Question 1

Since tombent looks exactly like the present indicative, how do we know it's in the subjunctive here?

Accepted Answer

For regular -er verbs like tomber, the present indicative and present subjunctive share the exact same form for the ils/elles conjugation. However, because it directly follows the conjunction de peur que (for fear that), which always triggers the subjunctive, we know it is grammatically in the subjunctive mood here.

Question 2

Shouldn't there be a ne before tombent? I often see de peur qu'ils ne tombent.

Accepted Answer

You are thinking of the 'ne explétif', a stylistic, non-negative ne that traditionally follows de peur que and de crainte que. In formal written French, you would indeed write de peur qu'ils ne tombent. However, in everyday spoken French, this extra ne is almost always dropped.

Question 3

Why is escalier singular here when the English translation says 'stairs'?

Accepted Answer

In French, un escalier refers to an entire flight of stairs or a staircase, so it is usually singular. While the plural les escaliers exists and is sometimes used, the singular is the most standard way to refer to the structure as a single unit.

Question 4

Why does the sentence switch from the imperfect (jouaient) to the passé composé (ai fermé)?

Accepted Answer

This highlights how these two past tenses work together. The imperfect (ils jouaient) sets the ongoing background scene (what was happening). The passé composé (j'ai fermé) describes the specific, completed action you took in response to that ongoing situation.

Ils jouaient près de l'escalier, alors j'ai fermé la barrière de peur qu'ils tombent.

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