Breakdown of Tu mets un coussin sur le rebord pointu de crainte qu'il se blesse.
un
a / an (masculine)
tu
you (informal singular)
il
he
sur
on
mettre
to put / to put on
se blesser
to hurt oneself
le coussin
the cushion
de crainte que
for fear that
le rebord
the edge
pointu
sharp
Questions & Answers about Tu mets un coussin sur le rebord pointu de crainte qu'il se blesse.
Why is se blesse in the subjunctive here?
The conjunction de crainte que (for fear that) expresses a fear about a potential outcome, which requires the verb that follows it to be in the subjunctive mood. Because se blesser (to hurt oneself) is a regular -er verb, its il form looks exactly the same in both the present indicative and the present subjunctive: se blesse.
I've seen de crainte que used with an extra ne before the verb. Why isn't there a ne in this sentence?
You are thinking of the 'ne explétif', which is a stylistic ne that doesn't make the sentence negative. It is often used after expressions of fear like de crainte que or de peur que. However, it is completely optional and mostly found in formal or written French. In everyday contexts, it is perfectly natural to leave it out, as done here.
Could I use de peur que instead of de crainte que in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! de peur que and de crainte que are fully interchangeable. de crainte que is just slightly more formal or literary, but both mean 'for fear that' and both require the subjunctive.
What is the difference between un rebord and un bord?
While bord generally means 'edge' or 'border' (like the edge of a road or a beach), rebord specifically refers to a raised edge, a rim, or a ledge, such as a windowsill (un rebord de fenêtre) or the hard lip of a piece of furniture. Here, it clarifies that the cushion is going on a specific, protruding edge.
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