Question 1

Does nous sommes en train de regarder mean the exact same thing as nous regardons?

Accepted Answer

They are similar, but être en train de adds strong emphasis. Since nous regardons can translate to either "we look" (in general) or "we are looking," using nous sommes en train de specifically highlights that you are in the middle of the action right now. It's the equivalent of saying "we are currently looking" or "we are in the process of looking."

Question 2

What verb does the noun la défausse come from?

Accepted Answer

It comes from the reflexive verb se défausser (to discard). In board games and card games, se défausser d'une carte means to discard a card, and the pile it goes into is called la défausse.

Question 3

Since the current lesson is about lequel / laquelle, how could I use laquelle to build on this sentence?

Accepted Answer

You can use laquelle to refer back to a feminine noun (like la défausse) when a simple qui might cause confusion. For example: Nous regardons le paquet près de la défausse, laquelle est vide (We are looking at the deck near the discard pile, which is empty). Since le paquet is masculine, using laquelle makes it perfectly clear that the discard pile is empty, not the deck!

Question 4

English uses "looking at," but there's no preposition after regarder here. Why?

Accepted Answer

Because regarder is a direct transitive verb, meaning the "at" is already built into the definition of the word. English speakers often slip up and say regarder à, but you should always follow regarder directly with the object you are looking at.

Nous sommes en train de regarder la défausse.

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