Breakdown of Tu dois calmer son mécontentement, quoi qu'il se passe.
tu
you (informal singular)
son
his/her/its (son, sa, ses)
il
it (impersonal subject)
devoir
to have to / must
se passer
to happen
quoi que
whatever
calmer
to calm
le mécontentement
the discontent
Questions & Answers about Tu dois calmer son mécontentement, quoi qu'il se passe.
Why is se passe used here, and is it in the subjunctive?
Yes, it is in the subjunctive! The phrase quoi que (meaning "whatever") always requires the subjunctive. For regular -er verbs like se passer, the third-person singular form of the subjunctive (se passe) looks exactly the same as the present indicative.
Is there a difference between quoi que as two words and quoique as one word?
Yes, a very important one! Quoi que (two words) means "whatever" or "no matter what", as seen in this sentence. Quoique (one word) means "even though" or "although". Both of them trigger the subjunctive, but they have completely different meanings.
What does the il in il se passe refer to?
It doesn't refer to a specific person or thing. This is the impersonal il, much like the "it" in the English phrase "it is raining." The reflexive verb se passer (to happen) is often used with this impersonal il to mean "it happens".
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