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La chute est tellement terrifiante qu'ils hurlent.

La chute est tellement terrifiante qu'ils hurlent.
The drop is so terrifying that they are screaming.
From Lesson 217:Intensity with adjectives (si / tellement... que)·French

Questions & Answers about La chute est tellement terrifiante qu'ils hurlent.

Could I use si instead of tellement in this sentence?
Yes! Before an adjective like terrifiante, si and tellement are completely interchangeable. You could perfectly say La chute est si terrifiante qu'ils hurlent. Both trigger the que (that) later in the sentence to show the consequence.
Does La chute mean "the fall" or "the drop"?
It means both! In French, la chute is used for a physical fall, but it is also the natural word for a steep "drop" (like on a roller coaster or a cliff) or even a waterfall (une chute d'eau).
Why does terrifiante have an "e" at the end?
Because it's an adjective describing La chute, which is a feminine noun. You take the base masculine adjective terrifiant and add an -e to make it agree in gender.
Can I leave out the word qu' and just say they are screaming, like we often drop "that" in English?
No, in French you cannot drop the equivalent of "that" in this structure. The pair tellement ... que works together to mean "so ... that". Also, remember that que must drop its e and become qu' before a vowel like the i in ils.
Why use hurlent instead of crient for "screaming"?
Crier is a very common verb meaning "to shout" or "to yell." Hurler is a step up in intensity, meaning "to scream" or "to howl." Given how terrifying the drop is, hurler captures that extreme reaction perfectly.

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