Breakdown of Il était grossier, voire prétentieux, sans compter qu'il mâchait bruyamment.
être
to be
il
he
bruyamment
loudly
voire
and even / if not
sans compter que
not to mention that
grossier
rude
prétentieux
pretentious
mâcher
to chew
Questions & Answers about Il était grossier, voire prétentieux, sans compter qu'il mâchait bruyamment.
Why does sans compter que take the indicative (mâchait) here instead of the subjunctive?
Even though it ends in que, sans compter que introduces a solid, undeniable fact being added to your argument, much like saying 'besides the fact that'. Because it expresses a certainty rather than doubt, emotion, or obligation, it takes the normal indicative mood. In this case, we use the imperfect indicative (mâchait) to describe his ongoing past action.
How is voire used differently from même in this context?
While both can translate to 'even', voire is used specifically to escalate an argument or description by introducing a stronger, worse, or more extreme point. It directly links the baseline trait grossier (rude) to the more severe prétentieux (pretentious). You use même for a general 'even', but voire is perfect for this kind of 'and indeed' escalation.
How is the adverb bruyamment formed from its adjective?
For adjectives ending in -ant, like bruyant (noisy), you form the adverb by dropping the -nt and adding -mment. This creates the -amment ending seen here. Interestingly, this ending is pronounced exactly the same as the -emment ending found on adverbs derived from -ent adjectives.
Why use the imperfect tense (était, mâchait) for the entire sentence instead of the passé composé?
The imperfect is the natural choice because this sentence is entirely descriptive. It paints a picture of a past situation, showing the person's ongoing behavior and personality traits at that time, rather than a specific, completed event that moved a story forward.
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