Pendant le trajet, je lis un roman.

During the journey, I read a novel.

Breakdown of Pendant le trajet, je lis un roman.

• je: I
• lire: to read
• pendant: during
• le roman: the novel
• le trajet: the ride

Questions & Answers about Pendant le trajet, je lis un roman.

Why does the sentence use le trajet instead of un trajet?

Le trajet refers to a specific journey that both speakers know about from context (for example: the drive to work, the train ride we’re about to take).

• Le trajet = the journey / the ride / the trip (a particular one, identified by context).
• Un trajet = a journey / a ride / a trip (one among others, not specifically identified).

In many everyday contexts, French speakers will naturally say pendant le trajet when they mean “on the way” or “during the ride,” assuming that which journey is obvious (e.g. the one they regularly take, or the one just mentioned).

What exactly does trajet mean, and how is it different from voyage?

Both can be translated as trip / journey, but they’re used differently:

• Trajet:

  • Focuses on the route from point A to point B.
  • Often used for shorter or routine trips: the commute, a bus ride, a taxi ride, etc.
  • Examples:
    
    • le trajet en bus = the bus ride
    • un long trajet en voiture = a long car ride

• Voyage:

  • More like trip / travel in a broader sense.
  • Often longer, more significant, or with a destination as an event (holiday, business trip).
  • Examples:
    
    • un voyage en France = a trip to France
    • un voyage d’affaires = a business trip

In pendant le trajet, the idea is “during the ride / during the commute” rather than “during the whole trip/holiday.”

Why does the sentence use pendant? Could I also say durant or lors de?

Pendant is the most neutral, everyday way to say during in time expressions.

• Pendant le trajet: standard, natural in all contexts.

You can say:

• Durant le trajet: grammatically correct, a bit more formal or literary. It might sound slightly heavier in casual speech, but it’s not wrong.
• Lors du trajet (contraction of lors de le trajet):
  
  • Also means during the trip, but sounds more formal or written.
  • You’d see this in reports, narratives, or formal descriptions.

In day‑to‑day spoken French, pendant le trajet is the default choice.

Could I say en trajet instead of pendant le trajet?

No. En trajet is not idiomatic French.

To say during the trip / while traveling, French uses:

• pendant le trajet
• pendant le voyage
• en route (more like “on the way”)
  
  • Example: Nous nous arrêtons en route. = We stop on the way.

But en trajet on its own is not used.

What’s the difference between pendant and pendant que?

• Pendant is followed by a noun:

  • pendant le trajet = during the journey
  • pendant le film = during the movie

• Pendant que is followed by a clause (a full sentence with a verb):

  • Pendant que je fais le trajet, je lis un roman.
    = While I’m making the trip, I read / I am reading a novel.

So you cannot say pendant le trajet que je lis if you want “while I’m reading”; you must use pendant que with a full clause:
Pendant que je lis, …

Why is it je lis and not a special progressive form like “I am reading”?

French usually uses the simple present to cover both:

• I read (habitual)
• I am reading (right now)

So je lis can mean either, depending on context:

• Pendant le trajet, je lis un roman.
  
  • Could mean: “During the journey, I read a novel” as a habit (this is what I normally do).
  • Or: “During the journey, I am reading a novel” for a specific trip, if the context makes it clear.

If you want to emphasize “I’m in the middle of doing it right now,” you can use:

• Je suis en train de lire un roman.
  = I am (currently) in the process of reading a novel.

But je lis alone is usually enough.

Can je lis un roman mean a habit, like “I usually read a novel”?

Yes. The present tense in French often expresses:

• Habits / general truths
  
  • Tous les matins, je lis le journal. = Every morning, I read the newspaper.
• Actions happening right now
  
  • Qu’est‑ce que tu fais ? — Je lis. = What are you doing? — I’m reading.

So Pendant le trajet, je lis un roman. can naturally mean:

• “During the journey, I (usually) read a novel.”

Context (adverbs like toujours, souvent, or the surrounding conversation) will clarify whether it’s habitual or a one‑time action.

Why is it un roman and not le roman?

• Un roman = a novel, not specified which one.
  
  • You’re just saying what kind of thing you read: a novel, not a newspaper, not messages on your phone.
• Le roman = the novel, a specific one already known from context.
  
  • Example: Pendant le trajet, je lis le roman dont tu m’as parlé.
    = During the journey, I read the novel you told me about.

In the original sentence, we are describing a type of activity (reading a novel), not referring to one particular novel already identified, so un roman is natural.

What is the difference between roman and livre?

• Livre = book (any kind of book).

  • un livre de cuisine = a cookery book
  • un livre pour enfants = a children’s book

• Roman = specifically a novel, i.e. a fictional narrative book.

  • un roman policier = a crime novel
  • un roman historique = a historical novel

So je lis un roman tells you what kind of book it is: it’s a novel, not just any book.

Is the word order fixed, or can I move pendant le trajet to the end?

You can move it. All of these are acceptable:

• Pendant le trajet, je lis un roman.
• Je lis un roman pendant le trajet.

The meaning is the same. Differences:

• Putting pendant le trajet at the beginning slightly emphasizes the time frame (“As for during the journey, here’s what happens: I read a novel”).
• Putting it at the end is very natural in conversation and perhaps slightly more neutral.

Both are correct and common.

How do you pronounce pendant le trajet, je lis un roman? Are there any liaisons?

Key points:

• pendant:
  
  • Final -t is silent: /pɑ̃.dɑ̃/ (roughly “pahn-dahn”).
• le trajet:
  
  • trajet: /tʁa.ʒɛ/ (the final -t is silent).
• je lis:
  
  • lis: /li/ (final -s is silent).
• un roman:
  
  • un: nasal vowel /œ̃/ (not like English “un”).
  • roman: /ʁɔ.mɑ̃/ (final -n is not pronounced; it nasalizes the vowel).

Liaisons (linking consonant to the next word’s vowel):

• pendant le: no obligatory liaison.
• le trajet, je: no liaison.
• je lis un: often pronounced with a light linking sound: /ʒ(ə) li.z‿œ̃ ʁɔ.mɑ̃/ (the s in lis can link as a /z/ before un).
• un roman: no liaison; the n is part of the nasal vowel, not a consonant you link.

So a natural pronunciation is approximately:
[pɑ̃.dɑ̃ lə tʁa.ʒɛ ʒə li.z‿œ̃ ʁɔ.mɑ̃].