L’électricienne vérifie les prises pendant que le mécanicien regarde le pneu avant.

L’ is the shortened form of le or la before a vowel sound.

• la électricienne would be awkward in French
• so it becomes l’électricienne

Here, l’ stands for la, because électricienne is a feminine noun.

These are profession nouns, and French often changes their form depending on gender.

• un mécanicien = a male mechanic
• une mécanicienne = a female mechanic
• un électricien = a male electrician
• une électricienne = a female electrician

In this sentence:

• l’électricienne tells you the electrician is female
• le mécanicien tells you the mechanic is male

They are both in the present tense, and both match a third-person singular subject.

• l’électricienne vérifie = the electrician checks
• le mécanicien regarde = the mechanic looks at

These come from:

• vérifier → il/elle vérifie
• regarder → il/elle regarde

So the endings fit she checks and he looks at.

Pendant que means while.

It connects two actions happening at the same time:

• L’électricienne vérifie les prises
• le mécanicien regarde le pneu avant

So the idea is that one action is happening during the other.

A useful distinction:

• pendant = during + noun
  
  • pendant la journée = during the day
• pendant que = while + clause
  
  • pendant qu’il travaille = while he works

Since this sentence has a full clause after it, French uses pendant que.

In this sentence, une prise means an electrical outlet or socket.

So:

• les prises = the outlets / the sockets

This is a good word to watch, because prise can mean different things in other contexts, such as:

• a grip/hold
• a catch
• a plug/socket-related item
• something taken

But with électricienne, the electrical meaning is the natural one.

French often uses the definite article (le, la, les) where English might sometimes be less specific.

Here, les prises suggests the outlets being checked are known or understood from the situation, such as the outlets in a room, building, or work area.

• les prises = the outlets
• des prises = some outlets

So les prises sounds more natural if we are talking about the actual outlets involved in the task.

Because regarder normally takes a direct object in French.

• regarder quelque chose = to look at something

So French says:

• regarder le pneu = look at the tire

Even though English needs at, French does not.

This is very common:

• Je regarde la télévision = I watch TV
• Elle regarde la route = She looks at the road

Because in French, many adjectives come after the noun.

So:

• le pneu avant = the front tire

Here, avant is functioning like an adjective meaning front.

Compare:

• la porte avant = the front door
• la roue arrière = the rear wheel
• le siège arrière = the back seat

English often puts this kind of word before the noun, but French commonly puts it after.

Not exactly.

• regarder = to look at / to watch
• voir = to see

So:

• Le mécanicien regarde le pneu avant = The mechanic is looking at the front tire
• Le mécanicien voit le pneu avant = The mechanic sees the front tire

Regarder suggests active attention.
Voir is more about perception.

French usually needs an article before a common noun in this kind of sentence.

So you normally say:

• le mécanicien
• la voiture
• les prises

Unlike English, where you can sometimes drop articles more easily, French generally keeps them.

That is why both subjects and objects here have articles:

• L’électricienne
• les prises
• le mécanicien
• le pneu avant

A simple pronunciation guide is:

Lay-lek-tree-syen vay-ree-fee lay preez pahn-dahn kuh luh may-ka-nee-syen ruh-gard luh pnuh ah-vahn

A few helpful notes:

• L’électricienne begins smoothly because of the apostrophe.
• vérifie sounds roughly like vay-ree-fee
• prises sounds like preez
• pendant que is pronounced smoothly, with que sounding like kuh
• pneu is tricky for English speakers; it is roughly pnuh, with both consonants pronounced together
• avant ends with a nasal sound, not a strong final t

You do not need to pronounce every final consonant. French often leaves them silent unless there is a liaison.