Breakdown of L'historien est absorbé par cette découverte au point qu'il oublie la notion du temps.
être
to be
il
he
le temps
the time
ce
this (before a noun)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
oublier
to forget
par
by, through / out of (motive)
l'historien
the historian (m)
la découverte
the discovery
absorbé
absorbed
au point que
to the point that
la notion
the notion
Questions & Answers about L'historien est absorbé par cette découverte au point qu'il oublie la notion du temps.
Why is oublie in the indicative mood here? Shouldn't a phrase ending in que take the subjunctive?
The phrase au point que (to the point that) expresses a consequence or a result that is an actual, established fact. Because it describes something that is really happening, it triggers the indicative mood. You would only use the subjunctive if the consequence were a hypothetical goal, such as with pour que (so that).
Could I use à tel point que instead of au point que in this sentence?
The translation says "loses track of time," but literally oublie la notion du temps means "forgets the notion of time." Is this the standard idiom?
Why do we use par in absorbé par cette découverte instead of de?
In French passive constructions, par is the standard preposition to introduce the agent (the thing doing the action). While verbs describing purely emotional states or conditions often use de (like il est aimé de tous), absorbé acts as an active force pulling the historian's attention in, so par is the correct choice here.
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