Condition
à moins que
FormalB2Function
Condition
Meaning
States the ONLY condition that would prevent the rest: "unless". Subjunctive.
Position and punctuation
within the sentence · no comma
Example
La séance est maintenue, à moins que la salle ne soit indisponible.
The session stands, unless the room is unavailable.
In the DELF
the B2 essay · the C1 synthesis
The trap
The "ne" often seen after à moins que is EXPLETIVE: it negates nothing. Leaving it out is not a mistake; reading it as a negation is.
Read the full lesson : Condition and hypothesis →