Breakdown of La bête sauvage voit la proie, cependant elle ne l'attaque pas.
elle
she
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
voir
to see
Questions & Answers about La bête sauvage voit la proie, cependant elle ne l'attaque pas.
Could I use pourtant instead of cependant in this sentence?
Yes. Both cependant and pourtant can mean "however" or "yet", and they express opposition. In this sentence, they are practically interchangeable. Cependant is slightly more formal and often states a factual contrast, while pourtant can carry a stronger sense of surprise, implying that the beast really should have attacked since it saw the prey.
Can I put cependant at the end of the sentence like we do with "though" in English?
No. In French, cependant usually comes at the beginning of the clause it introduces, right after a comma or semi-colon. You can sometimes place it directly after the conjugated verb, but you cannot put it at the very end of the sentence.
What does the l' in ne l'attaque pas stand for?
I learned that bête means "stupid". Why is it translated as "beast" here?