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Nous sommes en train de préparer le dîner.

Nous sommes en train de préparer le dîner.
We are in the middle of preparing dinner.
FromLesson 21inHardcore French

Breakdown of Nous sommes en train de préparer le dîner.

nous
we
préparer
to prepare
le dîner
the dinner
être en train de
to be in the middle of

Questions & Answers about Nous sommes en train de préparer le dîner.

What nuance does “être en train de” add compared with just saying “Nous préparons le dîner”?
It highlights that the action is actively in progress right now—roughly “we’re in the middle of preparing dinner.” The plain present Nous préparons le dîner can mean either a general habit or something happening now; Nous sommes en train de préparer le dîner explicitly marks the ongoing aspect.
Do I need “être en train de” to talk about a current action?
No. The simple present often covers English’s present continuous: Nous préparons le dîner commonly means “We’re preparing dinner.” Use être en train de when you want to stress “right this moment.”
What’s the structure of this progressive form?

Conjugated être + en train de + infinitive. Examples:

  • Je suis en train de cuisiner.
  • Ils sont en train d’attendre. (note the d’ before a vowel)
How do I make it negative?

Put the negation around the conjugated être:

  • Nous ne sommes pas en train de préparer le dîner. You can swap in other negatives: plus, jamais, rien (e.g., Nous ne sommes plus en train de…). In casual speech, people often drop ne: On est pas en train de…
Where do object pronouns go in this structure?

Before the infinitive:

Can I use “on” instead of “nous”?
Yes—very common in speech. On est en train de préparer le dîner = “We’re in the middle of preparing dinner.” It’s more colloquial than nous.
Why is it “le dîner” and not just “dîner” or “du dîner”?
Meals as nouns normally take the definite article in this idiom: préparer le dîner. You can’t say préparer dîner. Du dîner would mean “some of the dinner,” which doesn’t fit here.
Does “dîner” always mean the evening meal?

No; it varies by region.

  • France: dîner = evening meal; midday = déjeuner.
  • Belgium/Switzerland/Quebec: dîner often = midday meal; evening = souper. So le dîner may refer to lunch outside France.
What’s the difference between “préparer,” “cuisiner,” “faire la cuisine,” and “faire à manger”?
  • préparer le dîner: get dinner ready (neutral, very common).
  • cuisiner: to cook (often a bit more culinary); e.g., Je cuisine.
  • faire la cuisine: to do the cooking (general activity).
  • faire à manger: make some food (colloquial). You may hear faire le dîner, but préparer le dîner is the safest, neutral choice.
How do you pronounce “Nous sommes en train de préparer le dîner”?

Roughly: “noo sommz ɑ̃ trɛ̃ də pray-pa-ray lə dee-nay.”

  • Liaison: the final -s in sommes links to en (sounds like a “z”): sommes‿en.
  • Nasal vowels: en and train are nasal (ɑ̃, ɛ̃).
  • Final -r in préparer is pronounced in standard French; dîner sounds like “dee-nay.”
When does “de” become “d’” here?

Before a vowel or mute h. Examples:

  • en train d’attendre, d’écouter, d’habiller. Keep de before a consonant: en train de préparer.
How do I say this in the past or future?
  • Past (imperfect/progressive idea): Nous étions en train de préparer le dîner quand tu as appelé.
  • Future: Nous serons en train de préparer le dîner à 19 h.
How do I ask it as a question?

Several options:

Are there other ways to convey “right now/at the moment” without this structure?

Yes:

  • En ce moment, nous préparons le dîner.
  • On prépare le dîner là, tout de suite. Note: actuellement means “currently/at present,” not “actually” (which is en fait).
Could I say “Nous sommes en train de dîner” instead?
Yes, that means “We’re in the middle of eating dinner.” The simpler Nous dînons also works and usually suffices unless you need to stress “right now.”
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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