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Let's head to an active construction site to learn how to express actions that are currently in progress.

### Right Here, Right Now: être en train de

In French, the standard present tense (*je travaille*) can mean both "I work" and "I am working."

To emphasize that an action is happening at this exact moment—that you are "in the middle of" or "in the process of" doing something—use the expression **être en train de**.

To build this structure, conjugate **être** (to be) and add **en train de**, followed by the infinitive (the dictionary form) of the action verb:

- subject + **être** (conjugated) + **en train de** + infinitive

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*Note: If the infinitive verb begins with a vowel or a mute h, **de** contracts to **d'** (e.g., en train d'écouter).*

### Heavy Machinery and Plurals

This structure works with any subject. Just make sure to conjugate **être** to match who or what is performing the action, whether it is a team of workers preparing concrete (*le béton*) or a crane (*la grue*).

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### In the Middle of the Mess

Because **être en train de** heavily emphasizes the *ongoing* nature of an action, it is often used as an explanation or an excuse for something else going on—like making a lot of noise or kicking up dust (*la poussière*) while cutting stone (*la pierre*).

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Progressive actions (être en train de)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular 'to be' and indefinite articles (je suis un...)

Singular definite articles (le, la, l')

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Question	Answer
the shovel	la pelle
I am currently looking for the shovel.	Je suis en train de chercher la pelle.
the sand	le sable
The worker is currently moving the sand with the shovel.	Le travailleur est en train de déplacer le sable avec la pelle.
the crane	la grue
to load	charger
Is the crane currently loading the wood?	Est-ce que la grue est en train de charger le bois ?
the concrete	le béton
They are currently preparing the concrete.	Ils sont en train de préparer le béton.
the cement	le ciment
Which worker is currently mixing the cement and the sand?	Quel travailleur est en train de mélanger le ciment et le sable ?
They made the concrete this morning.	Ils ont fait le béton ce matin.
the brick	la brique
We are in the middle of cleaning the bricks.	Nous sommes en train de nettoyer les briques.
to demolish	démolir
The boss is in the middle of demolishing the brick wall.	Le chef est en train de démolir le mur en briques.
the dust	la poussière
I saw the dust when the team demolished the roof.	J'ai vu la poussière quand l'équipe a démoli le toit.
the stone	la pierre
There is dust because we are currently cutting the stone.	Il y a de la poussière parce que nous sommes en train de couper la pierre.
The crane is loading the cement and the stone.	La grue est en train de charger le ciment et la pierre.
continuous, unbroken	continu
A continuous noise came from the street.	Un bruit continu venait de la rue.
He works continuously.	Il travaille de façon continue.

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