Questions & Answers about Il est trois heures et il a à peine dormi.
Why is à peine placed between a and dormi?
In French compound tenses like the passé composé, short or common adverbs usually go right between the auxiliary verb (here, a) and the past participle (dormi). The phrase à peine acts just like a short adverb here.
Isn't à peine two words? Why does it follow the rule for short adverbs?
You are right that it is technically two words, making it an adverbial phrase! However, because it is so common and acts exactly like a single short adverb meaning "barely" or "hardly," it slips into that middle spot between the auxiliary and the past participle.
Why does the sentence use Il est for "It is" instead of C'est?
When telling time in French, you always use the impersonal Il est. Even though C'est often means "It is" in other contexts, it is never used for stating the hour.
What does the word peine mean on its own?
On its own, peine translates to "sorrow," "effort," or "punishment." But when combined into the fixed expression à peine, the meaning shifts entirely to "barely," "hardly," or "scarcely."