Breakdown of Je vais emporter ma veste au cas où il ferait froid.
je
I
froid
cold
faire
to do, to make
mon
my (mon, ma, mes)
Questions & Answers about Je vais emporter ma veste au cas où il ferait froid.
Why does this sentence use the conditional ferait after au cas où? English just uses the present tense.
In French, the phrase au cas où (in case) is always followed by the conditional tense. This is because you are talking about an event that is purely hypothetical and might not happen. Even though we say "is" in English, French requires the conditional here, so il ferait acts like "it would be".
Can I use the subjunctive after au cas où since it expresses uncertainty?
No, and this is a common trap! Unlike some other expressions of doubt or hypothesis that take the subjunctive, au cas où strictly requires the conditional tense. Always pair au cas où with the conditional, like au cas où il ferait froid.
Why use emporter instead of apporter for bringing a jacket?
I know ferait is the conditional of faire (to do/make). Why are we using it for the weather instead of être (to be)?