French language Q&A Forum

I am a bit confused about how to translate certain uses of the present participle of an English verb.  Sometimes the French use the construction, en + present participle, and and at other times they use à  + infinitive.  This story has two examples.  The first: "...was dragging on the ground while making a horrible rattling noise."   'While making' is translated as 'en faisant', i.e. en + present participle. The second example: "Michel and his dad had spent whole weekends fixing..."  This translation of the present participle 'fixing' (one could also think of while fixing to align with the first example) is 'à réparer', i.e. à + infinitive.  Are these two constructions simply options, i.e. one could use either, or is there some guidance as to when to use one or the other?  I hope my question is clear.  Thanks in advance.  BTW, I loved the theme for the workout as it has practical application since most of us drive.  Also, I was impressed that a native French person would know Americain slang like 'beater'.

why for past we use -  j'avais du mal 

But future we don't use - j'aurai du mal 

and uses - je vais avoir du mal ?

In one quiz question it states :

Quand j'étais enfant, ________ au chœur du collège.

When I was a child, I used to belong to the high school choir.

(HINT: Use "appartenir" (to belong))

The correct English for collège is middle school. Lycée is high school. 

I believe that the adjective arrière is invariant; hence, no need for the plural.   If I recall, there was another instance of this in this weekend workout.

when do you use dans for "in" instead of à

Hello, I have a technical question. Why aren’t these called possessive pronouns? Is the term interchangeable with possessive adjectives? It’s been a long time since I’ve been in school, but I don’t remember the term “possessive adjectives” at all.  Thank you.

Could someone please explain when to use which of the above?   Thanks

In the quiz there's a sentence that reads:

Christophe finissait son déjeuner quand les autres sont arrivés. 

The English translation says

Christopher was finishing his breakfast when the others arrived. 

The quiz says déjeuner not petit-déjeuner. 

This exercise uses "la batterie à plat elle aussi."  I don't uderstand the need for "elle."  What purpose does it serve?

I think this was the most difficult writing challenge I have ever completed.  Both the vocabulary and the grammar were extremely difficult.

My Notebook is too long and complicated, can I easily divide it into two or more Notebooks?