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J'accepte la clause à condition qu'elle soit claire.

J'accepte la clause à condition qu'elle soit claire.
I accept the clause provided that it is clear.
From Lesson 222:Provided that (à condition que)·French

Breakdown of J'accepte la clause à condition qu'elle soit claire.

je
I
être
to be
elle
she
clair
bright
accepter
to accept
à condition que
provided that
la clause
the clause

Questions & Answers about J'accepte la clause à condition qu'elle soit claire.

Why do we use soit instead of est in this sentence?
The word soit is the subjunctive form of être (to be). We must use the subjunctive here because the phrase à condition que (provided that) sets a specific requirement that may or may not be fulfilled. This element of uncertainty triggers the subjunctive mood in French.
Could I just use si (if) instead of à condition que?
Yes, you could say si elle est claire (if it is clear). The phrase à condition que is simply a bit stronger and more specific, much like saying 'provided that' or 'on the condition that' in English. Just remember that si is followed by the normal present tense (est), whereas à condition que forces you to use the subjunctive (soit).
Why does the word que become qu' before elle?
The word que always drops its final e and takes an apostrophe when it is followed by a word starting with a vowel, such as elle. This makes the words flow together smoothly as qu'elle.
Why is there an e at the end of claire?
The adjective claire (clear) describes the pronoun elle, which stands in for the noun la clause. Because la clause is a feminine noun, the adjective must take the feminine agreement, which means adding an e at the end.

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