Breakdown of Qu'une adoption rate est un problème pour le refuge.
être
to be
un
a / an (masculine)
une
a / an (feminine)
pour
for
le problème
the problem
que
that (introducing a clause)
rater
to miss / to botch / ruin / to fail / go wrong
le refuge
the shelter
l'adoption
the adoption (f)
Questions & Answers about Qu'une adoption rate est un problème pour le refuge.
Why does the sentence begin with Qu'?
Is the verb rate in the subjunctive here? It looks exactly like the normal present tense.
Yes, it is in the subjunctive! Because rater is a regular -er verb, its third-person singular form is rate in both the present indicative and the present subjunctive. The grammatical rule of starting with Que as a subject clause requires it to be subjunctive, even if it looks identical.
I learned rater means to miss a train or a target. How does it mean 'fail' here?
Do French speakers actually start sentences with Que like this in daily conversation?
It is considered quite formal and elegant. In everyday spoken French, people usually avoid this structure by rephrasing. They might say C'est un problème pour le refuge quand une adoption rate (It is a problem for the shelter when an adoption fails) or use Le fait qu'une adoption rate... (The fact that...).
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