You know the rooms and the furniture — now let's talk about what you actually DO at home! This lesson focuses on household verbs: cleaning, tidying, repairing, and relaxing. You will also learn a very useful French structure for saying what is happening right now. Camille and Lucas chat about their Sunday routines, and their conversation is packed with practical, everyday language you can use immediately.
Learning tips
- 'Être en train de + infinitive' is the French equivalent of the English '-ing' form for something happening at this very moment. Think of it as 'being in the middle of doing': 'Je suis en train de nettoyer' = I am (right in the middle of) cleaning.
- Don't confuse 'être en train de' (right now) with the simple present, which expresses habits: 'Je nettoie le dimanche' (I clean on Sundays — habit) vs 'Je suis en train de nettoyer' (I am cleaning right now).
- 'Nettoyer' and 'ranger' are both about making things tidy, but they differ: 'nettoyer' = to clean (remove dirt), 'ranger' = to tidy up / put things away.
- 'Ouvrir' and 'fermer' are a natural pair (open/close). 'Ouvrir' is an irregular verb: j'ouvre, tu ouvres, il ouvre — notice the stem change from 'ouv-' to 'ouv-'. It follows the pattern of 'couvrir' and 'offrir'.
- 'Se détendre' is a reflexive verb meaning to relax. You will need the reflexive pronoun: je me détends, tu te détends, il/elle se détend. The reflexive pronoun always matches the subject.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| le lit | the bed |
| la table | the table |
| la chaise | the chair |
| le canapé | the sofa / couch |
| l'armoire | the wardrobe / cupboard |
| le réfrigérateur | the fridge / refrigerator |
| la lampe | the lamp |
| le four | the oven |
| la fenêtre | the window |
| la porte | the door |
Dialog
It's Sunday morning in Paris. Camille and Lucas are both doing their weekly housework and they chat about it on the phone. In the afternoon they look forward to relaxing.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| nettoyer | /nɛ.twa.je/ | to clean | Regular -er verb with a spelling change: 'nettoie' in je/tu/il/ils forms (y → i before a silent e). Je nettoie, nous nettoyons. |
| réparer | /ʁe.pa.ʁe/ | to repair / to fix | Regular -er verb: je répare, tu répares. Used for fixing objects, appliances, and even relationships in informal speech. |
| ouvrir | /u.vʁiʁ/ | to open | Irregular verb: j'ouvre, tu ouvres, il ouvre, nous ouvrons. This same irregular pattern applies to 'couvrir' (to cover) and 'offrir' (to offer). |
| fermer | /fɛʁ.me/ | to close / to shut | Regular -er verb: je ferme, tu fermes. The natural opposite of 'ouvrir'. Also used for shops: 'Le magasin ferme à 20h.' |
| ranger | /ʁɑ̃.ʒe/ | to tidy up / to put away | Regular -er verb with spelling change (g → ge before a and o): nous rangeons. Means putting things back in their place, not just cleaning. |
| vivre | /vivʁ/ | to live / to be alive | Irregular verb: je vis, tu vis, il vit, nous vivons. Unlike 'habiter' (to reside somewhere), 'vivre' expresses being alive or experiencing life. |
| se détendre | /sə de.tɑ̃dʁ/ | to relax / to unwind | Reflexive verb: je me détends, tu te détends, il/elle se détend, nous nous détendons. The reflexive pronoun must match the subject. |
| le ménage | /lə me.naʒ/ | the housework / the cleaning | Masculine: le ménage. 'Faire le ménage' (to do the housework) is the standard phrase. 'Femme de ménage' = cleaning lady. |
| propre | /pʁɔpʁ/ | clean | Adjective: propre. It agrees in gender and number: propre (m/f singular), propres (plural). Careful: 'propre' before a noun means 'own' (ma propre chambre = my own bedroom). |
| confortable | /kɔ̃.fɔʁ.tabl/ | comfortable | Adjective: confortable. The same in masculine and feminine: un canapé confortable, une chambre confortable. It always follows the noun. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| laver | /la.ve/ | to wash | Regular -er verb: je lave. Used for washing clothes, dishes, or the car. 'Se laver' (reflexive) = to wash oneself. |
| repasser | /ʁə.pa.se/ | to iron | Regular -er verb: je repasse. Also means 'to pass by again' or 'to retake (an exam)'. Context makes the meaning clear. |
| passer l'aspirateur | /pa.se las.pi.ʁa.tœʁ/ | to vacuum / to hoover | Literally 'to pass the vacuum cleaner'. 'L'aspirateur' = the vacuum cleaner. Always used as a phrase, not a single verb. |
| la vaisselle | /la vɛ.sɛl/ | the dishes / washing-up | Feminine: la vaisselle. 'Faire la vaisselle' = to do the washing-up / dishes. Can also mean crockery and tableware in general. |
| le linge | /lə lɛ̃ʒ/ | the laundry / washing | Masculine: le linge. Refers to fabric items for washing (clothes, sheets, towels). 'Faire le linge' = to do the laundry. |
| quotidien | /kɔ.ti.djɛ̃/ | daily / everyday | Adjective: quotidien (m), quotidienne (f). 'La vie quotidienne' = everyday life. A slightly formal but common word in French. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| être en train de | to be in the middle of / to be currently doing |
| chez toi / chez moi | at your place / at my place |
| c'est l'idéal | it's ideal / that's the perfect solution |
Grammar: Present progressive with 'être en train de + infinitive' expresses an action happening right now, contrasting with the simple present which describes habits or general facts.
