Breakdown of Il faut restreindre ce réseau avant que le problème ne devienne grave.
le problème
the problem
ce
this (before a noun)
devenir
to become
il
it (impersonal subject)
falloir
to be necessary / must (impersonal)
grave
serious
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
le réseau
the network
avant que
before (conjunction)
ne
expletive 'ne' (no negative meaning)
restreindre
to restrict
Questions & Answers about Il faut restreindre ce réseau avant que le problème ne devienne grave.
Why is there a ne before devienne if the second half of the sentence isn't negative?
This is the ne explétif, which is exactly what this lesson covers. It does not make the sentence negative. Instead, it is an optional, stylistic word used in formal French after specific conjunctions like avant que (before), à moins que (unless), and de peur que (for fear that).
Why is the verb devienne in the subjunctive mood here?
The conjunction avant que always triggers the subjunctive mood. This is because it describes an event that has not happened yet, treating it as a possibility or anticipated event rather than an established fact. devienne is the subjunctive form of devenir (to become).
Since we use the subjunctive after avant que, why is restreindre left in the infinitive form?
Because restreindre directly follows the impersonal expression il faut. When you state a general necessity without specifying exactly who must perform the action, you use il faut plus the infinitive. You only use the subjunctive if you add que and a specific subject, like il faut que nous restreignions.
Learn Il faut restreindre ce réseau avant que le problème ne devienne grave and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free