Breakdown of Ne mange pas le biscuit croustillant en attendant que le pain gonfle !
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
manger
to eat
le pain
the bread
le biscuit
the biscuit
en attendant que
while waiting for / until (in the meantime)
gonfler
to rise
croustillant
crispy
Questions & Answers about Ne mange pas le biscuit croustillant en attendant que le pain gonfle !
Why is gonfle in the subjunctive here?
The conjunction en attendant que (while waiting for / until) always requires the subjunctive. It introduces an anticipated event that has not yet occurred, which triggers the subjunctive mood for the verb gonfler.
Gonfle looks exactly like the present tense. Is it definitely subjunctive?
Yes! For regular -er verbs like gonfler, the present subjunctive endings for je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles are completely identical to the present indicative. We know it is subjunctive here strictly because the grammatical rule for en attendant que demands it.
Could I use en attendant de instead of en attendant que here?
No, because the two verbs have different subjects. The implied subject of the first verb is 'you' (do not eat), but the thing rising is the bread (le pain). You must use en attendant que + subjunctive when there is a change of subject. You only use en attendant de + infinitive when the same subject performs both actions.
Why is there no 's' at the end of mange since this is a command to tu?
When giving commands (the imperative mood), regular -er verbs drop the final 's' for the tu form. So, the indicative tu manges becomes mange in the imperative. This rule applies to both affirmative and negative commands like ne mange pas.
Does biscuit refer to an American cookie or a British biscuit?
In standard French, un biscuit refers to a dry, crispy baked good, which aligns with the British 'biscuit' or a crispy American 'cookie'. If a French person wants to refer specifically to a soft, chewy, American-style chocolate chip cookie, they usually borrow the English word and call it un cookie.
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