Breakdown of Quelles que soient vos restrictions, nous pouvons préparer un repas.
être
to be
un
a / an (masculine)
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
préparer
to prepare
votre
your (formal/plural) (singular and plural forms: votre, vos)
pouvoir
to be able to / can
le repas
the meal
quel que
whatever ... may be (m/f/pl)
la restriction
the restriction
Questions & Answers about Quelles que soient vos restrictions, nous pouvons préparer un repas.
Why is Quelles que written as two words here, and why is it feminine plural?
Why is the subjunctive soient used here rather than the indicative sont?
The expression quel que + être expresses a concession or a hypothetical situation (translated as "whatever they may be"). This structure always triggers the subjunctive. Since the subject vos restrictions is plural, we use the 3rd person plural subjunctive of être, which is soient.
Could I change the word order and say Quelles que vos restrictions soient?
No, the word order in this specific construction is strictly fixed. The verb être must always come right after que, and the subject is pushed to the very end of the clause.
Since quelles que sounds exactly like the plural adjective quelques (meaning "a few"), how can I avoid confusing them?
It comes down to grammar and word order. The two-word phrase quel que is almost always followed immediately by a subjunctive form of être (like soient in this sentence). The single word quelques is placed directly in front of a noun, as in quelques restrictions (a few restrictions).
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