French Progressive Expression | Using “être en train de + infinitive”

In French, when you want to say that an action is “in the middle of happening,” you use the structure “être en train de + infinitive”. This expression is particularly useful when you wish to emphasize that an action is happening right now.

In this lesson, I will explain how to construct and use this expression, along with the grammatical rules behind it.

1. The Basics of être en train de + infinitive

The expression “être en train de + infinitive” indicates that an action is currently in progress. Unlike English, French does not have a dedicated “present progressive” tense.

Instead, this construction allows you to express that something is happening at this very moment.

Although this structure is most commonly used in the present tense, it can also appear in past or future tenses.

2. Emphasizing “Right Now”

The phrase être en train de does more than state that an action is occurring—it stresses that it is happening right at this moment.

The latter expression makes it clear that the action is currently ongoing, whereas the simple present may leave it ambiguous.

3. The Verb être Must Match the Subject and Tense

Since être is the core of this structure, it must be conjugated according to the subject and tense.

By changing the tense of être, you can flexibly indicate that an action was, is, or will be in progress.

4. The Change from de to d’

When the infinitive following en train de begins with a vowel or a silent h, de contracts to d’.

This is a purely grammatical rule and does not change the meaning.

5. Commonly Used Verbs

This structure is frequently used with verbs that describe typical ongoing activities, such as:

Combined with être en train de, these verbs clearly express that the action is happening right now.

6. Summary

泉（Izumi）

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