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Elle attend encore une réponse à sa demande.

Elle attend encore une réponse à sa demande.
She is still waiting for an answer to her request.

Breakdown of Elle attend encore une réponse à sa demande.

elle
she
à
to
attendre
to wait
encore
still
sa
her
la réponse
the answer
la demande
the request
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Questions & Answers about Elle attend encore une réponse à sa demande.

Why does attendre not use a word for for here?

In French, attendre normally takes a direct object, unlike English to wait for.

So French says:

  • attendre une réponse = to wait for a reply

Not:

  • attendre pour une réponse ❌

This is a very common difference for English speakers. With attendre, you usually do not add a preposition before the thing being waited for.

What does encore mean in this sentence?

Here, encore means still.

So Elle attend encore une réponse means she is still waiting for a reply.

Be careful: encore can also mean again in other contexts. The exact meaning depends on the sentence.

For example:

  • Il pleut encore. = It is still raining.
  • Dis-le encore. = Say it again.

In this sentence, still is the natural meaning.

Why is it une réponse and not la réponse?

Une réponse means a reply / an answer, while la réponse would mean the reply / the answer.

Using une suggests that she is waiting for some reply, not necessarily referring to one already clearly identified as specific.

So:

  • une réponse = a reply, any reply
  • la réponse = the reply, a specific one

French often uses the indefinite article when English might also say a.

Why is it à sa demande?

The phrase une réponse à sa demande means a reply to her request/application.

Here, à corresponds to English to in a reply to something.

Compare:

  • une réponse à une question = an answer to a question
  • une réponse à sa demande = a reply to her request

So à is linked to réponse, not to attend.

What does demande mean here?

Demande usually means request, but in some contexts it can also mean application.

So this sentence could mean:

  • She is still waiting for a reply to her request
  • She is still waiting for a reply to her application

The exact choice depends on context. If this is about paperwork, a job, immigration, or official documents, application may be the better translation. In a more general situation, request is more likely.

Why does it say sa demande? Could sa mean his too?

Yes. In French, sa can mean his, her, or sometimes its, depending on context.

French possessive adjectives agree with the thing possessed, not with the owner.

Since demande is a feminine singular noun, French uses:

  • sa demande

not because the owner is female, but because demande is feminine singular.

In this sentence, because the subject is Elle, we understand sa as her.

Why is the verb form attend?

Attend is the third-person singular present form of attendre.

The subject is elle, so the verb must match it:

  • j’attends
  • tu attends
  • il/elle/on attend
  • nous attendons
  • vous attendez
  • ils/elles attendent

So Elle attend = She waits / She is waiting

Does Elle attend mean she waits or she is waiting?

It can mean either, depending on context.

French uses the present tense for both:

  • she waits
  • she is waiting

So:

  • Elle attend encore une réponse can be understood as She is still waiting for a reply

In English, the continuous form sounds more natural here, but French does not need a separate is waiting form.

Why is encore placed after the verb?

In simple sentences, short adverbs like encore, souvent, déjà, and toujours are often placed after the conjugated verb.

So:

  • Elle attend encore...

is the normal order.

This is a common French word order pattern:

  • Il travaille encore.
  • Nous avons déjà fini.
  • Elle vient souvent.

English speakers often want to place still earlier, but French handles it differently.

How is Elle attend encore une réponse à sa demande pronounced?

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

el a-ton ahn-kor uhn ray-pons ah sa duh-mahnd

A few helpful notes:

  • Elle sounds like el
  • attend ends with a nasal sound; the final d is not normally pronounced
  • encore sounds like ahn-kor
  • une has the French u sound, which does not exist exactly in English
  • réponse has a nasal vowel in the second syllable
  • demande ends with another nasal sound

Also, in natural speech, une réponse à sa demande flows smoothly, with à sa pronounced very lightly.

Could French also say Elle est encore en attente d’une réponse?

Yes, that is possible, but it is a bit more formal or administrative in tone.

Compare:

  • Elle attend encore une réponse à sa demande. = natural, everyday
  • Elle est encore en attente d’une réponse à sa demande. = more formal, bureaucratic, or written

Both are correct, but attend is simpler and more direct.

Is there anything tricky about translating demande into English?

Yes. English speakers often translate demande too mechanically as demand, but that is usually wrong.

In most everyday contexts:

  • demande = request
  • sometimes application
  • sometimes claim or inquiry, depending on context

English demand is much stronger and usually corresponds more closely to French exigence or sometimes a forceful demande, depending on context.

So in this sentence, request is the safest basic choice.