Question 1

Why is the first verb, adoptions, in the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

The clause Que nous adoptions ce chat (That we adopt this cat) acts as the subject of the entire sentence. In French, when a sentence begins with Que to introduce a subject clause, the verb inside that clause must always take the subjunctive.

Question 2

adoptions looks exactly like the imperfect tense. How can I tell it's the present subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

For almost all French verbs, the nous and vous forms of the present subjunctive are identical to their imperfect tense forms. You know it is subjunctive here because the grammatical structure (the sentence-initial Que subject clause) strictly demands it.

Question 3

Why is the main verb donne conjugated in the third-person singular when the sentence mentions nous?

Accepted Answer

The subject of donne isn't nous (we) or ce chat (this cat). The subject is the entire opening clause: Que nous adoptions ce chat (The fact that we are adopting this cat). When an entire clause acts as a subject, it is treated grammatically as a singular "it" (il).

Question 4

Does lui refer to the cat? I thought it meant "to him" or "to her" for people.

Accepted Answer

Yes, lui refers to the cat. As an indirect object pronoun, lui replaces phrases starting with à + a singular noun. While it often translates to "to him" or "to her" for people, it is also perfectly standard to use it for animals. Here, it literally means the action gives a new home to him (to the cat).

Que nous adoptions ce chat lui donne un nouveau foyer.

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