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Tout à coup, il a commencé à pleuvoir.

Tout à coup, il a commencé à pleuvoir.
Suddenly, it started to rain.
From Lesson 134:Past tense contrast: interruptions·French

Breakdown of Tout à coup, il a commencé à pleuvoir.

commencer
to start
pleuvoir
to rain
tout à coup
all of a sudden

Questions & Answers about Tout à coup, il a commencé à pleuvoir.

Why do we use the Passé Composé (a commencé) here instead of the Imparfait?
The phrase tout à coup (suddenly) tells us this is a specific, sudden event rather than an ongoing background action. Sudden events that interrupt a scene or happen quickly in the past always use the Passé Composé.
Why is there an à between commencé and pleuvoir?
In French, certain verbs need a preposition (like à or de) before an infinitive verb. The verb commencer (to begin/start) requires à when it is followed by another action. So, to start to rain is commencer à pleuvoir.
Does il mean 'he' in this sentence?
No, here il means 'it'. This is called an impersonal pronoun. Just like in English, French uses 'it' for weather expressions, such as il pleut (it is raining) or il a commencé à pleuvoir (it started to rain).
I know coup means 'blow' or 'hit'. How does tout à coup mean 'suddenly'?
Tout à coup is a fixed idiom. While it translates word-for-word as 'all at blow', it is used just like the English word 'suddenly'. Because it marks a sudden interruption, it is a huge clue that you need to use the Passé Composé for the action that follows it!

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