English Translation
We should leave before it rains.
Why do we need the “ne” here?
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Welcome to the forums @Cadmean-Victory,
The short answer is: we don’t.
Both sentences (i.e with “ne” and without) have the same meaning.
You’ll mostly find this construction in written French, after “avant que” or “à moins que”.
You might also see it in subordinate clauses, when the main clause includes a verb that expresses “fear”:
Je crains qu’il (ne) pleuve. → I’m afraid it will/is going to rain.
J’ai peur qu’il (ne) soit trop tard. → I’m afraid it’s too late.
It’s called “ne explétif” in case you’re curious, but It’s hardly ever used in spoken French.
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English Translation
We should leave before it rains.
I’m actually kinda glad they added the AI “explain” option on here. It essentially gave the exact same answer as you!
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