Practice describing actions in progress in the present
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| Do you know how to talk about what someone is doing in French? |
| Welcome to Three Step French Practice by FrenchPod101.com. In this lesson, you will practice how to talk about someone who is in the middle of doing something, and how to use adverbs of frequency to describe how often actions happen. |
| Let's look at the main dialogue. |
| Two people are having a conversation. |
| Constance, sur quelle page travailles‑tu en ce moment ? |
| "Constance, which page are you working on right now?" |
| Je suis en train de compléter l'exercice de vocabulaire à la page quarante‑deux. |
| "I'm completing the vocabulary exercise on page forty‑two." |
| suis en train de compléter |
| We've learned about the structure être en train de + infinitive to express that someone is in the middle of doing something. |
| It's a great way to emphasize that an action is happening right now. |
| For example, in the sentence |
| Je suis en train de compléter l'exercice de vocabulaire à la page quarante‑deux. |
| "I'm completing the vocabulary exercise on page forty‑two." |
| the phrase suis en train de compléter |
| clearly shows the action is currently in progress. This expression is common in spoken French and helps make your meaning clear when describing ongoing activities. |
| In French, adverbs of frequency usually come right after the verb, NOT before it. |
| For example, in the question Est‑ce que tu étudies souvent chez toi ? |
| the verb is étudies and the adverb souvent means "often." |
| We don't say Est‑ce que tu souvent étudies chez toi ? |
| This word order is incorrect in French, even though it might feel natural from an English perspective. |
| Other common adverbs include toujours for "always," rarement for "rarely," and presque for "almost." |
| These short words are a simple way to add clarity and detail when talking about daily routines or habits. |
| Let's practice using these grammar points together in the next part of the lesson. |
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