Breakdown of L'animal avait fui ; toujours est-il que nous avons découvert son repaire.
l'animal
the animal (m)
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
avoir
to have
son
his/her/its (son, sa, ses)
découvrir
to discover
fuir
to flee
toujours est-il que
the fact remains that
le repaire
the lair
Questions & Answers about L'animal avait fui ; toujours est-il que nous avons découvert son repaire.
Why does this sentence use toujours est-il que rather than just saying mais (but)?
While mais would work to show a simple contrast, toujours est-il que (the fact remains that) emphasizes the undeniable reality of the second statement, regardless of the first. It pivots the focus away from the disappointment of the animal fleeing, anchoring the sentence on the solid achievement: finding its lair.
Because toujours est-il que ends with que, shouldn't the next verb be in the subjunctive?
No, it strictly takes the indicative. Even though many expressions ending in que trigger the subjunctive, toujours est-il que introduces a proven fact or a firm assertion, not a doubt, emotion, or mere possibility. That is why it is followed by the indicative avons découvert.
Why is there a shift from the plus-que-parfait (avait fui) to the passé composé (avons découvert)?
The plus-que-parfait (avait fui) is used to describe an action that happened completely before another action in the past. The speakers found the lair (avons découvert, in the passé composé), but by the time that happened, the animal had already escaped.
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