French Phrase
Il se peut qu'ils facturent des frais.
Meaning
Literally, ‘It may be that they charge fees.’ The sentence expresses a possibility or uncertainty about whether a third party will impose a cost.
When to use
Use this structure when you want to politely indicate that a fee might be applied, especially in business emails, customer‑service conversations, or when discussing contract terms.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ilsepeutqueilsfacturentdesfrais
Il se peut que + Subjunctive
The impersonal expression ‘Il se peut que’ introduces uncertainty and always triggers the subjunctive mood in the following clause.
Present Subjunctive of ‘facturer’
For regular -er verbs, the present subjunctive is formed from the ‘ils’ form of the present indicative (facturent) without the final –s: que je facture, que tu factures, qu’il facture, que nous facturions, que vous facturiez, qu’ils facturent.
Partitive article ‘des’ with plural nouns
‘Des’ is the plural indefinite article used before a plural noun (frais) to mean ‘some/any’. It does not change in the subjunctive.
🗨In Conversation
Il se peut qu'ils facturent des frais supplémentaires pour le service premium.
It may be that they charge extra fees for the premium service.
Dans ce cas, il vaut mieux vérifier le devis avant de signer.
In that case, it’s better to check the quote before signing.
✕Common Mistakes
Il se peut qu'ils facturent des frais.
After ‘Il se peut que’, the verb must be in the subjunctive, not the indicative.
Il peut qu'ils facturent des frais.
The reflexive pronoun ‘se’ is required; ‘Il peut que…’ is ungrammatical.
Il se peut qu'ils facturent les frais.
If you want to refer to a specific fee, use ‘les frais’; ‘des frais’ implies an unspecified amount.
↔Alternatives
Il est possible qu'ils facturent des frais.
It is possible that they charge fees.
Ils pourraient facturer des frais.
They could charge fees.
Il se peut qu'ils imposent des frais.
It may be that they impose fees.
Cultural Tip
In French business communication, using the subjunctive after expressions of doubt (e.g., il se peut que, il est possible que) sounds more formal and courteous than the indicative. It softens statements about costs, showing respect for the listener’s budget concerns.