"Il s'est approché, puis il a disparu !"

Translation: He approached, then he disappeared!

[ErnestGree4]

"He was approaching , then he disappeared" ???

[Nathan173901]

No, that would be: Il s'approchait, puis il a disparu !

[TemeT_FIN]

Makes completely sense to me, but apparently not to Duo.

[Vic3141]

He approached - is reflexive?

[mangedesfruits]

This is one of those cases where modern French doesnʼt, necessarily, agree with your expectations. Modern French uses « sʼapprocher » when a subject is moving closer to an object; « approcher » isnʼt really used anymore except in a few cases where a reflexive verb isnʼt possible or where it expresses a nuanced difference:

https://french.stackexchange.com/questions/36452/approcher-vs-s-approcher

[--Roody--]

Thanks for the explanation and the helpful link! :)

[gdobei]

It approached, then it disappeared

[b_adger]

This reflexive verb is strange "He approached himself"? Surely he is approaching something else?

[wfarkas]

How would you say, "He approached, then it disappeared" ?