Log inSign up

En cas de fuite de gaz, vous devez suivre le protocole.

En cas de fuite de gaz, vous devez suivre le protocole.
In case of a gas leak, you must follow the protocol.
From Lesson 298:In case of (en cas de)·French

Questions & Answers about En cas de fuite de gaz, vous devez suivre le protocole.

Why is there no article before fuite? In English we say "in case of a gas leak".
After the phrase en cas de, French usually drops the indefinite article (un or une) when referring to a general event, emergency, or hazard. Saying en cas de fuite is the standard idiomatic way to express this, similar to saying "in case of fire" in English.
Why is it de gaz and not du gaz?
When a noun modifies another noun to tell us its type or what it is made of, it is connected with a simple de without a definite article. It is a general gas leak, not a leak of one specific volume of gas, so we do not use du (de + le).
Could I use si (if) to express this exact same condition?
Yes, but en cas de is a preposition that must be followed by a noun (here, fuite). If you want to use si, you must build a full clause with a subject and a verb, such as s'il y a une fuite de gaz (if there is a gas leak).
Does the word fuite only refer to physical leaks?
No, fuite comes from the verb fuir, which means both "to leak" and "to flee". While it means "leak" when talking about gas or water, it also means "escape" or "flight" when talking about someone running away.

Learn En cas de fuite de gaz, vous devez suivre le protocole 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
Start learning French →