Breakdown of Le client annule le contrat, à moins que notre tarif ne soit le moins cher.
être
to be
ne
not (used before the verb)
notre
our
le client
the client / the customer
Questions & Answers about Le client annule le contrat, à moins que notre tarif ne soit le moins cher.
Why is there a ne before soit if the sentence isn't negative?
This is called the ne explétif (expletive ne). It doesn't make the sentence negative; rather, it highlights the negative idea already built into à moins que (unless). It is mostly used in formal or written French. In everyday spoken French, you will often hear it dropped: à moins que notre tarif soit le moins cher.
Why do we use soit instead of est here?
The conjunction à moins que always triggers the subjunctive mood because it introduces a hypothetical condition or exception. Therefore, we must use soit (the subjunctive form of être) instead of the present indicative est.
Is there a way to say "unless" in this context without having to use the subjunctive?
If the noun were feminine, like offre (offer), would le moins cher change?