French flag

Tense guide
Participe présent (Gerund (Present Participle))

Language: French
Tense:

Introduction

In French, there is a special verb form that usually ends in "-ant". It is not a tense like the present or past, but a way to link actions together. It helps you say more in a shorter sentence. This form can show that two actions happen at the same time, explain the reason for something, or describe a person or thing.

The most common use is to describe an action that is happening at the same time as another action. You will almost always see the word en before the verb. It often answers the question "how"? or "while doing what"?.

Je lis le journal en buvant mon café.
(I read the newspaper while drinking my coffee.)
Elle est tombée en courant pour attraper le bus.
(She fell while running to catch the bus.)
Il travaille en écoutant de la musique.
(He works while listening to music.)
On apprend beaucoup en voyageant.
(You learn a lot by traveling.)
Il m'a répondu en souriant.
(He answered me while smiling.)
Tu peux parler et travailler en même temps ? Oui, je peux parler tout en travaillant.
(Can you talk and work at the same time? Yes, I can talk while working.)

You can use this verb form to describe a person or thing. It gives more information, just like saying "the man who is wearing..". or "the letter that contains..".. It replaces a longer description with a single word.

Je cherche les personnes ayant des billets.
(I am looking for the people who have tickets.)
C'est un film montrant la vie à Paris.
(It's a movie showing life in Paris.)
Les enfants jouant dans la cour sont mes neveux.
(The children playing in the yard are my nephews.)
J'ai vu un chat dormant sur la voiture.
(I saw a cat sleeping on the car.)

Be careful: when this word form is used to describe a noun like a simple adjective, its spelling can change. But when it describes a specific action happening, it always ends in "-ant" and never changes.

This form can also be used to explain the cause or reason for something. It works like the word "because" or "since". It often comes at the beginning of the sentence.

Étant fatigué, je suis resté à la maison.
(Being tired, I stayed home.)
Sachant la vérité, elle ne voulait plus lui parler.
(Knowing the truth, she didn't want to talk to him anymore.)
N'ayant pas d'argent, il n'a rien acheté.
(Not having any money, he didn't buy anything.)

Sometimes, these "-ant" words become regular nouns that you can use every day.

Les étudiants sont dans la bibliothèque.
(The students are in the library.)
Le gagnant remporte un prix.
(The winner receives a prize.)

Conjugation patterns