Learn Hardcore French: Tant que tu lis, je prépare le dîner. - As long as you read, I will prepare dinner.

Tant que tu lis, je prépare le dîner. = I’m cooking for the entire time you’re reading.
Pendant que tu lis, je prépare le dîner. = I’m cooking while you read (just overlapping actions).

Does tant que take the subjunctive?

No. Tant que is temporal and takes the indicative: tant que tu lis / tu liras. The subjunctive appears with conditional conjunctions like pourvu que or à condition que: pourvu que tu lises.

Why is everything in the present? Should I use the future with tant que?

It depends on time reference:

Now/habitual: Tant que tu lis, je prépare le dîner.
Future (more formal/neutral): Tant que tu liras, je préparerai le dîner.
Near future (very natural in speech): Tant que tu lis, je vais préparer le dîner.
Past habitual: Tant que tu lisais, je préparais le dîner.

Can I put the tant que clause after the main clause? Do I need the comma?

Yes, both orders work:

Tant que tu lis, je prépare le dîner.
Je prépare le dîner tant que tu lis. When the subordinate clause comes first, a comma is customary. When it follows, the comma is optional.

Could I use alors que here instead of tant que?

Not really. Alors que typically means “whereas” and introduces contrast, not just simultaneity. Alors que tu lis, je prépare le dîner sounds like “Whereas you’re reading, I’m the one cooking,” highlighting opposition.

What’s the difference between tant que and aussi longtemps que?

They both mean “as long as,” but aussi longtemps que is more formal or heavier. Tant que is the everyday choice: Tant que tu lis, je prépare le dîner.

Why is it tu lis and not tu lit?

Because of the verb conjugation of lire:

je lis
tu lis
il/elle lit
nous lisons
vous lisez
ils/elles lisent The final -s in lis is silent.

Is the final s in lis ever pronounced?

Normally no, but it becomes [z] in a liaison before a vowel sound: lis encore → [li z‿ɑ̃kɔʁ]. In the sentence lis, je…, there’s no liaison because je starts with a consonant sound [ʒ].

How do I pronounce the whole sentence naturally?

Approximation: [tɑ̃ k ty li | ʒ(ə) pʁepaʁ l(ə) dine]. Tips:

tant = [tɑ̃] (nasal vowel)
que tu ≈ [k ty] (the schwa in que often drops)
lis = [li] (silent s)
je often reduces to [ʒ]
le can reduce to [l] before a consonant
dîner = [dine]

Why is it le dîner with an article?

Meal nouns usually take the definite article with verbs like prepare/serve/have: préparer le dîner, servir le déjeuner, prendre le petit-déjeuner. If you use the verb dîner (“to have dinner”), there’s no article: On dîne à 20 h.

Is the spelling dîner with an accent mandatory?

Standard spelling is dîner (with î). Since the 1990 spelling reforms, diner (without the circumflex) is also accepted. Both are pronounced the same: [dine].

Does dîner always mean the evening meal?

In France, yes: le dîner = evening meal. In Belgium, Switzerland, and much of Canada, le dîner often means the midday meal and le souper is the evening meal. Be aware of regional usage.

Can I use vous instead of tu?

Yes. Formal/plural: Tant que vous lisez, je prépare le dîner. The verb changes to lisez.

How can I emphasize “right now” like English “be -ing”?

Use être en train de:

Tant que tu es en train de lire, je suis en train de préparer le dîner. In many contexts, the simple present (tu lis / je prépare) already implies ongoing action.

How do I make it negative, like “As long as you’re reading, I won’t make dinner” or “As long as you’re not reading…”?

“As long as you’re reading, I won’t make dinner”: Tant que tu lis, je ne prépare pas le dîner.
“As long as you’re not reading, I’ll make dinner”: Tant que tu ne lis pas, je prépare le dîner. Note: tant que itself doesn’t require any special “ne” (no expletive “ne”).