The French gerund and present participle look the same except for en. English speakers meet the gerund constantly, because it replaces many “-ing” phrases: “by studying”, “while driving”, “on arriving”.
The essentials: In French, -ing has two main equivalents: the gerund (en + -ant) for “while” and “by” (en marchant = while walking, by walking), and the present participle (-ant), a written form that explains or describes (les enfants jouant dans la cour). Both use the nous stem of the present plus -ant, except étant, ayant and sachant. French never uses -ant for English progressive tenses (“I am eating”).
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How do you form the -ant form?
Take the nous form of the present, remove -ons, add -ant.
| Infinitive | nous form | Participle | Gerund |
|---|---|---|---|
| parler | nous parlons | parlant | en parlant |
| finir | nous finissons | finissant | en finissant |
| vendre | nous vendons | vendant | en vendant |
| manger | nous mangeons | mangeant | en mangeant |
| commencer | nous commençons | commençant | en commençant |
| prendre | nous prenons | prenant | en prenant |
| faire | nous faisons | faisant | en faisant |
| boire | nous buvons | buvant | en buvant |
Three irregular forms: étant, ayant, sachant. Spelling is kept for -ger and -cer verbs: mangeant, commençant.
Gerund: en + -ant
| Meaning | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| While (two actions at the same time) | Il chante en travaillant. | He sings while working. |
| By (means or manner) | Tu réussiras en étudiant. | You will succeed by studying. |
| On / when | En arrivant, j’ai vu Marie. | On arriving, I saw Marie. |
| If / condition | En partant maintenant, nous serons à l’heure. | If we leave now, we will be on time. |
| Although (with tout en) | Tout en riant, il pleurait. | While laughing, he was crying. |
Rule: the subject of the gerund is the subject of the main verb. En marchant, il a vu un chat. (He was walking and saw a cat.)
Past gerund: en ayant fini, en étant parti. It shows that the first action is finished: En ayant fini mon travail, je suis sorti. (Having finished my work, I went out.)
Present participle (without en)
- It is a written form that explains a noun or replaces a clause: Les enfants jouant dans la cour ont crié. (The children playing in the yard shouted.)
- It can express cause: Ayant faim, il a mangé. (Being hungry, he ate.)
- It is invariable when it is a verb. When it becomes an adjective, it agrees: une histoire amusante, des enfants obéissants.
- Some spellings differ between participle and adjective: fatiguant (participle) vs fatigant (adjective), convainquant vs convaincant.
Common mistakes English speakers make
- Using -ant for the English progressive: Je suis mangeant is wrong. Say Je mange or Je suis en train de manger.
- Using -ant after a preposition other than en: Avant partant is wrong. Say Avant de partir. After sans, pour, avant de, après use the infinitive.
- Using the gerund when the two subjects differ: En marchant, la pluie a commencé is wrong.
- Forgetting en for “by doing”. Tu réussiras en travaillant (gerund), not tu réussiras travaillant.
- Making the verbal gerund agree: en partant never changes.
21 practice problems
Write your answers on paper first, then check them in the answer key below. Use the exact French forms, with accents. In problems 1 to 9, write the gerund (en + the -ant form) of the verb in parentheses.
Problem 1. Il chante ___ . (travailler)
Problem 2. Elle a appris le français ___ . (écouter)
Problem 3. Tu maigriras ___ du sport. (faire)
Problem 4. Nous avons ri ___ ce film. (voir)
Problem 5. Il s’est blessé ___ . (jouer)
Problem 6. Elle a pleuré ___ la lettre. (lire)
Problem 7. Ils sont arrivés ___ . (courir)
Problem 8. Elle conduit ___ de la musique. (écouter)
Problem 9. Give the present participle of finir → ___
Problem 10. Give the present participle of manger → ___
Problem 11. Give the present participle of commencer → ___
Problem 12. Give the present participle of être → ___
Problem 13. Give the present participle of avoir → ___
Problem 14. Give the present participle of savoir → ___
Problem 15. Give the present participle of faire → ___
Problem 16. Give the present participle of boire → ___
Problem 17. Give the past gerund of finir → ___
Problem 18. Give the past gerund of partir → ___
Problem 19. Translate: “He sings while taking a shower.”
Problem 20. Translate: “On arriving, I called her.”
Problem 21. Correct the mistake: Je suis mangeant une pomme.
Answer key
Show the answer key for problems 1 to 21
Problem 1. en travaillant
Problem 2. en écoutant
Problem 3. en faisant
Problem 4. en voyant
Problem 5. en jouant
Problem 6. en lisant
Problem 7. en courant
Problem 8. en écoutant
Problem 9. finissant
Problem 10. mangeant
Problem 11. commençant
Problem 12. étant
Problem 13. ayant
Problem 14. sachant
Problem 15. faisant
Problem 16. buvant
Problem 17. en ayant fini
Problem 18. en étant parti
Problem 19. Il chante en prenant une douche.
Problem 20. En arrivant, je l’ai appelée.
Problem 21. Je mange une pomme.
Quiz: 10 questions
One question at a time, with instant feedback and an explanation for each answer.