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L'étincelle a provoqué un incendie dans l'atelier.

L'étincelle a provoqué un incendie dans l'atelier.
The spark caused a fire in the workshop.
From Lesson 329:Prepositions of lack (faute de)·French

Questions & Answers about L'étincelle a provoqué un incendie dans l'atelier.

The current lesson is about cause prepositions like "faute de". How does "provoquer" fit into this?
While prepositions like faute de (for lack of) explain why something happened by introducing a noun phrase, this sentence uses a verb of cause. Here, the cause is the subject (l'étincelle) and the result is the direct object (un incendie). Verbs like provoquer (to trigger/cause), causer, or entraîner are used to connect them directly without needing a preposition.
Why use incendie for "fire" instead of feu?
Un feu is the general term for fire and can refer to something intentional and controlled, like a fireplace or a campfire. Un incendie, however, specifically means an uncontrolled, destructive fire or blaze. It is the precise word for an accidental disaster in a workshop.
I thought words ending in "-ie" were feminine. Why is it un incendie?
You are right that the vast majority of French nouns ending in -ie (like la boulangerie or la magie) are feminine. Un incendie is one of the few notable exceptions to this pattern, which is why it takes the masculine article un.
Could I use causer instead of provoquer here?
Yes, saying a causé un incendie is perfectly correct and translates to the exact same thing. However, provoquer often carries a slightly more dynamic feeling of "triggering" or "setting off" a chain reaction, which sounds very natural when talking about a sudden spark.

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