Breakdown of Cet ancien paysan se pavane comme s'il faisait partie de la noblesse.
il
he
ce
this (before a noun)
la
her, it (feminine direct object pronoun)
ancien
old / ancient (former, antique)
le paysan
the peasant, farmer
faire partie de
to be part of
comme si
as if
la noblesse
the nobility
se pavaner
to strut
Questions & Answers about Cet ancien paysan se pavane comme s'il faisait partie de la noblesse.
Why does the sentence use the Imparfait (faisait) after comme si instead of the present tense, since he is strutting right now?
When you use comme si (as if) to describe an unreal or hypothetical situation happening at the same time as the main action, you must use the Imparfait. Even though his strutting is happening in the present, his belonging to the nobility is a present unreality, so it takes the Imparfait.
Why is ancien placed before paysan here?
The translation says belonged to, but the French uses faisait. Why?
Is se pavane a common verb for strutting?
Yes, se pavaner is a pronominal verb that specifically means to strut, swagger, or show off proudly. It actually comes from the word for peacock (paon), referring to how a peacock spreads its tail feathers to show off!
Why does si become s' in s'il? Does it do this for all pronouns?
The word si drops its i and takes an apostrophe only before il and ils. It never elides before elle, elles, or on (which remain si elle, si elles, and si on).
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