Breakdown of Qu'elle vainque et accomplisse sa mission !
elle
she
et
and
son
his/her/its (son, sa, ses)
la mission
the mission
que
let / may (third-person command)
vaincre
to conquer (an enemy or obstacle)
accomplir
to accomplish
Questions & Answers about Qu'elle vainque et accomplisse sa mission !
Why does this sentence start with qu' when it is not a question or a subordinate clause?
Starting a main clause with Que (or Qu') followed by the subjunctive is how French expresses a third-person command or wish. It translates to 'Let her...' or 'May she...'. Since there is no introductory verb like Je veux que (I want that), the Que acts as a standalone trigger for this kind of imperative.
What is the infinitive of vainque, and why is it spelled with a qu?
The infinitive is vaincre (to defeat, to conquer). It is an irregular verb. In the subjunctive, the stem changes to vainqu- to preserve the hard 'k' sound of the infinitive before the subjunctive endings. If it were spelled with a c (like vaince), the rules of French pronunciation would make it sound like an 's'.
Why is it just et accomplisse instead of repeating et qu'elle accomplisse?
When connecting two subjunctive verbs that share the same subject using et (and), you do not need to repeat the que or the subject pronoun. The initial Qu'elle covers both vainque and accomplisse.
How is accomplisse formed from accomplir?
Accomplir is a regular -ir verb of the second group. To form its present subjunctive, you take the present tense nous form (nous accomplissons), drop the -ons to get the stem (accompliss-), and add the subjunctive ending for elle, which is -e.
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