Breakdown of Elle avait atteint un rocher abrupt avant de faire une pause.
un
a / an (masculine)
une
a / an (feminine)
elle
she
avoir
to have
Questions & Answers about Elle avait atteint un rocher abrupt avant de faire une pause.
Why is avant de faire used here instead of avant qu'elle fasse?
Since the subject doing both actions is the same (elle), French strictly prefers the preposition avant de followed by an infinitive (faire) rather than a subordinate clause with avant que + subjunctive. It is more concise and avoids unnecessary repetition of the subject.
What tense is avait atteint, and why is it used?
This is the plus-que-parfait (pluperfect). It is used to describe a past action that was fully completed before another past action took place. Here, reaching the rock happened before the break was taken. It is formed with the imperfect of the auxiliary verb (avoir) and the past participle (atteint).
How do you form the past participle of verbs like atteindre?
Verbs ending in -eindre (like atteindre, peindre, éteindre) drop the -dre and add a -t to form their past participle, giving us atteint, peint, and éteint. Be careful not to mix this pattern up with verbs ending in -prendre or -rendre.
Is it wrong to say prendre une pause to match the English phrase "take a break"?