Je protège la plante de peur que ses feuilles sèchent.

De peur que is a fixed expression that means for fear that or out of fear that.

It introduces something the speaker wants to avoid. In this sentence, the idea is:

• I protect the plant
• because I am afraid
• its leaves might dry out

So de peur que is not just simple cause; it expresses fear about a possible result.

Because de peur que is the full conjunction.

• de peur de + infinitive = when the subject stays the same
• de peur que + subjunctive = when a full new clause follows

Here, after que, you get a whole clause:

• ses feuilles sèchent

So you need que to introduce that clause.

Compare:

• Je l’arrose de peur de la perdre.
  Same subject idea, followed by an infinitive.
• Je protège la plante de peur que ses feuilles sèchent.
  Full clause after que.

Because de peur que normally triggers the subjunctive.

French often uses the subjunctive after expressions involving:

• fear
• doubt
• emotion
• uncertainty
• purpose in certain structures

Here, the drying out of the leaves is not presented as a fact. It is something feared, possible, and not certain. That is exactly the kind of situation where French uses the subjunctive.

So:

• elles sèchent = indicative, stating a fact or regular event
• qu’elles sèchent = subjunctive, after an expression of fear like de peur que

It is the present subjunctive form of sécher for elles.

The subjunctive of sécher is:

• que je sèche
• que tu sèches
• qu’il/elle sèche
• que nous séchions
• que vous séchiez
• qu’ils/elles sèchent

In this sentence, the subject is ses feuilles, which is plural, so French uses the ils/elles form:

• que ses feuilles sèchent

A useful thing to know: for many verbs, the je/tu/il/elle/ils/elles subjunctive forms look very similar to the present indicative. The difference is often clearest in nous and vous.

Because French often uses a possessive adjective where English might also use its naturally.

• ses feuilles = its leaves

Here, ses agrees with the thing possessed, feuilles, which is plural. It does not tell you whether the owner is masculine or feminine.

So:

• sa feuille = his/her/its leaf
• ses feuilles = his/her/its leaves

Since plante is singular, English uses its, and French uses ses because feuilles is plural.

French usually needs an article where English may not.

So French says:

• la plante = the plant

In a sentence like this, a bare noun without an article would usually sound incomplete or ungrammatical. French strongly prefers determiners such as:

• la / le / les
• une / un
• ma / ta / sa
• etc.

So Je protège plante would not work.

The accent helps show the pronunciation and often appears because of a spelling change in the verb form.

For protéger:

• infinitive: protéger
• je protège

The é often changes to è in forms where the following syllable is not pronounced with a strong e sound. This helps keep the expected pronunciation.

Similarly for sécher:

• infinitive: sécher
• subjunctive: qu’elles sèchent

So the accent change is part of the verb’s normal spelling pattern, not an extra grammatical marker by itself.

Often, yes: in more careful or traditional French, you will often see the expletive ne after de peur que:

• Je protège la plante de peur que ses feuilles ne sèchent.

This ne does not make the sentence negative. It is sometimes called the ne explétif.

So:

• de peur que ses feuilles sèchent
• de peur que ses feuilles ne sèchent

Both can be understood, and the second is often considered more formal or more traditional. In modern everyday French, people often omit this ne, especially in speech.

Because this is not the normal negative ne...pas structure.

Compare:

• Je crains qu’il ne vienne.
  Here, ne may be expletive, not negative.
• Je crains qu’il ne vienne pas.
  Here, ne...pas is clearly negative.

So after expressions like de peur que, avant que, and some verbs of fear, a lone ne can appear without making the clause negative.

That means:

• de peur que ses feuilles ne sèchent
  still means for fear that its leaves might dry out

not

• for fear that its leaves might not dry out

You could form a sentence like that, but the nuance is different.

• de peur que ses feuilles sèchent = I protect the plant for fear that its leaves might dry out
• pour que ses feuilles ne sèchent pas = I protect the plant so that its leaves do not dry out

The second version sounds more like purpose or intended result. The original version emphasizes fear.

So both can make sense, but they are not exact equivalents in tone.

It is the present indicative:

• je protège

That means the speaker is stating a current action or a general habit:

• I am protecting the plant
• or I protect the plant

So the sentence combines:

• a present indicative main clause: Je protège la plante
• with a subjunctive subordinate clause: de peur que ses feuilles sèchent

Yes, it is grammatical and understandable, though it is slightly on the careful or literary side because of de peur que.

In everyday speech, many people might choose simpler wording, such as:

• Je protège la plante pour que ses feuilles ne sèchent pas.
• Je protège la plante parce que j’ai peur que ses feuilles sèchent.

The original sentence is perfectly good French, but it feels a bit more elegant or formal than very casual conversation.

Yes. French can move that clause, especially for style or emphasis.

For example:

• De peur que ses feuilles sèchent, je protège la plante.

This is grammatical, but it sounds more literary or carefully written. In ordinary usage, the original order is usually more straightforward:

• Je protège la plante de peur que ses feuilles sèchent.

So the original order is probably the most natural for learners to use first.