Learn French: Le petit chat miaule, tandis que le maître dort. - The little cat meows, while the owner sleeps.

Le petit chat miaule, tandis que le maître dort.

The little cat meows, while the owner sleeps.

Breakdown of Le petit chat miaule, tandis que le maître dort.

Questions & Answers about Le petit chat miaule, tandis que le maître dort.

Could I use alors que instead of tandis que in this sentence?

Yes, in this sentence alors que and tandis que are completely interchangeable. Both express a contrast between two simultaneous actions (the cat making noise whereas the owner is sleeping).

Why use le maître for 'the owner'? Doesn't that mean 'the master'?

It does mean 'master' or 'teacher', but le maître (or la maîtresse) is the standard, everyday French word for a pet owner. Using a literal translation like le propriétaire sounds very clinical or legal in French, like you are talking about real estate.

What is the infinitive of the verb dort?

It is the verb dormir (to sleep). It is an irregular verb: in the singular present tense forms, it drops its 'm' (je dors, tu dors, il dort). The 'm' comes back in the plural (nous dormons).

Is the comma before tandis que necessary?

Yes. In French, when tandis que is used to show opposition or contrast between two clauses (meaning 'whereas'), you generally place a comma before it to clearly separate the two conflicting ideas.