Le gérondif et le participe présent
Gerund and present participle
The gerund and the present participle
At B2, examiners expect you to link two ideas elegantly instead of stringing short clauses together. The present participle (verb ending in -ant) and the gerund (en + -ant) both come from the same form, yet they do different jobs. The participle describes or explains; the gerund links an action to the verb it accompanies. Mastering the contrast makes your speech and writing noticeably more fluid and formal.
Associez chaque forme à son sens.
Match each form to its meaning.
- en travaillant
- sachant
- ayant fini
- étant donné que
- tout en restant
Quelle phrase emploie correctement le gérondif ?
Which sentence correctly uses the gerund?
Complétez avec le gérondif de « lire ».
Complete with the gerund of 'lire'.
On enrichit son vocabulaire ____ régulièrement.
How to form them
Both forms are built the same way: take the nous form of the present tense, drop -ons and add -ant. So nous parlons gives parlant, and nous finissons gives finissant. The gerund simply adds en in front: en parlant, en finissant. Three verbs are irregular: être becomes étant, avoir becomes ayant, and savoir becomes sachant.
| en parlant | while speaking / by speaking |
| en travaillant | while working / by working |
| en faisant | while doing / by doing |
| en attendant | while waiting / meanwhile |
| en lisant | while reading / by reading |
| étant donné que | given that / since |
| ayant compris | having understood |
| sachant que | knowing that |
| tout en restant | while still remaining |
| un argument convaincant | a convincing argument |
| une situation préoccupante | a worrying situation |
| une démarche encourageante | an encouraging approach |
Complétez avec le participe présent de « savoir ».
Complete with the present participle of 'savoir'.
Ne ____ pas quoi dire, elle a souri.
Écrivez la phrase que vous entendez.
Type the sentence you hear.
Remettez les mots dans l'ordre.
Put the words in order.
The gerund: en + -ant
The gerund expresses an action happening at the same time as the main verb, or the means by which something is done. Crucially, its subject must be the same as that of the main verb. It answers the questions when?, how? or under what condition?. To insist on simultaneity or contrast, add tout: tout en travaillant, meaning while still working.
Choisissez la forme qui exprime la cause (un participe présent).
Choose the form that expresses cause (a present participle).
Traduisez en français.
Translate into French.
She answered while smiling.
Complétez la structure concessive (tout en étant).
Complete the concessive structure (while still being).
Il reste optimiste ____ conscient des risques.
The present participle: -ant
Without en, the present participle works like a relative clause (who/which does) or expresses a cause. It is more formal than the gerund and very common in written and administrative French. Unlike the gerund, its subject can differ from the main verb's subject. Do not confuse it with the verbal adjective, which looks similar but agrees in gender and number: une histoire touchante (adjective) versus un film touchant le public (participle, invariable).
Traduisez en français (registre soutenu, écrit).
Translate into French (formal, written register).
The candidates having passed the test will be contacted.
Lequel est un adjectif verbal (il s'accorde), et non un participe ?
Which one is a verbal adjective (it agrees), not a participle?