Question 1

The current lesson is about "il est probable que". If we rewrote this sentence using that phrase, would it take the subjunctive or the indicative?

Accepted Answer

You would use the indicative, because il est probable que expresses a high likelihood (a fact-like reality in the speaker's mind). It would be: Il est probable qu'elle est déjà partie. This contrasts with il est peu probable que (it is unlikely that), which expresses doubt and requires the subjunctive: Il est peu probable qu'elle soit déjà partie. Using the adverb probablement, as in our main sentence, is a great trick to express the exact same idea while completely avoiding the subjunctive dilemma!

Question 2

Why are both probablement and déjà wedged between est and partie?

Accepted Answer

In French compound tenses, short or common adverbs like déjà almost always go between the auxiliary verb (est) and the past participle (partie). Longer adverbs ending in -ment (like probablement) usually follow this same rule when they modify the whole action. When stacking two adverbs like this, the adverb of certainty (probablement) naturally comes before the adverb of time (déjà).

Question 3

Could I put probablement at the very beginning of the sentence instead?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but with a slight structural tweak. While placing it mid-verb is the most standard written form, in casual spoken French you will often hear people start the sentence with it by adding que: Probablement qu'elle est déjà partie.

Question 4

As a quick refresher, why does partie have an extra "e" at the end?

Accepted Answer

Because partir is a verb of motion that requires être as its helping verb in the passé composé. When a verb uses être, its past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. Since the subject elle is feminine singular, we add an -e to get partie.

Elle est probablement déjà partie.

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