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Je plie les vêtements de demain en écoutant la radio.

Je plie les vêtements de demain en écoutant la radio.
I fold tomorrow's clothes while listening to the radio.
From Lesson 149:The gerund (en parlant)·French

Questions & Answers about Je plie les vêtements de demain en écoutant la radio.

How does en écoutant work here to mean "while listening"?
This is the French "gérondif" (gerund). It is formed by combining the preposition en with the present participle of a verb, which usually ends in -ant (here, écoutant from écouter). In this sentence, it shows that two actions (folding and listening) are happening at the exact same time.
Why is "tomorrow's clothes" translated as les vêtements de demain?
English uses an apostrophe-s to show possession or association, but French does not. To connect a noun with a time concept or an owner, French uses the preposition de (of). So, you literally have to say "the clothes of tomorrow".
Why is there no French word for "to" in en écoutant la radio?
The French verb écouter inherently means "to listen to". Because the "to" is already built into the meaning of the verb itself, you connect it directly to the object. Adding a preposition like à before la radio would be incorrect.
What kind of verb is plie?
Plie comes from the regular -er verb plier, which means "to fold" or "to bend". It is conjugated just like parler or aimer. Here it is in the present tense: je plie (I fold).

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