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Le bibliothécaire est très sévère et donne un avertissement.

Le bibliothécaire est très sévère et donne un avertissement.
The librarian is very strict and gives a warning.
From Lesson 251:Conditional alternatives (sinon)·French

Questions & Answers about Le bibliothécaire est très sévère et donne un avertissement.

Why is sévère translated as "strict" instead of "severe"?
When describing people, sévère usually means "strict" or "stern" rather than the English "severe" (which we typically use for things like storms, injuries, or extreme punishments).
I always confuse library and bookstore in French! Is bibliothécaire related to one of those?
Yes, it's related to bibliothèque (library), making a bibliothécaire a librarian. The classic false friend to watch out for is librairie, which actually means "bookstore" (run by a libraire, or bookseller).
Does bibliothécaire change spelling if the librarian is a woman?
No, because the noun already ends in an -e, the spelling stays exactly the same. You only change the article: le bibliothécaire for a male librarian, and la bibliothécaire for a female librarian.
What verb is the noun avertissement (warning) based on?
It comes from the regular -ir verb avertir (to warn). Adding -issement to the root of an -ir verb is a common way to turn an action into a noun in French.
Since this lesson is about sinon (otherwise), how could I use it to continue the thought in this sentence?
You could use sinon to state the consequence of ignoring the warning. For example: Faites attention, sinon vous devrez quitter la salle. (Pay attention, otherwise you will have to leave the room.)

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