De peur que + ne explétif + Le Subjonctif = For fear that

Question

My reflexive response to translation of 'We opened the windows out of fear there might be a gas leak.' was 'Nous avons ouvert les 
fenêtres de peur qu'il ne puisse y avoir une fuite de gaz.' given that 
there is a sense of conditional pouvoir in the translation ('there could 
be or 'might be', rather than the softer 'we're not sure' sense of avoir 
in the subjunctive. Any thoughts?

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour John,
Your answer is grammatically correct and in a everyday conversation it would be perfectly acceptable although it would still sound "heavy" to a French ear (and therefore, it is not needed). However, if 'there could be' was expected, a hint asking to use 'pouvoir' would have been displayed so as to avoid any ambiguity. As there is none, the expected answer is simply to use 'there might be' (= qu'il n'y ait). 
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

chris wallis · Answer

I think the use of 'might' in the English version is wrong. I know that colloquially we would use it, but it leads us to other places when trying to translate. 'For fear there was a gas leak' is surely a better translation of il n'y ait?

Céline Pickard · Answer

Bonjour Chris,After discussing your suggestion, we decided to keep "might" in the English sentence. But, we've now added "puisse" as part of the correct answers although it is not the best option (a bit too "heavy/overkill" to express the uncertainty of a potential fire). I have also updated my previous reply to John.I hope this is helpful.Bonne journée !