Question 1

How does de peur de relate to objective cause prepositions like en raison de?

Accepted Answer

While en raison de gives an objective, existing cause (because of / due to), de peur de (for fear of) expresses a preventative cause or a negative purpose. The mayor is acting to prevent a future accident, rather than reacting to a factual event that has already occurred.

Question 2

Why is de peur de followed by the infinitive provoquer instead of the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

You use the infinitive construction (de peur de) when the subject of both actions is the same. Here, the mayor announces the decree, and the mayor (by failing to act) would be the one causing the accident. If the subjects were different, you would have to use de peur que followed by the subjunctive.

Question 3

I thought arrêté meant stopped or arrested. Why does it mean decree here?

Accepted Answer

As a masculine noun, un arrêté is an administrative decision or order made by a local official, such as a mayor. It comes from the verb arrêter, which historically means to decide or decree in a legal context, not just to stop.

Question 4

Is provoquer a false friend here? Why doesn't it mean to provoke?

Accepted Answer

It can mean to provoke a person, but in everyday French, provoquer is very frequently used simply to mean to cause or to bring about. Provoquer un accident is the standard and most natural way to say to cause an accident in French.

Le maire annonce cet arrêté provisoire de peur de provoquer un accident.

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