Breakdown of Tout novateur qu'il est, notre nouveau prototype est souvent défaillant.
être
to be
il
he
souvent
often
notre
our (singular and plural forms: notre, nos)
Questions & Answers about Tout novateur qu'il est, notre nouveau prototype est souvent défaillant.
Why do we use the indicative est here instead of the subjunctive?
If the prototype were feminine (like notre nouvelle machine), would tout change to agree with it?
In this structure, tout acts as an adverb meaning 'however' or 'as'. Usually, adverbs don't change form. But there is a quirky French rule: tout must agree in gender and number if it precedes a feminine adjective starting with a consonant or an aspirated 'h'. Because novatrice starts with a consonant, a feminine version of this sentence would be Toute novatrice qu'elle est.
Can I translate Tout novateur qu'il est simply as 'Even though it is innovative'?
Yes, absolutely. While the French structure maps somewhat closely to 'As innovative as it is,' in English we often express this naturally as 'Even though it is innovative,' 'However innovative it is,' or 'Innovative though it is.'
What is the exact meaning of défaillant here?