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8.18: Structure - Actions en cours avec « être en train de » (DELETE)

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    In this section, you will learn how to:

    Talk about actions in progress with être en train de + infinitive

    (a) Ongoing actions. Talking about what you're doing in the moment.

    When you are talking about actions that are ongoing at the moment you speak, you can use the regular present tense in French.

    Nathalie parle avec Mei maintenant. (Nathalie is talking with Mei now.)

    But if you need to emphasize that an action is ongoing right now -- like when you're in the middle of doing something - you can use the expression: être en train de + infinitif. ==>

    Nathalie est en train de parler à Mei. (Nathalie is [in the middle of] talking to Mei.)

    Vous êtes en train de lire cette phrase. (You are [in the process of] reading this sentence.)

    — Est-ce que la soupe est déjà prête ? (Is the soup ready yet?)

    — Non, Chantal est en train de la préparer. (No, Chantal is [in the process of] making it right now.)

    8.18: Structure - Actions en cours avec « être en train de » (DELETE) is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.