Questions & Answers about Il sort même s'il pleut.
Why doesn't même si take the subjunctive here, since it expresses a concession?
Unlike bien que and quoique which require the subjunctive, même si (even if) is an exception. It is always followed by the regular indicative mood, following the exact same rules as a standard si (if) clause.
How would this sentence change if I used bien que instead of même si?
It would become Il sort bien qu'il pleuve. The meaning shifts slightly from 'even if' (a possibility) to 'even though' (a stated fact), and you are required to use the subjunctive form pleuve instead of the indicative pleut.
Does the word si always contract to s' before a vowel, like in s'il?
Why is it il pleut instead of il est pleut to mean 'it is raining'?
French does not have a separate present continuous tense using the verb 'to be'. The single present tense form pleut translates to both 'it rains' and 'it is raining' depending on the context.
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