Question 1

Why is fasse in the subjunctive instead of the normal present tense fait?

Accepted Answer

The trigger is the phrase le seul (the only). In French, when you use an absolute term like le seul, l'unique, or a superlative like le meilleur before a relative pronoun (qui or que), it usually requires the subjunctive. It shows you are expressing a strong personal observation or an extreme rather than a plain, cold fact.

Question 2

Could I ever use the indicative fait here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but it changes the feeling of the sentence. If you use the indicative (qui fait), you are stating a hard, undeniable fact (for example, if you had a verified list of audition scores). Using the subjunctive (qui fasse) makes it subjective, like a strong personal impression. At this level, it is safest to stick to the subjunctive after le seul.

Question 3

Why does the sentence start with C'est instead of Il est for 'He is'?

Accepted Answer

You must use c'est instead of il est whenever you introduce a noun that has a determiner (a word like le, un, or mon) in front of it. Because the noun phrase here is le seul acteur, c'est is the required choice.

Question 4

Why do we use qui instead of que here?

Accepted Answer

You use qui when the relative pronoun is the subject of the following verb. In this sentence, the actor is the one doing the audition, so qui is the subject of fasse. If the actor were the object of the action (for example, 'the only actor that I know' = le seul acteur que je connaisse), you would use que.

C'est le seul acteur qui fasse une audition parfaite.

Breakdown of C'est le seul acteur qui fasse une audition parfaite.

Questions & Answers about C'est le seul acteur qui fasse une audition parfaite.

Learn C'est le seul acteur qui fasse une audition parfaite and more in French