Breakdown of Ils ont pris des mesures préventives de peur que la maladie ne se propage.
il
he
des
some (plural indefinite)
avoir
to have
prendre
to have (a meal/drink) / to take
la
her, it (feminine direct object pronoun)
la maladie
the illness, disease
la mesure
the measure
de peur que
for fear that
ne
expletive 'ne' (no negative meaning)
se propager
to spread (disease/fire)
préventif
preventive
Questions & Answers about Ils ont pris des mesures préventives de peur que la maladie ne se propage.
Why is there a ne before se propage? Is the disease not spreading?
This is the ne explétif (expletive ne), which is the focus of this lesson. It does not make the sentence negative! It frequently appears in formal French after conjunctions expressing fear or caution, like de peur que (for fear that) or avant que (before). It simply adds a stylistic emphasis to the apprehension, meaning the sentence translates to 'for fear that the disease might spread', not 'might not spread'.
Why is the verb se propage in the subjunctive mood?
The conjunction de peur que always requires the subjunctive because it introduces an emotion (fear) regarding a potential, uncertain outcome. Whenever you use de peur que, the verb in the dependent clause must be in the subjunctive.
The main verb ont pris is in the past tense. Why isn't the subjunctive verb se propage also in a past tense?
In everyday modern French, the present subjunctive is used for simultaneous or future actions relative to the main clause, even if the main clause is in a past tense. Using a past subjunctive here (the imperfect subjunctive) would sound extremely archaic and is reserved for classic literature.
Why use the reflexive se propage instead of just propage?
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