Grammar / C1 : Advanced / Verbal periphrases
Verbal periphrases
être en train de, être sur le point de, venir de, finir par...
1. What a Verbal Periphrase Does
A verbal periphrase (une périphrase verbale) is a construction in which a conjugated auxiliary verb followed by a preposition (de, à, par) and an infinitive conveys a meaning that a simple tense cannot. Where a tense answers "when?", a periphrase answers "at what point in the process?" : it expresses aspect (the internal structure of the action: ongoing, just completed, about to begin) or phase (which stage of the action is highlighted).
At C1 level, the expectation is not merely knowing the basic meaning of each periphrase, but understanding their aspectual value, their interaction with tense (a periphrase can be conjugated in any tense), and the subtle distinctions between forms that are superficially similar.
2. The Temporal-Aspectual Map
Periphrases can be organised according to where they locate the action relative to a reference point. Five zones cover the full map:
| Zone | Meaning | Key periphrases |
|---|---|---|
| Imminence | About to happen (very soon) | être sur le point de, aller + inf., être à deux doigts de |
| Inceptive (beginning) | Starting to / beginning to | se mettre à, commencer à / par, se prendre à |
| Progressive (ongoing) | In the process of / currently doing | être en train de, aller + gérondif |
| Continuative / iterative | Continuing / still doing / doing again | continuer à/de, ne pas cesser de, ne pas arrêter de, se remettre à |
| Terminative (ending) | Finishing / having just done / ending up | venir de, finir de, finir par, cesser de, arrêter de |
3. Imminence: On the Threshold of the Action
être sur le point de + infinitive
The most precise imminence marker. It signals that the action is imminent; seconds or moments away. It can be conjugated in any tense.
Elle était sur le point de répondre quand le téléphone sonna. (She was on the verge of answering when the phone rang.)
Le projet est sur le point d'aboutir. (The project is about to succeed.)
Il avait été sur le point de tout abandonner. (He had been on the verge of giving everything up.)
aller + infinitive (near future / imminence)
Aller + infinitive expresses a future that is projected from the present; it is planned or perceived as certain. In the imperfect (allait), it expresses a future in the past (what was going to happen at that point in the narrative).
Elle allait répondre quand il l'interrompit. (She was about to answer when he interrupted her, near future in past narrative)
On allait enfin comprendre pourquoi. (We were finally going to understand why, anticipated future from a past vantage point)
être à deux doigts de + infinitive
Colloquial but very expressive: literally "to be two fingers away from", meaning on the very brink of something, often with dramatic or unfortunate connotations.
(He was within a hair's breadth of losing everything he had built.)
On est à deux doigts de la catastrophe. (We are on the very brink of catastrophe.)
4. Inceptive: Beginning the Action
se mettre à + infinitive
Marks the sudden or decisive beginning of an action. Often implies a break with what preceded; the action starts abruptly or unexpectedly.
Elle s'est mise à rire sans raison apparente. (She started laughing for no apparent reason.)
Après des années d'hésitation, il s'est mis à écrire. (After years of hesitation, he began to write.)
commencer à / de + infinitive
More neutral than se mettre à; marks the beginning without the implication of abruptness. Commencer à is more common; commencer de is literary and slightly more formal.
Il commençait de faire nuit quand nous arrivâmes. [literary] (Night was beginning to fall when we arrived.)
commencer par + infinitive
Marks what is done first in a sequence. Distinct from commencer à: it focuses on the order of actions, not the beginning of a process.
(He started by apologising, then explained everything.)
Commencez par lire attentivement les instructions.
(Begin by reading the instructions carefully.)
se prendre à + infinitive
Formal/literary. Expresses an action that begins unexpectedly or involuntarily: the subject finds themselves doing something they did not plan to do.
(She found herself dreaming of another life.)
Il se prenait à espérer malgré tout.
(He found himself hoping in spite of everything.)
5. Progressive: Inside the Action
être en train de + infinitive
The most important progressive marker in French. It expresses that the action is genuinely in progress: unfolding at the moment of reference. It can be conjugated in any tense and combines with any verb.
Elle était en train de lire quand je suis entré. (She was reading when I came in.)
Le projet était en train de dérailler. (The project was in the process of going off the rails.)
Les négociations sont en train d'évoluer favorablement. (The negotiations are currently developing favourably.)
Il lisait (he was reading / he used to read) vs. Il était en train de lire (he was in the middle of reading, caught in the act).
aller + present participle (gérondif) : formal literary
A literary or formal progressive construction expressing a gradual, continuous development. More elevated than être en train de.
Le phénomène va en s'amplifiant. (The phenomenon is progressively intensifying.)
Sa détermination allait en se renforçant. (His determination was steadily growing.)
6. Continuative and Iterative: Persistence and Resumption
continuer à / de + infinitive
Marks the continuation of an already-started action. Continuer à is neutral and common; continuer de is slightly more literary.
