Breakdown of Il est possible qu'ils soient confiants, mais tu ne l'es pas.
être
to be
tu
you (informal singular)
mais
but
ils
they (masculine/mixed)
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
possible
possible
il
it (impersonal subject)
que
that (introducing a clause)
confiant
confident
Questions & Answers about Il est possible qu'ils soient confiants, mais tu ne l'es pas.
Why is there an l' in tu ne l'es pas?
Since confiants is plural, shouldn't we use les instead of l'?
Why do we use soient instead of sont here?
soient is the subjunctive form of être. The phrase Il est possible que expresses a possibility or uncertainty, which triggers the subjunctive mood in the following clause.
What is the word order rule for the negation around l'es?
In a negative sentence with an object pronoun, ne comes directly before the pronoun, and pas follows the conjugated verb. This gives us the strict order of ne + l' (pronoun) + es (verb) + pas.
Learn Il est possible qu'ils soient confiants, mais tu ne l'es pas 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