Breakdown of Le forgeron n'a pas pu forger l'acier, faute de charbon.
avoir
to have
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
pouvoir
to be able to / can
le charbon
the coal
le forgeron
the blacksmith
forger
to forge
l'acier
the steel (m)
faute de
for lack of
Questions & Answers about Le forgeron n'a pas pu forger l'acier, faute de charbon.
Why is there no article before charbon? Shouldn't it be faute du charbon?
The expression faute de (for lack of) is typically followed directly by a bare noun when referring to something general or uncountable. You just say faute de charbon (for lack of coal), exactly like faute de temps (for lack of time). If you said faute du charbon, it would mean for lack of the specific coal you were just discussing.
Could we use an infinitive after faute de in a sentence like this?
Yes! The phrase faute de can be followed by a noun or an infinitive verb. If the blacksmith failed because he lacked the action of finding coal, you would use the infinitive: faute de trouver du charbon (for lack of finding coal).
Why does this sentence use the passé composé (n'a pas pu) instead of the imparfait (ne pouvait pas) for 'could not'?
The passé composé (n'a pas pu) shows that this was a specific, isolated event where the blacksmith attempted a task and failed. If you used the imparfait (ne pouvait pas), it would sound like a general background description indicating that he lacked the ongoing ability to forge steel over a period of time.
I see forgeron (blacksmith) and forger (to forge). Is -eron a common suffix for professions?
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