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French Phrase

Ils passent « Le Roi Lion » en ce moment.

/il pas‿sɑ̃ lə ʁwa liɔ̃ ɑ̃ sə mɔ̃.tɑ̃/
Meaning"They are watching “The Lion King” right now."
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Meaning

The sentence tells us that a group of people (they) are currently watching the movie *The Lion King*. It uses the verb *passer* in the sense of a film being shown, and the time‑phrase *en ce moment* to stress that it’s happening right now.

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When to use

Use this structure when you want to report what a group is watching on TV, in a cinema, or on a streaming platform at this very moment. It works for any film or series title.

✦Grammar Breakdown

IlspassentLeRoiLionencemoment

1

Passer (film)

When talking about a film or TV show, *passer* means “to be showing / to be playing”. It is conjugated like a regular -er verb.

2

En ce moment

A fixed expression meaning “right now, at the moment”. It can be placed after the verb or at the end of the sentence.

3

Article with movie titles

French movie titles keep their original article (Le, La, Les). The title is usually italicised or put in quotation marks.

🗨In Conversation

A

Qu’est‑ce qu’ils font ?

What are they doing?

Ils passent « Le Roi Lion » en ce moment.

They’re watching *The Lion King* right now.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ils voient « Le Roi Lion » en ce moment.

    Using *voir* for a film on TV sounds unnatural; prefer *passer* or *regarder*.

  • Ils passent « Le Roi Lion » en ce temps.

    The correct expression is *en ce moment*, not *en ce temps*.

  • Ils passent Le Roi Lion en ce moment.

    When quoting a title, use quotation marks or italics; omitting them can cause confusion.

↔Alternatives

  • Ils regardent « Le Roi Lion » en ce moment.

    They are watching “The Lion King” right now.

  • Ils sont en train de voir « Le Roi Lion ».

    They are in the middle of watching “The Lion King”.

  • Ils visionnent « Le Roi Lion » maintenant.

    They are viewing “The Lion King” now.

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Cultural Tip

In French, *passer* is the go‑to verb for movies and TV programmes, whereas *voir* is more general (“to see”). When you talk about a film currently on screen, you’ll almost always hear *passer* (e.g., *Le film passe à 20 h*). Also, French speakers often use the original title of an English‑language film, keeping the article *Le* or *La* if it exists in the French release.