Question 1

Why do we use en here instead of dans to say "in one hour"?

Accepted Answer

We use en because it describes the amount of time it took to complete the action. The champion spent exactly one hour pedaling the twenty kilometers. If you used dans une heure, it would change the meaning entirely: it would mean the champion will start pedaling one hour from now.

Question 2

Could I use pendant instead of en and say pendant une heure?

Accepted Answer

You could, but the meaning shifts slightly. Pendant une heure translates to "for one hour" and just focuses on how long the activity lasted. En une heure specifically emphasizes that the entire goal (the twenty kilometers) was successfully accomplished within that one-hour time limit.

Question 3

Since pedaling involves movement, why does the passé composé use a (avoir) instead of est (être)?

Accepted Answer

While many verbs of movement do use être, verbs that describe the manner or type of movement like pédaler (to pedal), marcher (to walk), and courir (to run) almost always use avoir. You generally only use être for the specific list of change-of-location or change-of-state verbs (often remembered as the Vandertramp verbs).

Question 4

Is the "t" at the end of vingt pronounced in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

No, the "t" is silent here. You generally only pronounce the "t" in vingt when making a liaison with a following word that starts with a vowel sound (such as vingt euros). Because kilomètres starts with a consonant, the "t" stays silent.

Le champion a pédalé vingt kilomètres en une heure.

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