Learn French: Nous refusons le partenariat, à moins que le client ne soit solvable. - We refuse the partnership, unless the client is solvent.

Nous refusons le partenariat, à moins que le client ne soit solvable.

We refuse the partnership, unless the client is solvent.

Breakdown of Nous refusons le partenariat, à moins que le client ne soit solvable.

être

to be

nous

we / us (object pronoun)

not (used before the verb)

le client

the client / the customer

Questions & Answers about Nous refusons le partenariat, à moins que le client ne soit solvable.

Why is soit in the subjunctive here?

The conjunction à moins que (unless) expresses a condition or restriction, which introduces an element of doubt. Because of this, it always requires the following verb to be in the subjunctive mood. Here, that is soit, the subjunctive of être.

What is the ne doing before soit? Does it mean 'unless the client is not solvent'?

No, it is not negative! This is the ne explétif. It is a formal, optional word often used after certain conjunctions like à moins que and avant que, or after verbs expressing fear. It does not translate to a negative in English; it just adds a formal stylistic touch. You will encounter it often in written French, but you do not have to use it yourself.

Can I just say sauf si instead of à moins que?

Yes, you can! Both mean 'unless', but they take different verb moods. While à moins que requires the subjunctive, sauf si is followed by the normal indicative mood. So if you used it here, you would say sauf si le client est solvable. Using à moins que sounds slightly more formal.

Could we use an infinitive here instead, like à moins de?