je conduis
To say "I am driving" in French, you say je conduis.
je conduis is a common and concise way to convey that you are behind the wheel and operating a vehicle. The verb used in this phrase is conduire, and the related verb rouler also means to drive.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase je conduis covers both the simple present "I drive" and the present continuous "I am driving". If you want to express the past continuous "I was driving", you should use the imperfect tense form je conduisais.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to translate the continuous aspect literally as je suis conduisant. This is grammatically incorrect in French.
Did you know?
- The verb conduire is also used when someone is 'driving' someone else to a destination. In this context, it is more like the English word 'escort' or 'accompany'.
- The word conduire is a cognate of the English word 'conduct'. Both share the same Latin root meaning to lead or bring together.
- While je conduis is standard, if you are driving a car specifically, you might hear someone say je suis au volant, which literally translates to 'I am at the wheel'.
Examples in context
- « Tu ne bois pas de vin ? » « Non, je conduis, je bois du jus de pomme. »"You aren't drinking wine?" "No, I am driving, so I am drinking apple juice."This sentence shows how je conduis is used to explain why one is consuming juice instead of wine.Tatoeba #7784422 by felix63, translation #7813081 by sharris123
- Je conduis un camion.I am driving a truck.This sentence uses je conduis to indicate the vehicle being operated is a truck.Tatoeba #1675977 by Scott, translation #1661072 by Amastan
- Je suis au volant de ma voitureI am driving my car
- Je suis occupé(e) à conduire en ce momentI am busy driving at the moment
- Je conduis en ce momentI am driving right now
- Je conduis prudemment quand il pleut.I am driving carefully when it rains.
Example conversation
Nathan is in the car and Emma is calling him on the phone.
- NathanAllô ? Emma, je conduis là.Hello? Emma, I am driving right now.
- EmmaOh, désolée ! Je te rappelle plus tard.Oh, sorry! I will call you back later.
- NathanPas de problème, je conduis encore un peu.No problem, I am driving a bit more.
- EmmaD'accord, fais attention à toi, Nathan.Okay, take care of yourself, Nathan.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
