Breakdown of Le garde du corps craint que l'agresseur ne bloque le cortège.
que
that (introducing a clause)
bloquer
to block
ne
expletive 'ne' (no negative meaning)
le garde du corps
the bodyguard
craindre
to fear
l'agresseur
the attacker (m)
le cortège
the motorcade
Questions & Answers about Le garde du corps craint que l'agresseur ne bloque le cortège.
Why is there a ne before bloque when the English translation isn't negative?
This is the ne explétif (expletive ne), which is the main focus of this lesson. After verbs of fear like craindre que (to fear that), French often adds this ne to emphasize the feeling of apprehension. It does not negate the verb. If the sentence were truly negative (fearing that the attacker will not block it), you would see ne bloque pas.
Is bloque in the subjunctive mood here?
Yes. The verb craindre que expresses an emotion (fear), which forces the following verb into the subjunctive mood. Because bloquer is a regular -er verb, its present subjunctive form for the third-person singular (bloque) happens to look exactly the same as the present indicative.
If there were multiple bodyguards, how would you make the compound noun garde du corps plural?
Why does the English translation say 'might block' rather than just 'blocks'?
The French subjunctive inherently expresses uncertainty, subjectivity, or a potential outcome. While translating it directly as 'fears that the attacker blocks' makes sense, adding 'might' is the most natural way in English to capture the sense of a potential, unconfirmed future event that the subjunctive provides here.
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