Breakdown of L'orage a éclaté il y a deux heures pendant que je dormais.
je
I
avoir
to have
deux
two
l'heure
the hour / o'clock (f)
dormir
to sleep
il y a
ago
pendant que
while
l'orage
the storm (m)
éclater
to break out
Questions & Answers about L'orage a éclaté il y a deux heures pendant que je dormais.
Why do we use the passé composé for a éclaté but the imparfait for dormais?
This is the classic "interruption" rule you are learning! Je dormais (I was sleeping) sets the scene as the ongoing background action, so it takes the imparfait. L'orage a éclaté (The storm broke out) is the sudden, completed event that happened in the middle of that background, so it takes the passé composé.
Doesn't il y a mean "there is"? Why does it mean "ago" here?
Why do we need que after pendant? Can't we just say pendant je dormais?
You have to use pendant que (while) because it connects to a full clause with a subject and a verb (je dormais). If you only want to use a noun, you drop the que and just use pendant (during). For example, you would say pendant l'orage (during the storm) but pendant que je dormais (while I was sleeping).
What is the infinitive of a éclaté and how else is it used?
The infinitive is éclater, which generally means "to burst," "to explode," or "to break out." Besides storms, you will see it used for tires bursting, wars breaking out, or in common expressions like éclater de rire (to burst out laughing).
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