Log inSign up

Elle parle au téléphone tout en nettoyant le salon.

Elle parle au téléphone tout en nettoyant le salon.
She talks on the phone while cleaning the living room.
From Lesson 301:While doing (tout en)·French

Questions & Answers about Elle parle au téléphone tout en nettoyant le salon.

What does adding tout to en nettoyant change compared to just saying en nettoyant?
Adding tout emphasizes the simultaneity of the two actions. While en nettoyant just means 'while cleaning,' tout en nettoyant stresses that she is multitasking and doing both things at the exact same time.
How do we form the present participle nettoyant?
To form the present participle (the -ant form) of almost any French verb, you take the nous form in the present tense, drop the -ons, and add -ant. For nettoyer, nous nettoyons becomes nettoyant.
Why do we say au téléphone instead of sur le téléphone for 'on the phone'?
French uses the preposition à (which combines with le to make au) for interacting via devices. You speak 'at' the phone (parler au téléphone) or see something 'at' the television (à la télé). Saying sur le téléphone would sound like you are physically standing on top of the device!
Why is there no equivalent to 'is' in the French sentence, if the English translation uses 'is talking'?
French does not have a separate present continuous tense. The simple present Elle parle can translate to 'She talks' or 'She is talking.' The structure tout en nettoyant naturally provides the continuous 'while cleaning' meaning without needing a helper verb.

Learn Elle parle au téléphone tout en nettoyant le salon and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →