en train de infinitive

Shelton H.B2Kwiziq community member

en train de infinitive

“You are reading the instruction manual”. Why should this not be “en train de lire” instead of a present indicative conjugation?

Asked 3 weeks ago
CécileKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour Shelton, 

This lesson was about conjugating the verb 'lire' in its simplest form.

I take your point that 'je suis en train de lire' would be an acceptable translation of 'I am reading'; however, it specifically emphasizes the ongoing nature of the action - that you are in the middle of reading right now.

Hope this helps!

Shelton H. asked:

en train de infinitive

“You are reading the instruction manual”. Why should this not be “en train de lire” instead of a present indicative conjugation?

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