Breakdown of Qu'il vainque pour que la gloire revienne !
il
he
revenir
to come back
pour que
so that
que
let / may (third-person command)
Questions & Answers about Qu'il vainque pour que la gloire revienne !
Why does the sentence start with Qu' if it's not a question?
What is the infinitive of vainque, and why does it have a qu in it?
The infinitive is vaincre (to defeat / to conquer). In the present subjunctive, the third-person singular takes an -e ending. If it were spelled 'vaince', the c would make a soft 's' sound before the e. To keep the hard 'k' sound of the infinitive, the c changes to qu, making it vainque.
Why is revienne in the subjunctive?
It is triggered by the conjunction pour que (so that). Because pour que introduces a goal or a desired outcome rather than an established fact, it always requires the subjunctive mood.
Could I use gagne instead of vainque to mean 'Let him win'?