Breakdown of La pluie inattendue s'est évaporée en l'espace d'une fraction de seconde.
être
to be
une
a / an (feminine)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
la seconde
the second (time)
la pluie
the rain
en l'espace de
within the space of
inattendu
unexpected
s'évaporer
to evaporate
la fraction
the fraction
Questions & Answers about La pluie inattendue s'est évaporée en l'espace d'une fraction de seconde.
Why use en l'espace de instead of just en to say 'in a fraction of a second'?
Why does évaporée have an extra 'e' at the end?
The verb here is s'évaporer, a pronominal (reflexive) verb, which means it uses être in the passé composé. The reflexive pronoun s' serves as the direct object preceding the verb, so the past participle must agree with it. Since s' refers back to the feminine singular noun La pluie, you must add an -e to make it évaporée.
How is the word inattendue (unexpected) formed?
It is built from the verb attendre, which means 'to wait for' or 'to expect'. Its past participle is attendu (expected). By adding the negative prefix in-, you get inattendu (unexpected). It ends in -e here to agree with the feminine noun La pluie.
Learn La pluie inattendue s'est évaporée en l'espace d'une fraction de seconde and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free