en sont

Question

"Les comédiens en sont à leur dix-neuvième jour de travail."  Why "en" sont?

Accepted Answer

Hi Le, 
The idiomatic expression - en être à son + ordinal number 
is better explained with examples:

J'en suis à mon troisième verre de vin ce soir ! = This is my third glass of wine tonight !
Je me demande comment ce délinquant en est à son troisième délit en un mois = I am wondering how this delinquant is at his third crime within one month 
Elle en est à son quatrième mari != She is on her fourth husband!

Hope these help!

Answer

I assume it's because the phrase 'leur dix-neuvième jour de travail' begs the question 'their 19th day of work of what? (The answer being: their 19th day of work of [whatever it is they're doing]).

Answer

Thank you for your help.  I managed to ask an experienced French French teacher, who has told me that - in terms of the sentence I posted - it means in essence to have reached.  That is, they reach their 19th day of work.  Maybe, in English "They are up to their 19th day...."  This appears to me to correspond with Cecile's comments. Thank you very much for your efforts. I'm not sure that I'm sufficiently comfortable with it yet, however and might wait awhile before using it myself.