Breakdown of Nous contournons la faille de peur que le système ne s'effondre.
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
la
her, it (feminine direct object pronoun)
le système
the system
s'effondrer
to collapse
de peur que
for fear that
ne
expletive 'ne' (no negative meaning)
contourner
to bypass
la faille
the flaw (vulnerability)
Questions & Answers about Nous contournons la faille de peur que le système ne s'effondre.
Why is there a ne before s'effondre if the sentence is not negative?
This is the ne explétif. It does not negate the verb. Instead, it is used after certain conjunctions like de peur que (for fear that) to emphasize the speaker's apprehension about the event. It is formal and optional, so de peur que le système s'effondre is also grammatically correct.
Is s'effondre in the indicative or the subjunctive mood here?
It is in the subjunctive mood. The conjunction de peur que always requires the subjunctive because it expresses an emotion or fear regarding a hypothetical event. For regular -er verbs like s'effondrer (to collapse), the third-person singular subjunctive looks exactly like the present indicative.
Could I express this same idea using pour que (so that)?
Yes, you could say pour que le système ne s'effondre pas (so that the system does not collapse). This means practically the same thing, but notice that it uses a standard negative ne... pas instead of the formal ne explétif paired with a conjunction of fear.
Does faille only mean a flaw in a system?
It originally refers to a geological fault or rift. In modern usage, especially in IT, law, or security contexts like this one, it is the standard word for a flaw, loophole, or vulnerability.
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