Questions & Answers about Depuis un mois, ce sous-marin sonde la fosse.
Why is the present tense sonde used here instead of a past tense, since it translates to "has been probing"?
In French, when an action started in the past and is still continuing in the present, you use depuis (for/since) with the present tense. English uses the present perfect continuous ("has been doing") for this, which often tricks English speakers into trying to use a past compound tense in French. Could I use pendant un mois here instead of depuis un mois?
Not if the submarine is still probing the trench! Pendant un mois translates to "for a month" but implies the action is completely finished in the past. Using depuis un mois shows the action is still ongoing right now. Does fosse always mean an underwater "trench"?
Not always! While it means "trench" in an oceanographic context (like la fosse des Mariannes for the Mariana Trench), in everyday French une fosse usually means a pit, a large hole in the ground, or a grave. Is the verb sonder related to the English word "sound"?
Yes, in a nautical sense! Sonder means to probe, test, or measure the depth of water (to "sound" the depths). It is also commonly used metaphorically in French to mean "to survey" or "to poll" people (an opinion poll is un sondage). Learn Depuis un mois, ce sous-marin sonde la fosse and more in French
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