Breakdown of En se concentrant, on crée un intervalle ininterrompu.
un
a / an (masculine)
on
one / we (informal)
créer
to create
en
while / by (with gerund)
se concentrer
to concentrate
ininterrompu
uninterrupted
l'intervalle (m)
the interval (m)
Questions & Answers about En se concentrant, on crée un intervalle ininterrompu.
How does en se concentrant show a condition rather than just a simultaneous action?
The gerund (en + present participle) often means "while doing" or "by doing". But it can also act as a conditional clause, essentially replacing an "if" statement. In this sentence, en se concentrant means "by concentrating," but it heavily implies the condition "if one concentrates, then one creates..."
Where does the pronoun go when forming a gerund with a reflexive verb like se concentrer?
The reflexive pronoun goes right between en and the present participle. Because the main subject of the sentence is the impersonal on, the pronoun matches it and becomes se, giving us en se concentrant. If the subject were "I", it would be en me concentrant.
Is crée a past participle here? It looks like it has an extra letter.
No, crée is the present tense of créer conjugated for on. The infinitive has an acute accent on the first e (cré-), which stays in the present tense. If it were the masculine past participle, it would be spelled créé with two accents.
Why is it un intervalle instead of une intervalle? Doesn't the -alle ending make it feminine?
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