Breakdown of Si abrupte que soit l'ascension, l'alpiniste veut atteindre le sommet.
être
to be
vouloir
to want
que
that (introducing a clause)
le sommet
the summit
si
so (before an adjective/adverb)
abrupt
steep (sudden, sheer)
l'ascension
the ascent (f)
l'alpiniste
the mountaineer (m)
atteindre
to reach
Questions & Answers about Si abrupte que soit l'ascension, l'alpiniste veut atteindre le sommet.
I know si usually means 'if' or 'so'. How does it mean 'however' in this sentence?
When si is paired with an adjective and followed by que, it forms a fixed structure of concession meaning 'however [adjective] it may be'. In this specific pattern, it completely loses its usual conditional meaning of 'if'.
Why do we use the subjunctive soit here instead of the indicative est?
The concession structure si [adjective] que always requires the subjunctive. It treats the degree of the adjective (how steep the ascent is) as an extreme or subjective condition that doesn't stop the main action, rather than just stating a plain fact.
Why is the verb soit placed before the subject l'ascension?
Why is there an -e at the end of abrupte?
Is l'alpiniste a masculine or feminine noun here?
It could be either! Nouns ending in -iste that refer to professions or hobbies (like journaliste or touriste) are usually epicene, meaning they share the exact same form for both men and women. Because the article is shortened to l', the gender of the mountaineer in this sentence is completely unspecified.
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