Breakdown of Ils optimisent le processus de façon que l'équipe puisse travailler vite.
ils
they (masculine/mixed)
travailler
to work
l'équipe
the team (f)
vite
fast, quickly
pouvoir
to be able to / can
optimiser
to optimize
le processus
the process
de façon que
so that (in such a way that)
Questions & Answers about Ils optimisent le processus de façon que l'équipe puisse travailler vite.
Why is puisse in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative peut?
Because de façon que expresses a purpose or goal here (they are doing it in order to make the team work fast). When de façon que expresses purpose, it requires the subjunctive because the outcome is a desired goal, not yet a guaranteed reality.
How would the meaning change if the sentence used the indicative peut?
If the sentence used the indicative, it would mean the fast work is an established fact, a guaranteed result of the optimization. You usually see the indicative used this way when stating a result, often after a past tense verb (for example: They optimized the process, with the result that the team now works fast).
Are there other conjunctions I could use instead of de façon que in this sentence?
Yes! You can use de sorte que or de manière que. They have the exact same meaning here and follow the exact same rule: subjunctive for purpose, indicative for result.
What is the subjunctive stem for pouvoir?
Pouvoir is highly irregular. Its entire subjunctive conjugation is built on the stem puiss- (for example, que je puisse, que nous puissions). Here, it takes the third-person singular ending to match l'équipe.
Learn Ils optimisent le processus de façon que l'équipe puisse travailler vite and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free