Breakdown of Ils étaient surpris que son refus ait provoqué un tel étonnement.
être
to be
un
a / an (masculine)
ils
they (masculine/mixed)
avoir
to have
son
his/her/its (son, sa, ses)
que
that (introducing a clause)
surpris
surprised
provoquer
to cause
tel
such, such a
le refus
the refusal
l'étonnement
the astonishment (m)
Questions & Answers about Ils étaient surpris que son refus ait provoqué un tel étonnement.
Why is ait provoqué in the past subjunctive here, instead of a past indicative tense like the pluperfect?
The main clause expresses an emotion (Ils étaient surpris que), which forces the following verb into the subjunctive mood. Because the refusal caused the astonishment before they were surprised by it, we need a past tense. In modern French, the past subjunctive (le subjonctif passé) is used for any past action in a subjunctive clause, replacing the pluperfect indicative you might expect from the English translation "had caused".
Does the fact that the main verb (étaient) is in the past tense change which subjunctive tense we use?
In everyday modern French, no. Whether the main clause is in the present (Ils sont surpris) or the past (Ils étaient surpris), you still use the standard past subjunctive (ait provoqué) to show that the action happened before the main clause. In highly formal or classical literature, a past-tense main clause would trigger the rare pluperfect subjunctive (eût provoqué), but you only need the standard past subjunctive in normal conversation and modern writing.
Why is it un tel étonnement rather than tel un étonnement for "such astonishment"?
In French, the indefinite article (un or une) always comes before the word tel (such). This is the exact opposite of English, where we say "such a" or "such an". Therefore, "such astonishment" translates strictly to un tel étonnement.
Does son refus mean "his refusal" or "her refusal"?
It could mean either! In French, possessive adjectives agree with the gender of the noun being owned, not the gender of the owner. Because refus is a masculine noun, it must take the masculine possessive son, regardless of whether a man or a woman is doing the refusing. You would rely on the surrounding context to know whose refusal it is.
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