What about the negation?
Negation in French goes around être: ne precedes être and pas follows.
Elles ne sont pas en train de te dire le contraire !
They’re not telling you otherwise!
French Articles
How to use the French expressions ‘être en train de,’ ‘être sur le point de’?
By: Céline Bateman-Paris Fri Aug 30 2024
FrenchVerbs
We use the French expressions être en train de(to be doing) and être sur le point de(to be about to) to express a continuous tenseNo definition set for continuous tenseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and to discuss the near future, respectively.
In French, the present continuous (the “is verb-ing” form) is not as common as it is in English, but it does exist! You can create continuous tenses in French using the expression: être en train de + infinitiveNo definition set for infinitiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in the simple present tense. Compare:
Simple Present (more common) | Present Continuous (rare) (a.k.a. present “progressive”) |
|---|---|
Je regarde la télé. I’m watching TV. | Je suis en train de regarder la télé. I’m watching TV. |
A similar expression, être sur le point de(to be about to), is also sometimes used much like the French near future tense. Compare:
Near Future | être sur le point delit. to be on the point of... |
|---|---|
Je vais partir. I am going to leave. | Je suis sur le point de partir. I am about to leave. |
Want to know more about how and when to use these expressions? In this post we’ll explain how the expressions être en train de(to be doing something) and être sur le point de(to be about to) work, including when to use them, how to use them, and how to use them in different tenses.
En avant !
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Table of Contents
What is ‘être en train de’ + infinitive (to be doing) in French?
In French, the expression être en train de(to be doing) + an infinitive verb expresses a continuous tense (e.g. be running, be reading). The tense in which you conjugate être(to be) will determine the timeframe of the continuous action you are describing. For example, using être en train de to express the present continuous is one of the more common uses for the phrase, and here être will be conjugated in the French present tense.
Now, let’s take a look at when to use être en train de, how to use it, and how to form it in different tenses.
When to use ‘être en train de’ + infinitive in French?
Use être en train de as an equivalent to the English continuous tense, meaning the action has a “right now” or “in this very moment” aspect to it.
Qu’est-ce qu’il fait ?
What is he doing?
Il est en train de lire.
Right now, he’s reading.
Using the expression être en train de with être in the present tense (as above), rather than using only the simple present tense, is a way to insist on the fact you are in the middle of doing something at the moment of speaking and you don’t really want to be disturbed!
Maman ! Maman ! Maman ! Maman !
Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!
Je suis en train de parler !
I’m in the middle of a conversation!
How to use ‘être en train de’ in French?
To use être en train de, conjugate être(to be) in the appropriate tense and then add any infinitive verb after de.
When using a pronominal verb, the reflexive pronoun will still come directly before the infinitive verb, but it will agree with the subject of the sentence:
subjectde + infinitivereflexive pronounNous sommes en train de nous demander pourquoi.
We're wondering why.
If you're using object pronouns, those go between de and the infinitive.
Tu as fait tes valises ?
Have you packed?
lit. lit. Have you done the suitcases?
- object pronounde + infinitive
Je suis en train de les faire.
I’m packing now.
lit. lit. I’m packing them (right now).
When to use ‘être en train de’ in past and future tenses?
Être en train de can also be used with être conjugated in past or future tenses to indicate what someone was or will be in the middle of doing at a certain point in time.
To describe something you were doing in the past, conjugate être in the French imperfect tense.
Il était en train de dormir quand elle a appelé.
He was sleeping when she called.
To talk about something you will be doing at one point in the future, conjugate être in the simple future tense.
Quand tu arriveras, je serai en train de cuisiner.
When you arrive, I’ll be cooking.
Important
Unlike the past and present tenses, the future tense with être en train de is not equivalent to the simple future because it refers to an action which will have already started at some future moment, whereas the simple future expresses an action that starts right at or after that future moment.
→ Être en train de can also be conjugated in the present conditional and the past conditional, as well as the present subjunctive and imperfect subjunctive. To help you practice these, we’ve created a list of more examples of être en train de in different tenses and moods in French.
What is ‘être sur le point de’ + infinitive (to be about to do something) in French?
Être sur le point de(to be about to do something) is followed by an infinitive and is used to talk about events in the very near future. Être sur le point de is a way of expressing le futur immediat(immediate future), which is very similar to the French near future tense. Let’s take a look at when to use, how to use, and how to form expressions with être sur le point de in French.
When to use ‘être sur le point de’ + infinitive in French?
Use être sur le point de, followed by an infinitive verb, as a way to express the immediate future and to mean that something is going to be done imminently.
Ils sont sur le point de fermer.
They are about to close.
Using être sur le point de, rather than the near future, is a way to insist on the imminence of an action. Literally, être sur le point de translates as “to be on the point of.”
There is no need to add any other indication of time, as it is implied. It is usually something that will happen in a few minutes, but, depending on the context, it might be days (when considering a lifetime, for instance).
✅ On est sur le point d’arriver.
We are almost there.
❌ On est sur le point d’arriver dans cinq minutes.
We are almost there in five minutes.
✅ J’ai toujours voulu avoir un animal et je suis sur le point d’adopter une tortue.
I’ve always wanted a pet and I’m actually about to adopt a tortoise.
❌ J’ai toujours voulu avoir un animal et je suis sur le point d’adopter une tortue dans une semaine.
I’ve always wanted a pet and I’m actually about to adopt a tortoise in a week.
How to use ‘être sur le point de’?
To use être sur le point de, conjugate être(to be) in the appropriate tense and add an infinitive verb after de.
Il est sur le point de pleurer.
He’s about to cry.
When adding object pronouns, place them between de and the infinitive like we saw for être en train de.
J’adore les pulls de Noël. D’ailleurs, je suis sur le point d’en acheter un.
I love Christmas jumpers. I’m about to buy one actually.
What about the negation?
Again, the negation goes around être: ne precedes être and pas follows.
Vous n’êtes pas sur le point de partir j’espère !
You are not leaving, I hope!
When to use ‘être sur le point de’ in past and future tenses?
Être sur le point de can be conjugated in both the imperfect and simple future tenses to express actions that either were about to be done or will be done imminently.
To talk about something you were about to do in the past, conjugate être in the imperfect.
On était sur le point de payer.
We were about to pay.
To talk about something you will be about to do very soon, conjugate être in the future tense.
Je serai alors sur le point de me marier.
I’ll be about to get married then.
Important
Unlike the past and present tenses, the future tense with être sur le point de is not equivalent to the simple future because it refers to the moment before a future action happens whereas the simple future expresses an intention.
Let’s recap and head off for some practice using être en train de and être sur le point de!
Five key facts about ‘être en train de’ and ‘être sur le point de’
When using the French expressions être en train de and être sur le point de, keep these tips in mind:
Être en train de + infinitive (to be doing) is used to insist on the ongoing aspect of an action.
Être sur le point de + infinitive (to be about to) is used to insist on the immediacy of an action.
No indication of time is required in these phrases, as it is implied.
Pronouns come just before the infinitive.
The negation goes around être.
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