Question 1

Why do we use the indicative future tense entendront here instead of the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

Expressions of probability like il est probable que state a strong likelihood, which French treats as a certainty, so they take the indicative. You only use the subjunctive for things that are doubtful or merely possible.

Question 2

How would this sentence change if I wanted to say 'It is unlikely that they will hear the eruption'?

Accepted Answer

You would use il est peu probable que (it is unlikely that). Because this expresses doubt or improbability, it triggers the subjunctive, so the sentence would become Il est peu probable qu'ils entendent l'éruption.

Question 3

Does the il in il est probable refer to something specific, like the volcano?

Accepted Answer

No, this is an impersonal expression. Just like the English 'it' in 'it is probable', the il here doesn't replace a noun. It simply acts as a dummy subject to hold the sentence structure together.

Question 4

If we already knew we were talking about the eruption, how would we say 'It is probable that they will hear it'?

Accepted Answer

You would replace l'éruption with the feminine direct object pronoun la. It goes directly before the verb it belongs to, and contracts because of the vowel, becoming Il est probable qu'ils l'entendront.

Il est probable qu'ils entendront l'éruption.

Breakdown of Il est probable qu'ils entendront l'éruption.

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