Breakdown of C'est incroyable de réaliser cet exploit avec une mention.
une
a / an (feminine)
avec
with
ce
this (before a noun)
incroyable
incredible
Questions & Answers about C'est incroyable de réaliser cet exploit avec une mention.
Why doesn't this sentence use the subjunctive, given that "c'est incroyable" is a subjunctive trigger?
You are right that c'est incroyable que triggers the subjunctive (and the subjonctif passé for a past action). However, that only happens when there is a new subject in the subordinate clause, like C'est incroyable qu'elle l'ait fait (It is incredible that she did it). Because this sentence makes a general statement without a specific subject, it uses the impersonal structure c'est incroyable de followed by an infinitive (réaliser).
Why is réaliser translated as "to achieve" instead of "to realize"?
Réaliser is a partial false friend. While it is used to mean "to realize" (to become aware), its traditional and very common meaning is "to make real," "to carry out," or "to achieve" (as in réaliser un rêve or réaliser un exploit). If you want to unambiguously say "to realize" a fact mentally, use se rendre compte.
What exactly does une mention refer to in this context?
Could I use Il est incroyable instead of C'est incroyable here?