Does this indicate failure?

Question

In English, when we say “I was going to...”, it implies that we intended to do something but didn’t. Is the same true in French? Or, for example, could I say « J’allais ouvrir la fenêtre quand j’ai entendu un crie horrible. Je suis sorti par la fenêtre tout suite ! »

Accepted Answer

Hi Jonathan,
Indeed it is exactly the same meaning in French, You were going to do something and something prevented you from doing it...
J'allais sortir promener mes chiens quand j'ai réalisé qu'il pleuvait = I was going to go and walk my dogs when I realised it was raining
Hope this helps!

Answer

Bonjour.  I’m curious, based on this reply, what’s the best way to say:
“i was going to the market when..”?
would that also be “j’allais au marché quand...
or would a different construction be better such as:
j’étais en train d’aller au marché quand...

Answer

Hi Bill,
"J'allais au marché quand ...." is correct  for "I was going to the market when..."
The use of the imperfect already conveys the duration required for that meaning.