Faute de constater l’infiltration, l’expert ne peut pas évaluer le dommage.

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Breakdown of Faute de constater l’infiltration, l’expert ne peut pas évaluer le dommage.

• pouvoir: can
• l’infiltration: the water seepage
• le dommage: the damage

Questions & Answers about Faute de constater l’infiltration, l’expert ne peut pas évaluer le dommage.

What does faute de mean here?

Faute de is a fixed expression meaning for lack of, in the absence of, or sometimes because one failed to.

In this sentence, Faute de constater l’infiltration means something like:

• Because the expert did not detect/establish the infiltration
• For lack of having identified the infiltration

It is a fairly formal expression. You will often see it in written French, especially in technical, legal, or administrative contexts.

A useful pattern is:

• faute de + noun
• faute de + infinitive

For example:

• Faute de preuves, le juge ne peut pas décider.
  = For lack of evidence, the judge cannot decide.
• Faute de comprendre la question, il n’a pas répondu.
  = Because he failed to understand the question, he did not answer.

Why is constater in the infinitive?

After faute de, French often uses the infinitive when the idea is for lack of doing something.

So:

• faute de constater l’infiltration

literally means:

• for lack of observing/establishing the infiltration

This is very normal French structure.

Also, the subject of constater is understood to be the same as the subject of the main clause: here, l’expert. So the sentence implies:

• L’expert ne peut pas évaluer le dommage parce qu’il ne constate pas / n’a pas constaté l’infiltration.

French often avoids repeating the subject when an infinitive can do the job.