Breakdown of Dans une minute, la représentation finit, le rideau tombe et le public applaudit.
et
and
la minute
the minute
finir
to finish
tomber
to fall
dans
in (after a period of time)
la représentation
the performance
le rideau
the curtain
le public
the audience, public
applaudir
to applaud, to clap
Questions & Answers about Dans une minute, la représentation finit, le rideau tombe et le public applaudit.
Why is it Dans une minute instead of En une minute?
Why are the verbs (finit, tombe, applaudit) in the present tense if this happens in the future?
Just like in English ("the performance finishes in one minute"), French often uses the present tense for events happening in the very near future or on a set schedule. You could use the near future here (like va finir), but the present tense makes the action feel immediate and certain.
Why is "audience" translated as le public instead of l'audience?
Le public is the standard French term for the audience at a live event like a play, concert, or movie. The French word audience is a "false friend": it usually refers to a formal legal hearing or the viewership/listenership of a TV or radio broadcast.
Both finit and applaudit end in -it. Are they conjugated exactly the same way?
Yes! Both finir (to finish) and applaudir (to applaud) belong to the regular -ir verb group. Because la représentation and le public are both singular subjects (like "he" or "she"), you drop the -r from the infinitive and add -t to get finit and applaudit.
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