Question 1

Why is venait in the imperfect tense rather than the passé composé (est venu)?

Accepted Answer

The imperfect tense is used here because it translates to 'was coming'. It sets the scene by describing an ongoing, continuous action in the background of the story, rather than a single, sudden, completed event in the past.

Question 2

I remember learning that venir de means to have 'just' done something. Why doesn't it mean that here?

Accepted Answer

The phrase venir de only translates to a recent past action ('to have just done something') when it is followed by an infinitive verb, such as Il venait de manger (He had just eaten). When it is followed by a place noun, as in du jardin, it literally means 'to come from' a physical location.

Question 3

Why is the adjective étrange placed after the noun bruit?

Accepted Answer

In French, most descriptive adjectives go after the noun. Only a specific group of common, short adjectives (often remembered by the acronym BANGS: Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, Size) regularly come before the noun. Étrange doesn't fit those special categories, so it follows the standard rule.

Question 4

How would I use this lesson's 'C'est + invariable adjective' rule to comment on this situation?

Accepted Answer

If you want to say 'It is strange!' as a general reaction to hearing the noise, you would simply say C'est étrange !. Even though you are reacting to un bruit (a masculine noun), when you use C'est to evaluate or summarize a situation, the adjective that follows is always fixed in the masculine singular.

Un bruit étrange venait du jardin.

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