Le système d’assurage est prêt après l’encordement.

It is the contracted form of de.

So le système d’assurage literally means the system of belaying / the belay system.

French often uses de to link two nouns:

• un manuel d’escalade = a climbing manual
• un système d’assurage = a belay system

De becomes d’ before a vowel sound, which is why you get d’assurage instead of de assurage.

Because système is a masculine noun in French.

So you say:

• le système
• un système

Even though -ème endings may not obviously look masculine to an English speaker, système is simply one of those nouns whose gender has to be learned.

Because prêt agrees with le système, and système is masculine singular.

Agreement works like this:

• masculine singular: prêt
• feminine singular: prête
• masculine plural: prêts
• feminine plural: prêtes

So:

• Le système est prêt.
• La corde est prête.

In this sentence, prêt is not directly describing the noun inside the noun phrase. It comes after est because it is part of the verb phrase.

Structure:

• Le système d’assurage = subject
• est = verb (is)
• prêt = adjective used after the verb

So this works like English:

• The system is ready

Not:

• the ready system

French often uses adjectives after être in this way:

• La porte est ouverte = The door is open
• Le matériel est prêt = The equipment is ready

In a climbing context, assurage refers to belaying or the belay setup/system.

It is a technical noun from climbing vocabulary. A native English speaker might confuse it with the much more common French word assurance, but they are different:

• assurage = belaying / belay-related securing
• assurance = insurance, confidence, assurance

So in this sentence, système d’assurage is specialized climbing language.

Encordement is a noun meaning roping up or tying in with the rope, depending on context.

It comes from corde meaning rope.

In climbing, it refers to the stage where the climber(s) are attached to the rope. So:

• après l’encordement = after tying in / after roping up

It is a noun, not a verb, which is why the sentence uses après + noun.

Because encordement is a singular noun here, and in French a singular countable noun normally needs an article.

So you say:

• après l’encordement
• avant le départ
• pendant la réunion

The article is l’ because encordement begins with a vowel sound. Without the article, the phrase would usually sound incomplete or unnatural in standard French.

Because French contracts le or la to l’ before a vowel sound.

So:

• le système
• l’encordement

This is the same pattern as:

• l’escalade
• l’équipe
• l’homme

It helps pronunciation flow more smoothly.

Après means after.

It is usually followed by:

1. a noun
   
   • après l’encordement = after tying in
2. a stressed pronoun
   
   • après moi = after me
3. sometimes an infinitive in expressions like après avoir... or après être...
   
   • après avoir vérifié le nœud = after checking the knot

In your sentence, it is followed by a noun phrase:

• après l’encordement

Yes, depending on what exactly you want to emphasize.

• après l’encordement = after the tying-in / after roping up
  This is noun-based and sounds concise, technical, and procedural.
• après s’être encordé = after tying oneself in / after roping up
  This is verb-based and sounds more action-focused.

In safety instructions, French often likes noun-based phrases because they sound formal and procedural.

It is understandable and technically correct in a climbing context, especially in formal or instructional language.

Depending on the exact meaning, climbers might also talk about:

• le système d’assurage
• le dispositif d’assurage = the belay device
• l’assurage = belaying
• le système de sécurité = safety system, in a broader sense

So système d’assurage suggests the full belay setup or system, not just one device.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

luh sees-TEM da-sy-RAZH ay PREH ah-PREH lan-kor-duh-MAHN

A few useful points:

• Le is usually a light luh
• système has the stress pattern typical of French, with the rhythm falling toward the end
• d’assurage links smoothly after système
• prêt sounds like preh
• encordement ends with a nasal vowel in -ment

Also note that the final t in est is normally silent:

• est prêt sounds roughly like ay preh

Because the sentence is describing a state: the system is ready.

French often uses être + adjective to describe condition or status:

• Le matériel est prêt = The equipment is ready
• La voie est ouverte = The route is open
• Le nœud est correct = The knot is correct

So est prêt is the natural way to say that the system is in a ready state after a certain step.

The structure is:

• Le système d’assurage = subject noun phrase
• est = verb
• prêt = adjective complement
• après l’encordement = time phrase

So literally:

The belay system is ready after tying in.

This is a very standard French sentence pattern: Subject + être + adjective + time expression

For example:

• Le repas est prêt après une heure.
• Le dossier est complet après vérification.