Present continuous action

Question

Bonjour, team.

"Anne est en train d'aller à Paris." In addition to, "Anne is going to Paris", would a more precise translation be, "Anne is on her way to Paris"? Would the second translation be correct?

Chris Wirt · Accepted Answer

Translating between languages isn't an exact science and requires knowledge of the context. From your question I glean that you have understood what the phrase "être en train de...." expresses. Which English translation you choose is now a matter of context and taste. But, to put it succinctly, "Anne is on her way to Paris" is within the bounds of the French original sentence.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).

Aurélie Drouard · Answer

Bonjour Lewis !Actually no: the sentence "Anne est en train d'aller à Paris." doesn't literally mean this.
Of course, as Chris stated, you can always take liberties as a translator, and indeed, even in English, "Anne is going to Paris" and "Anne is on her way to Paris" mean roughly the same thing, but they are still two different sentences :)In French, the equivalent would be "Anne est en train d'aller à Paris" vs "Anne est en route pour Paris".I hope that's helpful!Bonne journée !