Question 1

Why do we use the Plus-que-parfait (avait reculé) here instead of the Passé Composé?

Accepted Answer

This is the rule of sequence of tenses in reported speech. The main verb (a affirmé) is in the past. If his original words were in the Passé Composé ("The truck backed up" / "Le camion a reculé"), the reported version must take a step further back in time to the Plus-que-parfait (avait reculé) to show the action happened before he made his statement.

Question 2

Why is the preposition dans used to mean "into"?

Accepted Answer

While dans usually translates to "in", French often uses it after verbs of motion like reculer (to reverse) or rentrer (to crash/enter) to express colliding with or going into something. You can think of it as the truck reversing "in" the space occupied by the bumper.

Question 3

Why does pare-chocs end with an "s" if it's just a single bumper?

Accepted Answer

Pare-chocs is a compound noun made of the verb parer (to ward off) and the noun chocs (impacts/shocks). It literally translates to an "impact-protector." Because a bumper is designed to protect against multiple impacts, chocs keeps its plural "s" even when you are only talking about one bumper (un pare-chocs).

Question 4

Could I just use a dit (said) instead of a affirmé (stated)?

Accepted Answer

Grammatically, yes, the sentence would still be correct. However, affirmer (to assert, to state confidently) is a stronger verb. It is very commonly used in legal, insurance, or police contexts, which perfectly fits a sentence about reporting a car accident.

Il a affirmé que le camion avait reculé dans son pare-chocs.

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