Breakdown of Il vaut mieux vérifier le Wi-Fi, où que vous habitiez.
vous
you (plural/formal)
habiter
to live
vérifier
to check
il vaut mieux
it is better to
où que
wherever
le Wi-Fi
the Wi-Fi
Questions & Answers about Il vaut mieux vérifier le Wi-Fi, où que vous habitiez.
Why does où que require the subjunctive verb habitiez?
In French, the expression où que means wherever and introduces a concession or an unknown variable. Because the exact location is not specified or does not matter to the outcome, it creates a sense of uncertainty that always triggers the subjunctive mood.
The verb habitiez looks exactly like the imperfect tense. Is it?
It is the present subjunctive, but it shares the exact same form as the imperfect for the nous and vous pronouns. Since où que strictly requires the subjunctive, you can be certain it is the subjunctive mood being used here, even though the spelling is identical to the imperfect.
Why use il vaut mieux vérifier instead of c'est mieux de vérifier?
Both translate to it is better to check and are highly interchangeable. However, il vaut mieux (from the verb valoir, meaning to be worth) is a set impersonal expression that is always followed directly by an infinitive with no preposition. If you use c'est mieux, you must add the preposition de before the infinitive.
Could I use n'importe où instead of où que to mean wherever in this sentence?
Not with this exact sentence structure. N'importe où means wherever or anywhere as a standalone adverb, for example in the sentence Je peux habiter n'importe où. But because you are introducing a new clause with a subject and a conjugated verb (vous habitiez), you must use the conjunction où que.
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