Breakdown of Tu dois prendre l'imperméable au cas où il pleuvrait pendant le festival.
tu
you (informal singular)
prendre
to have (a meal/drink) / to take
il
it (impersonal subject)
devoir
to have to / must
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
pendant
for / during (duration)
pleuvoir
to rain
le festival
the festival
au cas où
in case
l'imperméable
the raincoat (m)
Questions & Answers about Tu dois prendre l'imperméable au cas où il pleuvrait pendant le festival.
Why is it il pleuvrait (conditional) when in English we just say 'it rains' (present)?
In French, the phrase au cas où (in case) is always followed by the conditional tense. It expresses a hypothetical situation. Even though English uses the present tense ('in case it rains'), French requires the conditional ('in case it would rain') to emphasize that it is a possibility, not a certainty.
How exactly does au cas où translate, and is it always used this way?
Au cas où translates to 'in case' or 'in the event that'. It is a fixed expression used to talk about taking a precaution against a hypothetical future event. As a strict rule, it is always followed by a verb in the conditional.
Why does it say l'imperméable (the raincoat) instead of ton imperméable (your raincoat)?
French often uses definite articles (le, la, l', les) for items of clothing or personal gear when the owner is obvious from the context. Since the sentence starts with Tu dois prendre..., it is understood you are talking about your own raincoat. However, saying ton imperméable would also be completely correct here.
Why is it pendant le festival and not pour le festival?
Pendant translates to 'during' and is used to talk about something happening concurrently with an event (like a festival or a vacation). Pour translates to 'for' but is generally used for intended durations (like going away for a week) or to show purpose. Here, you are talking about rain occurring during the timeframe of the event, so pendant is the right choice.
Learn Tu dois prendre l'imperméable au cas où il pleuvrait pendant le festival and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free