Question 1

Why doesn't quelque have an 's' here to agree with the noun?

Accepted Answer

In this specific concessive structure (quelque + adjective + que), quelque acts as an adverb meaning "however." Because adverbs are invariable in French, quelque never takes an 's' here, regardless of whether the noun is plural or feminine.

Question 2

Why is the word order que soit ce poisson rather than que ce poisson soit?

Accepted Answer

When using quelque... que followed by the subjunctive, it is very common and stylistically elegant to invert the noun subject and the verb. While que ce poisson soit is also grammatically correct, que soit ce poisson is the preferred word order for this formal structure.

Question 3

Does quelque... que always require the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it always does. Just like bien que (although), this structure expresses a concession—an obstacle that doesn't prevent the main action from happening. This underlying sense of subjectivity and contrast triggers the subjunctive mood, which is why we use soit instead of est.

Question 4

Would I use this exact phrase in a casual conversation?

Accepted Answer

Probably not. The quelque... que structure is quite formal and is mostly found in literature, journalism, or very elevated speech. In everyday spoken French, you would be much more likely to use même si (even if) with the indicative, such as Même si ce poisson est très luminescent...

Quelque luminescent que soit ce poisson, l'obscurité le cache.

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