Learn French: Au bout de dix minutes, il râle parce qu'il ne supporte plus la sonnerie. - At the end of ten minutes, he complains because he can no longer stand the ringing.

Au bout de dix minutes, il râle parce qu'il ne supporte plus la sonnerie.

At the end of ten minutes, he complains because he can no longer stand the ringing.

Breakdown of Au bout de dix minutes, il râle parce qu'il ne supporte plus la sonnerie.

Questions & Answers about Au bout de dix minutes, il râle parce qu'il ne supporte plus la sonnerie.

Why use au bout de here instead of après or à la fin de?

Au bout de specifically pairs with a length of time (like dix minutes) to mean "after" or "at the end of that duration". You usually use à la fin de before a noun referring to a specific event or thing (like à la fin du film). While après is also correct here, au bout de emphasizes that the full ten minutes dragged by before he finally complained.

Is supporter a false friend in this sentence?

Yes! In French, supporter usually means "to stand," "to bear," or "to put up with" (he can't stand the ringing). If you want to say "to support" in the sense of helping a friend or backing an idea, you should use the verb soutenir.

Is râler the standard word for "to complain"?

râler is slightly informal but incredibly common in everyday spoken French. It means to grumble, moan, or complain about an annoyance. The more standard or formal equivalent for "to complain" is the reflexive verb se plaindre.

Why is it ne supporte plus instead of ne supporte pas?

The structure ne ... plus means "no longer" or "not anymore." It replaces pas to show a change in the situation. It tells us that he might have been okay with the ringing at first, but now that ten minutes have passed, he can't tolerate it anymore.