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Le volontaire venait de couper le nœud.

Le volontaire venait de couper le nœud.
The volunteer had just cut the knot.
From Lesson 211:Past recent actions (venir de)·French

Questions & Answers about Le volontaire venait de couper le nœud.

Why does venir, which usually means "to come", translate to "had just" here?
When you use venir de followed by an infinitive verb (like couper), it forms the "recent past" meaning "to have just done" something. Because venir is in the imparfait tense here (venait), it translates to "had just cut" instead of the present "has just cut".
Could we use the passé composé here and say est venu de couper?
No, to express "had just done something" in a past narrative, you must use the imparfait form of venir. If you used the passé composé, it would literally mean someone physically "came in order to cut" the knot, rather than expressing time.
What is the joined 'o' and 'e' letter in nœud?
That is a ligature called "e dans l'o" (e in the o). It is used in a few common French words like sœur (sister), cœur (heart), and nœud (knot). In this word, nœud is pronounced roughly like "nuh", and the final 'd' is completely silent.
Is volontaire a masculine or feminine word?
It can be both! Because the noun volontaire naturally ends in an 'e', its spelling stays exactly the same for men and women. We only know this volunteer is male because of the masculine article Le. A female volunteer would be La volontaire.

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