By the end of this lesson you'll be able to say what you've just done, what you're busy doing right now, and what you're about to do.
Just done: venir de
To say something has just happened, use the present of venir, then de, then an infinitive. The present of venir is in the lesson on common irregular verbs.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| venir de + infinitive | vuh-NEER duh | to have just done something |
| être en train de + infinitive | et-ruh ahn TRAN duh | to be in the middle of doing something |
Je viens de déjeuner.
I've just had lunch.
Tu viens de finir ?
Have you just finished?
Paul vient de rentrer.
Paul has just got home.
Nous venons d'arriver.
We've just arrived.
De becomes d' before a vowel or silent h. Although the meaning is about the past, the verb is in the present.
You'll need a couple of time words here.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| à l'instant | ah lan-STAHN | just now, a moment ago |
| en ce moment | ahn suh moh-MAHN | at the moment |
| se préparer | suh pray-pah-RAY | to get ready |
Elle vient de sortir à l'instant.
She went out just this moment.
In progress: être en train de
To stress that you're in the middle of doing something right now, use the present of être, then en train de, then an infinitive.
Je suis en train de travailler.
I'm in the middle of working.
Ils sont en train de manger.
They're in the middle of eating.
Tu es en train de lire ?
Are you busy reading?
You don't have to use this. The simple present can already mean an action in progress: Je travaille can mean "I'm working". En train de adds emphasis, so you use it when you want to underline that something's happening at this moment.
With a reflexive verb, from the lesson on daily routines, the pronoun matches the subject.
Je suis en train de me préparer.
I'm getting ready.
The trio
Together with the near future, from the lesson on the near future, you've got three ways to place an action around right now.
| When | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| very soon | aller + infinitive | Je vais manger. (I'm going to eat.) |
| right now | present, or être en train de | Je mange. (I'm eating.) |
| only just | venir de + infinitive | Je viens de manger. (I've just eaten.) |
En ce moment, je suis en train de chercher du travail.
At the moment, I'm looking for work.
Notice that each structure's first verb is in the present, and the main verb stays in the infinitive, except in the plain present in the middle row.
Choosing the right one
To decide which structure you need, think about where the action is compared with right now. If it's over and only a moment ago, use venir de. If it's happening as you speak and you want to underline that, use être en train de. If it hasn't started yet, use aller. À l'instant fits naturally with venir de, and en ce moment fits naturally with the present or en train de.
En français
- Salut, Léa ! Tu es où ? (Hi, Léa! Where are you?)
- Je viens d'arriver. Et Paul ? (I've just arrived. And Paul?)
- Il est en train de manger. (He's in the middle of eating.)
- Et Marie ? (And Marie?)
- Elle vient de finir. Elle va arriver. (She's just finished. She's going to arrive.)
What's next
Next, the lesson on phone calls and messages shows you what to say on the phone, including when someone can't come to it.