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Quelles que soient les intolérances, ce plat sans soja est parfait.

Quelles que soient les intolérances, ce plat sans soja est parfait.
Whatever the intolerances may be, this dish without soy is perfect.
From Lesson 324:Whatever the noun may be (quel que)·French

Questions & Answers about Quelles que soient les intolérances, ce plat sans soja est parfait.

Why is quelles que written as two words here, and why is it feminine plural?
When expressing 'whatever [noun] may be', quel que is always written as two words. The first word, quel, acts like an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the noun it refers to. Since les intolérances is feminine plural, we use quelles. The que always remains unchanged.
Why does the verb soient come before the subject les intolérances?
This inversion is required when using the quel que + être + subject structure. You must place the subjunctive form of être directly after que, followed by the noun it describes.
Does the quel que structure always require the subjunctive?
Yes! Expressions of concession like quel que (whatever), qui que (whoever), or où que (wherever) introduce an idea of uncertainty or a hypothetical condition, which always triggers the subjunctive. Here, soient is the third-person plural subjunctive of être.
Why isn't there an article before soja in sans soja?
The preposition sans (without) is usually followed directly by a noun without an article when referring to something in a general sense. If you said sans le soja, it would imply 'without the specific soy' we were just talking about, rather than just 'without soy' in general.

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