Je ne joue plus à la loterie parce que la probabilité de gagner est trop basse.

Questions & Answers about Je ne joue plus à la loterie parce que la probabilité de gagner est trop basse.

The current lesson is about conjunctions requiring the subjunctive, like pourvu que. Why doesn't parce que trigger the subjunctive here?
Conjunctions like pourvu que (provided that) express a condition, doubt, or wish, which requires the subjunctive. In contrast, parce que (because) states a concrete fact or reality. Because the low probability is stated as an established fact, it requires the standard indicative mood (est).
Why is it jouer à la loterie rather than jouer de la loterie?
The verb jouer uses the preposition à when talking about playing a game, a sport, or a game of chance like the lottery (jouer à la loterie). You only use jouer de when talking about playing a musical instrument, like jouer du piano.
Why is there a de before gagner?
When a noun is directly followed by an infinitive verb to describe what the noun relates to, French usually connects them with the preposition de. Here, the noun la probabilité is connected to the action of winning, so it becomes la probabilité de gagner (the probability of winning).
Could I translate 'anymore' by putting plus at the end of the sentence?
No, the French negative structure ne ... plus (no longer / not anymore) wraps around the conjugated verb exactly like ne ... pas. You must say Je ne joue plus (I no longer play), and cannot tack plus onto the end of the sentence like the English word 'anymore'.
Why does the sentence use basse instead of bas?
Basse is the feminine form of the adjective bas (low), and it must agree with the feminine noun it describes (la probabilité). Notice that the pronunciation changes too: you clearly pronounce the 's' sound in basse, whereas in the masculine bas, the final 's' is silent.

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