Breakdown of Que la particule soit composée d'eau est magnifique.
être
to be
l'eau
the water
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
magnifique
magnificent
que
that (introducing a clause)
composer
to compose
la particule
the particle
Questions & Answers about Que la particule soit composée d'eau est magnifique.
Why is the agent introduced by d' (de) instead of par in this sentence?
In the passive voice, we normally use par to introduce the agent of a specific physical action. However, for verbs describing a continuous state, an emotion, or physical composition (like composé, couvert, or entouré), we use de. Since être composé describes the makeup or state of the particle rather than an active physical event, it takes de (which contracts to d' before a vowel).
Why is the verb être in the subjunctive form (soit)?
Why does composée end with an extra e?
Because this sentence is in the passive voice, which is always built using the auxiliary verb être (here conjugated as soit). When a verb structure uses être, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. Since la particule is feminine singular, composé gets an extra e.
Is it common to start a French sentence with Que like this?
It is grammatically correct and translates perfectly to the English formal structure starting with "That..." (e.g., "That the particle is composed of water..."). However, it sounds quite formal and literary in French. In everyday conversation, you would almost always flip it around to use a dummy subject instead: C'est magnifique que la particule soit composée d'eau.
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