Why the n' ?
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Marilyn B.Kwiziq community member
Why the n' ?
Elle avait fait ses devoirs avant qu'il n'arrive.
This question relates to:French lesson "Conjugate être/avoir/faire/prendre/vouloir (+ avoir) in the pluperfect tense in French (Le Plus-que-Parfait)"
Asked 2 years ago
Hi Marilyn,
I suspect that you have yet to come across this aspect of more advanced grammar.
Have a look here -- I think it will explain all for you.
Avant que + ne explétif + Le Subjonctif = Before I do
Hope it helps.
Jim
Chris W. Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Jim is correct: this is a case of the ne-explétif, an advanced grammatical concept. It is not a negation because the second part of it is lacking (usually pas, jamais, plus, personne, etc.). Instead, it is used as a stylistic element, mandatory in higher level French and often dropped in colloquial French. You'll get to it in time.
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