ne as expletve?

Question

OK, I spelled 'conduisiez' wrong, but I am puzzled as to the of the expletif 'ne' here. As I understand it, it has no negative meaning, but how does one know when to use it in these subjunctive clauses?

Accepted Answer

Hi Chris, 
The use of the 'ne explétif' after certain verbs and expressions indicating some emotions like fear, doubt are given in the following Kwiziq lessons.
Understanding the 'ne' explétif
De peur que + ne explétif + Le Subjonctif = For fear that
The verb 'craindre que' ( to fear that ) is one of those.
Je crains que vous ne conduisiez trop vite = I fear that you drive too fast 
But in spoken French, it will often be omitted and that is why we both accept 'conduisiez' and 'ne conduisiez' in the test.
Hope this helps!

Answer

Hi Chris,In my grammar reference ne explétif is referred to as "padding". What does this mean?My best advice is to study the following link (in its entirety) by Laura Lawless - it is excellent.https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/ne-expletif/Bonne continuation.Jim