Breakdown of Le client doit payer un acompte, à moins qu'il ne soit très solvable.
être
to be
un
a / an (masculine)
il
he
très
very
ne
not (used before the verb)
le client
the client / the customer
payer
to pay
devoir
to have to / must
à moins que
unless
solvable
solvent
l'acompte
the down payment (m)
Questions & Answers about Le client doit payer un acompte, à moins qu'il ne soit très solvable.
Why is soit used here instead of the indicative est?
The conjunction à moins que (unless) always requires the subjunctive mood. It introduces a condition or an exception that hasn't happened yet, so we must use the subjunctive soit (from être) rather than the indicative est.
Why is there a ne before soit? Does it mean "unless he is not solvent"?
No, it is not negative! This is a classic B2 concept called the ne explicatif (explaining "ne"). It often appears after certain conjunctions like à moins que and avant que to emphasize a sense of doubt or a potential negative outcome being prevented. It does not change the meaning of the sentence into a negative one.
Is it mandatory to include that extra ne?
Since the subject is the same in both halves of the sentence (the client), could this be rephrased without the subjunctive?
Yes! When the subject of the main clause and the subordinate clause is the same person or thing, you can replace à moins que + [subjunctive] with à moins de + [infinitive]. In this case, you could elegantly rephrase it as: Le client doit payer un acompte, à moins d'être très solvable.
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