Breakdown of Que nous pardonnions à cet hypocrite ! Jamais !
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
ce
this (before a noun)
à
at / to / in (general locations) / about (what one thinks about / reacts to)
jamais
never / ever
pardonner
to forgive
que
let / may (third-person command)
l'hypocrite
the hypocrite (m)
Questions & Answers about Que nous pardonnions à cet hypocrite ! Jamais !
Why does this sentence start with Que and use the subjunctive pardonnions without a main clause?
This is an example of the indignant independent subjunctive, which is exactly what your current lesson covers! By starting directly with Que and using the subjunctive, the speaker expresses strong outrage, shock, or disbelief. It implies a dropped main clause, as if you were saying "Is it expected that..." or "It is unthinkable that...".
Wait, pardonnions is the subjunctive? It looks exactly like the imperfect tense!
Good catch! For most verbs, the nous and vous forms of the present subjunctive are identical to their imperfect forms. The structural context—specifically the Que at the beginning of an exclamation—is your big clue that this is the subjunctive mood rather than the imperfect tense.
Why do we need the preposition à before cet hypocrite?
Why is it cet hypocrite instead of ce hypocrite?
Hypocrite is a noun that can be either masculine or feminine. Assuming the hypocrite here is male, the standard masculine demonstrative adjective ce (this/that) changes to cet because hypocrite begins with a mute 'h'. This avoids a clash of vowel sounds. If the hypocrite were female, it would be spelled cette hypocrite, which actually sounds exactly the same when spoken!
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