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Difference between action going on right now and a more general state of affairs?

Lauren F.A1Kwiziq community member

Difference between action going on right now and a more general state of affairs?

For instance, if I say in English "I'm studying French," I could mean "Oh, I'm actually reading my French lessons right now" or "I'm taking a course in French, but not right at this exact second." Can you use the 'être en train de" construction for the second sense, or does that not work in French?
This question relates to:French lesson "Expressing ongoing actions in the present in French with "être en train de""
Asked 7 years ago
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Ron T.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer
This is a very good question. "être en train de" is a construction meant to state what you are doing at this point in time, i.e. Je suis en train de répondre à votre question, as I type this. The construction for the phrase: "I'm taking a course in French" Je prends un cours de Français or Je suis un cours d'anglais à la fac (this uses the verb suivre).
I hope this helps.
Like07 years ago
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Lauren F. asked:

Difference between action going on right now and a more general state of affairs?

For instance, if I say in English "I'm studying French," I could mean "Oh, I'm actually reading my French lessons right now" or "I'm taking a course in French, but not right at this exact second." Can you use the 'être en train de" construction for the second sense, or does that not work in French?

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