Question 1

Why is there a n' before attaque even though the sentence means 'might attack' and not 'might not attack'?

Accepted Answer

This is the ne explétif (expletive ne). In formal French, verbs expressing fear, like craindre, often take a ne in the following subordinate clause. It doesn't make the sentence negative at all; it is just a stylistic quirk to emphasize the doubt or fear. You could actually drop the n' in everyday spoken French and the meaning would remain exactly the same.

Question 2

Is attaque in the subjunctive or the present indicative here?

Accepted Answer

It is in the subjunctive. Because craindre expresses an emotion (fear), it requires the subjunctive mood in the que clause. For regular -er verbs like attaquer, the subjunctive il attaque looks exactly the same as the present indicative, but grammatically, it is the subjunctive.

Question 3

Why does the sentence start with Quelques-uns instead of just Quelques?

Accepted Answer

Quelques is an adjective, meaning it must be followed by a noun (like quelques personnes, meaning 'a few people'). Quelques-uns is a pronoun meaning 'a few' or 'some' standing on its own. Since there is no noun immediately following it here, you must use the pronoun form.

Question 4

Why is the verb craignent spelled with a gn instead of a d?

Accepted Answer

Verbs ending in -aindre, -eindre, and -oindre (like craindre, peindre, and rejoindre) are irregular. In their plural present tense forms, the d disappears and turns into a gn sound. So, while the singular is il craint (he fears), the plural becomes ils craignent (they fear).

Quelques-uns craignent que l'agresseur n'attaque l'escorte.

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