Le couloir est long, alors je me dépêche de le traverser avant que la réunion ne commence.

The corridor is long, so I hurry to cross it before the meeting starts.

Breakdown of Le couloir est long, alors je me dépêche de le traverser avant que la réunion ne commence.

• je: I
• être: to be
• ne ... pas: not
• alors: so
• commencer: to start
• dépêcher: to hurry
• la réunion: the meeting
• le couloir: the corridor
• long: long
• traverser: to cross
• avant que: before

Questions & Answers about Le couloir est long, alors je me dépêche de le traverser avant que la réunion ne commence.

Why do we say je me dépêche instead of je dépêche?

The verb se dépêcher is a reflexive verb in French. The literal sense is “to hurry oneself up,” so you need the reflexive pronoun me to indicate that the subject (je) is performing the action for itself. Saying je dépêche is incorrect because dépêcher without the reflexive pronoun has a different meaning (to send someone quickly).

What is the function of de in je me dépêche de le traverser?

After the reflexive verb se dépêcher, you typically follow the pattern se dépêcher de + infinitive to state what you’re hurrying to do. The de signals that an infinitive verb is coming next, in this case traverser (to cross).

Why does the sentence use avant que la réunion ne commence with ne?

Whenever you use avant que in French, it requires the subjunctive form of the verb. It’s common (though optional in modern usage) to add the so-called ne explétif before the subjunctive verb (commence). This ne doesn’t change the meaning but is traditionally used for stylistic or formal reasons.

Why is commence in the subjunctive mood here?

Avant que always triggers the subjunctive because it expresses an action that has not happened yet (it’s anticipated or uncertain). French grammar mandates that certain conjunctions, like avant que, pour que, bien que, etc., introduce the subjunctive to signal that the action is either subjective, possible, or in the future.

How can we translate alors in this context?

In this sentence, alors acts like “so” or “therefore.” A natural translation might be “The corridor is long, so I hurry to cross it before the meeting starts.” It shows a consequence or result of the length of the corridor: the speaker decides to hurry.