Breakdown of L'odeur du fromage va en s'intensifiant pendant l'affinage.
le fromage
the cheese
aller
to go
du
of the / from the (masculine singular, with plural des)
pendant
for / during (duration)
en
while / by (with gerund)
l'odeur
the smell (f)
l'affinage
the ripening (m)
s'intensifier
to intensify
Questions & Answers about L'odeur du fromage va en s'intensifiant pendant l'affinage.
How does va en s'intensifiant translate to "keeps intensifying"?
This sentence uses the structure aller en + present participle (the gerund). In French, to show that an action is progressing gradually over time, you use the verb aller (here, va) followed by en and a verb ending in -ant. It emphasizes that the smell is getting stronger and stronger bit by bit.
Why is the reflexive pronoun s' placed between en and the verb?
In a gerund construction (en + present participle), any object or reflexive pronoun must go directly before the participle itself, not before the word en. Since the verb is the reflexive s'intensifier (to intensify), the s' stays glued to intensifiant, resulting in en s'intensifiant.
Could I use continue de s'intensifier instead of va en s'intensifiant?
Yes, but there is a slight difference in nuance. Continue de s'intensifier simply states that the action doesn't stop. The aller en structure specifically highlights the steady, gradual progression of the change, emphasizing that it happens stage by stage during the ripening process.
What exactly does l'affinage mean here?
L'affinage refers to the specific maturing, ripening, or aging process of certain artisanal foods, most notably cheese. It comes from the verb affiner, which means to refine, mature, or age to perfection.
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