Venir de and être en train de

Kurz erklärt

French uses venir de + infinitive to say that something has just happened. It uses être en train de + infinitive to emphasize that an action is in progress right now. Unlike English, French does not need a progressive form in ordinary contexts: the present tense alone can often mean both ‘do’ and ‘be doing.’

Bildung

Recent past: present tense of venir + de/d’ + infinitive. Action in progress: present tense of être + en train de/d’ + infinitive.

Verwendung

• Use venir de when an action happened only a short time ago.
• Use être en train de when it is important to stress that an action is happening at that moment.
• Conjugate venir or être to match the subject; the following verb stays in the infinitive.
• Use d’ instead of de before a vowel sound.

Beispiele

• Je viens de finir mes devoirs. — I’ve just finished my homework.
• Nous venons d’arriver à la gare. — We’ve just arrived at the station.
• Elle est en train de préparer le dîner. — She’s preparing dinner right now.
• Vous êtes en train d’écouter un podcast. — You’re listening to a podcast right now.

Typischer Fehler

❌ Je suis en train préparer le dîner.

✅ Je suis en train de préparer le dîner.

Keep de between en train and the infinitive. It becomes d’ before a vowel sound.

Merke

Venir de looks like ‘come from,’ but before an infinitive it means ‘have just done.’ Être en train de adds emphasis; the simple present is often enough.