Il continuait de sourire sans rien dire. [literary] (He kept smiling without saying a word.)
ne pas cesser de / ne pas arrêter de + infinitive
Expresses an action that persists without interruption, often with a nuance of exasperation or emphasis.
Elle n'a pas arrêté de travailler depuis ce matin. (She hasn't stopped working since this morning.)
se remettre à + infinitive
Marks the resumption of an action after an interruption. The action had been happening before, stopped, and is now starting again.
Elle s'est remise à pleurer. (She started crying again.)
7. Terminative: Closing the Action
venir de + infinitive
The recent past construction. It signals that the action was completed just moments ago (the most precise way of expressing immediate anteriority). Unlike the passé composé, it cannot be used in the passé composé itself; it appears in the present (for a recent past from a present viewpoint) or imperfect (for a recent past from a past viewpoint).
Elle venait de raccrocher quand il rappela. (She had just hung up when he called back.)
Nous venons de recevoir les résultats. (We have just received the results.)
✗ *Il est venu de partir. (not possible)
✗ *Il viendra de partir. (not possible)
✓ Il vient de partir. (present) / Il venait de partir. (imperfect)
finir de + infinitive
Marks the completion of an action: "to finish doing something". Neutral and common.
Quand il aura fini de parler, nous pourrons répondre. (When he has finished speaking, we can respond.)
finir par + infinitive
One of the most semantically rich periphrases. It marks an action that occurs after a long process, series of events, or resistance: "to end up doing / to finally do". It implies persistence, accumulation, or the culmination of a process. Distinct from finir de.
Après des mois de négociations, ils ont fini par trouver un accord. (After months of negotiations, they finally reached an agreement.)
Elle finira par comprendre. (She will eventually come to understand.)
On finit toujours par payer ses erreurs. (One always ends up paying for one's mistakes.)
finir de = to finish doing (the action reaches its natural end): Il a fini de manger. (He has finished eating.)
finir par = to end up doing (after a process): Il a fini par manger. (He ended up eating, after resisting, hesitating, or being persuaded.)
The difference is aspectual: finir de describes the endpoint of an action; finir par describes the endpoint of a process.
cesser de / arrêter de + infinitive
Mark the end of an ongoing action. Cesser de is more formal; arrêter de is more colloquial.
Elle a arrêté de fumer il y a deux ans. (She stopped smoking two years ago.) [standard]
8. Periphrases Across Tenses: The Full Paradigm
A key C1 skill is understanding that any periphrase can be conjugated in any tense, and that the resulting combination produces precise aspectual-temporal meanings. The auxiliary verb carries the tense; the aspectual meaning stays constant.
| Periphrase | Present | Imperfect | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| être en train de | est en train de lire | était en train de lire | sera en train de lire | serait en train de lire |
| être sur le point de | est sur le point de partir | était sur le point de partir | sera sur le point de partir | serait sur le point de partir |
| venir de | vient de finir | venait de finir | (not used) | (not used) |
| se mettre à | se met à travailler | se mettait à travailler | se mettra à travailler | se mettrait à travailler |
| finir par | finit par accepter | finissait par accepter | finira par accepter | finirait par accepter |
9. Common Errors and Confusions
| Error | Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| venir de in compound tense | Il est venu de partir. | Il vient de partir. |
| Confusing finir de and finir par | Il a fini de comprendre. (intended: he eventually understood) | Il a fini par comprendre. |
| Confusing se mettre à and commencer à | Il a commencé à pleuvoir violemment. (sudden onset) | Il s'est mis à pleuvoir violemment. (abrupt start) |
| Confusing commencer à and commencer par | Il a commencé à s'excuser. (intended: first action in sequence) | Il a commencé par s'excuser. |
| Using être en train de for habitual action | Le soir, il est en train de lire. (habitual) | Le soir, il lit. / il lisait. |
| Using se remettre à without prior action | Il s'est remis à cuisiner. (if he never cooked before) | Il s'est mis à cuisiner. (first time) |
Lesson Summary
- Verbal periphrases express aspect and phase (the internal structure of an action) rather than when it occurs.
- Imminence: être sur le point de (within seconds); aller + inf. (near future, any time frame); être à deux doigts de (on the very brink, dramatic).
- Inceptive: se mettre à (abrupt start); commencer à/de (neutral start); commencer par (first action in a sequence); se prendre à (involuntary or unexpected start, literary).
- Progressive: être en train de (actively in progress right now); aller en + gérondif (gradual progressive development, formal).
- Continuative / iterative: continuer à/de (ongoing); ne pas cesser de / ne pas arrêter de (relentlessly ongoing); se remettre à (resumption after interruption).
- Terminative: venir de (just completed, present or imperfect only); finir de (action reaches its end); finir par (ending up doing after a process); cesser de / arrêter de (stopping).
- finir de ≠ finir par: finir de = finish doing (endpoint of action); finir par = end up doing (endpoint of process).
- venir de is conjugated only in the present or imperfect, never in compound tenses or future.
- Any periphrase can be conjugated in any tense; the auxiliary carries the tense, the periphrase carries the aspectual meaning.