Learn French: Il téléphone en conduisant ; c'est très dangereux. - He talks on the phone while driving; it is very dangerous.

Il téléphone en conduisant ; c'est très dangereux.

He talks on the phone while driving; it is very dangerous.

Breakdown of Il téléphone en conduisant ; c'est très dangereux.

Questions & Answers about Il téléphone en conduisant ; c'est très dangereux.

How do we get conduisant from the verb conduire (to drive)?

To form this part of the verb, you start with the present tense nous form, which is nous conduisons. Then, you drop the -ons and add -ant. Put en in front, and you get en conduisant.

Why does en conduisant mean 'while driving' here?

The structure en + an -ant verb form is called the gérondif. It is used to show that two actions are happening at the exact same time. Here, it tells us the driving and the talking on the phone are simultaneous.

Why doesn't the French sentence have words for 'talks' or 'on'?

The single French verb téléphoner means 'to phone' or 'to talk on the phone'. You do not need to translate the English phrase word-for-word using extra words for 'talk' or 'on'.

Why do we use c'est here instead of il est for 'it is'?

We use c'est because 'it' refers to a general situation or action (the act of driving while on the phone). You would use il est if you were describing a specific masculine noun, like a dog or a bridge.