"Les parents, étant avec leurs enfants, sont contents."

Translation: The parents, being with their children, are happy.

[mtrosete]

The parents are happy being with their children

[caspergilbert]

That is what I wrote and it marked it wrong

[noodle031]

Hi i agree with above the parents are happy being with there children. The Duolingo version wouldn't be said in English

[v7Bjc]

I would never formulate the english that way... Seems very unnatural

[Jim67564]

I translated it as, "The parents are happy being with their children." If I wanted to stress that clause, it might be, "Being with their children, the parents are happy." Having the being clause in the middle is just awkward.

[Chris813123]

I interprete this as a general statement:
So, all parents, when they spend time with their children, are happy. -->
Parents being with their children are happy. Am I wrong?

[caspergilbert]

I do lots of questions written in a different way and it always maks it wrong

[caspergilbert]

Marks it wrong, not maks

[koos324324]

What is wrong with just "Parents being with their children, are happy"

[kathygeorge]

That's what I wrote, too. I think it sounds much better and more like an English sentence.

[stupefaite]

the other way round:

les enfants etant avec leurs parents sont contents :)

[Paul_in_Victoria]

Can "les parents" be translated as "parents" in the same way that "les enfants" is translated as "children", or is "les parents" always translated as "the parents"?

[schmy]

Agreed. From all of the other lessons that I have seen on Duo, there is no way in French to refer to just the noun without an article. So translating "Parents, being with..." etc., would have to start, "Les parents, [...]".

[Frits1955]

Can somebody explain why it is étant ?
I would expect étants , to agree with the plural parents.

[deactivated user]

"Étant" is the present participle of "être", and translates as "being". Not an adjective, so no agreement.