| Structure | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| je suis en train de + infinitif | I am (in the process of) doing | Je suis en train de nettoyer. |
| tu es en train de + infinitif | You are doing (right now) | Tu es en train de ranger. |
| il/elle est en train de + infinitif | He/she is doing (right now) | Elle est en train de réparer la fenêtre. |
| nous sommes en train de + infinitif | We are doing (right now) | Nous sommes en train de faire le ménage. |
| Simple present (habit) | I do / I usually do | Je nettoie le dimanche. |
| être en train de (right now) | I am doing right now | Je suis en train de nettoyer. |
French does not have a separate continuous or progressive tense the way English does. When you want to emphasize that something is happening right now, at this very moment, you use the construction 'être en train de + infinitive'.
Literally, 'en train de' means 'in the process of' or 'in the middle of'. So 'Je suis en train de nettoyer' means 'I am (right in the middle of) cleaning' — not just 'I clean' in general.
Conjugation: the verb 'être' changes with the subject, but 'en train de' and the infinitive never change.
• Je suis en train de ranger. (I am tidying up right now.)
• Tu es en train de réparer la fenêtre. (You are repairing the window right now.)
• Il/Elle est en train de nettoyer. (He/she is cleaning right now.)
• Nous sommes en train de faire le ménage. (We are doing the housework right now.)
• Vous êtes en train d'ouvrir la porte. (You are opening the door right now.) [Note: de → d' before a vowel]
• Ils/Elles sont en train de vivre. (They are living / they are in the middle of living.)
Contrast with the simple present, which describes habits or general truths:
• 'Je nettoie le dimanche.' — I clean on Sundays. (habit)
• 'Je suis en train de nettoyer.' — I am cleaning right now. (this moment)
You do NOT need 'être en train de' for every present action — only when you want to stress that it is happening at this precise moment, often to explain why you are busy or can't do something else.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct word from this lesson.
- Je suis en train de la cuisine. (nettoyer)(Verb meaning to remove dirt)
- Le dimanche, je fais le dans tout l'appartement. (ménage)(The noun for all household cleaning tasks)
- Il faut la fenêtre — elle ne ferme pas bien. (réparer)(Verb meaning to fix something broken)
- Après le travail, j'aime sur le canapé. (se détendre)(Reflexive verb meaning to unwind)
- L'appartement est — on vient de faire le ménage. (propre)(Adjective meaning not dirty)
Grammar Application — être en train de
Transform each prompt into a sentence using 'être en train de + infinitive' to express an action happening right now.
- Je / ranger / ma chambre → (être en train de)('Je' + être → je suis; then 'en train de' + infinitive)
- Elle / nettoyer / la salle de bains → (être en train de)('Elle' + être → elle est; then 'en train de' + infinitive)
- Nous / réparer / la porte → (être en train de)('Nous' + être → nous sommes; then 'en train de' + infinitive)
- Tu / ouvrir / la fenêtre → (être en train de)('Tu' + être → tu es; 'de' + vowel → d')
- Il / se détendre / sur le canapé → (être en train de)('Il' + être → il est; reflexive verb — keep 'se' before the infinitive)
Translate into French
Translate each sentence into French. Use 'être en train de' only where the English uses a present continuous to stress a current action.
- I am doing the housework right now.
- You need to close the window. (Use 'il faut')
- The flat is clean and comfortable.
- I like to relax after work.
- She is tidying her room right now.
Build Your Own Sentence
Write 2–3 sentences about what you are doing right now at home, and one sentence about a habit you have. Use 'être en train de' for current actions and the simple present for habits.
Takeaway
To say something is happening right now in French, use 'être en train de + infinitive' — this structure highlights the current, ongoing nature of the action, unlike the simple present which describes habits.