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Nous attendions devant la maison quand une sirène a sonné.

Nous attendions devant la maison quand une sirène a sonné.
We were waiting in front of the house when a siren went off.
From Lesson 134:Past tense contrast: interruptions·French

Questions & Answers about Nous attendions devant la maison quand une sirène a sonné.

Why use the imparfait for attendions and the passé composé for a sonné?
This is the classic background versus interruption pattern! Nous attendions (we were waiting) sets the scene and describes an ongoing action in the past. Une sirène a sonné (a siren went off) is a sudden, specific event that happened while you were waiting.
How is nous attendions different from the present tense?
The present tense is nous attendons (we wait or we are waiting). By adding that little i to make the ending -ions, you change it to the imparfait tense: nous attendions (we were waiting).
Could I say avant la maison instead of devant la maison?
No, because avant is only used for time (meaning before). Since we are talking about a physical location in space (in front of the house), you must use devant.
Why does the English translation say the siren went off instead of rang?
The verb sonner literally means to ring or to sound. While we usually say an alarm or a siren goes off in English, French keeps it simple and uses sonner for these types of loud noises.

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