Question 1

Why are both verbs (tremblaient and était) in the imparfait here instead of the passé composé?

Accepted Answer

This sentence is entirely setting a scene and describing ongoing states in the past. The branches "were trembling" (an ongoing background action) and the wind "was strong" (a description of a state). Because there is no single, completed event interrupting the scene, we use the imparfait for both.

Question 2

How do I pronounce tremblaient? Do I pronounce the -ent?

Accepted Answer

No, the -ent at the end of the third-person plural imparfait ending (-aient) is completely silent. It sounds exactly the same as the singular endings -ais and -ait. You pronounce the ending simply like "eh".

Question 3

I learned that "because" can be parce que or à cause de. Why did we use parce que here?

Accepted Answer

You use parce que when you are introducing a full phrase with a subject and a conjugated verb (here, le vent était fort). You use à cause de ("because of") when you only have a noun. To use it here, you would have to change the sentence to: Les branches tremblaient à cause du vent (The branches were trembling because of the wind).

Question 4

Why isn't the adjective fort plural to match les branches?

Accepted Answer

Fort (strong) is describing le vent (the wind), not the branches. Since le vent is masculine and singular, fort remains masculine and singular.

Les branches tremblaient parce que le vent était fort.

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