Que l'abandon et la maltraitance existent est choquant.

Questions & Answers about Que l'abandon et la maltraitance existent est choquant.

Is existent in the indicative or the subjunctive here?
It is in the subjunctive. Although the spelling existent is identical for both the present indicative and present subjunctive of regular -er verbs like exister, any sentence starting with a Que clause acting as the subject requires the subjunctive mood.
Why is choquant masculine singular when the subject includes the feminine noun la maltraitance?
The adjective choquant isn't modifying the nouns l'abandon or la maltraitance. Instead, it describes the entire fact that they exist. When an adjective modifies a whole clause or general idea, it always takes the default masculine singular form.
Could I say Que l'abandon et maltraitance existent to sound more like the English translation?
No, you cannot skip the second article. In French, you must include the appropriate article before every single noun in a list, so it has to be l'abandon et la maltraitance.
Does this sentence structure sound natural for everyday conversation?
This structure is grammatically correct but quite formal, so you will mostly see it in writing, journalism, or formal speeches. In casual conversation, a French speaker would almost certainly flip the sentence and say C'est choquant que l'abandon et la maltraitance existent.

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