soit rentable dans ce secteur.

Je doute que cet investissement soit rentable dans ce secteur.
I doubt that this investment is profitable in this sector.
From Lesson 190:Subjunctive for doubt and possibility (douter que, il est possible que)·French

Questions & Answers about Je doute que cet investissement soit rentable dans ce secteur.

Why is soit used instead of est here?
The word soit is the subjunctive form of être (to be). It is required here because the sentence begins with Je doute que (I doubt that). In French, expressions of doubt and uncertainty force the verb in the following clause into the subjunctive mood.
What if I wanted to say "I don't doubt that..." instead? Would I still use the subjunctive?
No, you would switch back to the normal indicative mood and say Je ne doute pas que cet investissement est rentable. When you say you do not doubt something, you are expressing a fact or certainty rather than doubt, so the subjunctive is no longer needed.
Why is it cet investissement and not ce investissement?
Even though investissement is a masculine noun, you must use the demonstrative adjective cet instead of ce whenever the noun begins with a vowel or a mute H. This is a pronunciation rule that prevents two vowel sounds from clashing into each other.
How does the word rentable translate to "profitable"?
It comes from the French word rente, which refers to a regular income or revenue. By adding the suffix -able, it literally means "capable of producing income," which is why it translates to "profitable" or "lucrative" in English.

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