Question 1

Why use patienter here instead of the standard verb attendre?

Accepted Answer

While attendre simply means to wait, patienter specifically means to wait patiently or to endure a delay. Using patienter here creates a strong contrast: even though the wait is terrible, the buyers are willing to endure it.

Question 2

How could we rewrite this sentence to use the lesson's focus, quitte à?

Accepted Answer

You could rephrase it to focus on the concession: Les acheteurs veulent acheter, quitte à patienter (The buyers want to buy, even if it means waiting). The phrase quitte à is followed by an infinitive to show someone is willing to accept a negative consequence to get what they want.

Question 3

Where does the noun attente come from?

Accepted Answer

L'attente is the standard noun form of the verb attendre. It translates to both the wait and the expectation. You will often see it in very common everyday terms, such as une salle d'attente (a waiting room).

Question 4

Why is toujours placed after the verb est instead of before it?

Accepted Answer

Unlike in English where adverbs often go before the verb (is always), French adverbs like toujours generally follow the conjugated verb. You will almost never put an adverb between the subject and the conjugated verb in French.

L'attente est toujours terrible, mais les acheteurs veulent patienter.

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