Question 1

Why does this sentence start with Que if there is no main clause before it?

Accepted Answer

This is a special structure! When you start a sentence with Que followed by the subjunctive, it acts as a third-person command or a strong wish. Since there is no true imperative form for 'he', 'she', 'it', or 'they', this structure steps in to mean 'Let him...' or 'May the...'.

Question 2

Where does the double 's' in périsse come from?

Accepted Answer

Périr (to perish) is a regular -ir verb, just like finir. To form the present subjunctive, you take the nous form of the present indicative (nous périssons), drop the -ons to get your stem (périss-), and add the subjunctive ending. Here, for le traître (he), we add -e, resulting in périsse.

Question 3

Would you actually hear people talk like this in everyday French?

Accepted Answer

The grammatical structure itself is very common in daily life (for example, Que le meilleur gagne ! means 'May the best man win!'). However, this specific sentence sounds highly theatrical or literary because périr is a dramatic, formal verb. You are more likely to encounter this exact phrasing in a historical movie or a play.

Question 4

Can I use pronouns instead of a noun in this structure? How would I say 'Let him perish!'?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. If you already established who the traitor was, you could simply say Qu'il périsse ! (Let him perish! / May he perish!). Notice that que contracts to qu' before the vowel in il.

Que le traître périsse !

Breakdown of Que le traître périsse !

Questions & Answers about Que le traître périsse !

Learn Que le traître périsse and more in French