Published May 8, 2020 • Updated June 22, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson, teaching French online since 2014
The French present participle and gerund are two related forms that often translate to English with “-ing.” The present participle ends in -ant, as in parlant (speaking) and faisant (doing / making). The gerund is formed with en + present participle, as in en parlant (while speaking / by speaking). In this lesson, we’ll look at how to form the present participle and how to use the gerund.
How to form the present participle in French
The French present participle, or participe présent, is formed by taking the nous form of the present tense, removing -ons, and adding -ant.
| Infinitive | Nous form | Present participle |
|---|---|---|
| parler (to speak) | nous parlons | parlant (speaking) |
| finir (to finish) | nous finissons | finissant (finishing) |
| vendre (to sell) | nous vendons | vendant (selling) |
| faire (to do, to make) | nous faisons | faisant (doing / making) |
| aller (to go) | nous allons | allant (going) |
| manger (to eat) | nous mangeons | mangeant (eating) |
| commencer (to begin) | nous commençons | commençant (beginning) |
The spelling comes from the nous form in the present tense. Hence:
manger ➞ nous mangeons ➞ mangeant (eating)
commencer ➞ nous commençons ➞ commençant (beginning)
Irregular present participles
Only three common verbs have irregular present participle forms.
| Infinitive | Present participle |
|---|---|
| être (to be) | étant (being) |
| avoir (to have) | ayant (having) |
| savoir (to know) | sachant (knowing) |
Present participle as a verb
The present participle can be used as a verb form. This use is more common in written French than in everyday spoken French.
Étant malade, je suis resté à la maison.
Being sick, I stayed home.
Ayant beaucoup de travail, elle est partie tôt.
Having a lot of work, she left early.
Sachant la vérité, il a décidé de parler.
Knowing the truth, he decided to speak.
Present participle as an adjective
Many present participles can also be used as adjectives. When used as adjectives, they agree with the noun they describe.
| Masculine | Feminine | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| un travail exigeant (a demanding job) | une tâche exigeante (a demanding task) | des tâches exigeantes (demanding tasks) |
| un enfant fatigant (a tiring child) | une activité fatigante (a tiring activity) | des activités fatigantes (tiring activities) |
| un film intéressant (an interesting movie) | une leçon intéressante (an interesting lesson) | des leçons intéressantes (interesting lessons) |
C’est une leçon intéressante.
It’s an interesting lesson.
C’est un travail exigeant.
It’s a demanding job.
Present participle as a noun
Some present participles are also used as nouns. In this case, they can have masculine, feminine, singular, and plural forms.
| Masculine | Feminine | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| le gagnant (the winner) | la gagnante (the winner) | les gagnants (the winners) |
| le perdant (the loser) | la perdante (the loser) | les perdants (the losers) |
| le débutant (the beginner) | la débutante (the beginner) | les débutants (the beginners) |
Le gagnant recevra un prix.
The winner will receive a prize.
Cette leçon est utile pour les débutants.
This lesson is useful for beginners.
Compound present participle
To express “having + past participle,” French uses the compound present participle: ayant or étant + past participle. Ayant and étant are the present participles of the auxiliary verbs avoir (to have) and être (to be). Use ayant with verbs that take avoir and étant with verbs that take être in compound tenses.
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| ayant + past participle | ayant payé (having paid) |
| étant + past participle | étant arrivé (having arrived) |
Ayant payé mon loyer, je n’avais plus d’argent.
Having paid my rent, I didn’t have any money left.
Étant arrivé en retard, j’ai raté la réunion.
Having arrived late, I missed the meeting.
With verbs that use être, the past participle agrees with the subject.
Étant arrivée en retard, elle a raté la réunion.
Having arrived late, she missed the meeting.
How to form the French gerund
The French gerund, or gérondif, is formed with en + present participle. The gerund usually translates to English as while + -ing or by + -ing.
| Present participle | Gerund |
|---|---|
| parlant (speaking) | en parlant (while speaking / by speaking) |
| mangeant (eating) | en mangeant (while eating / by eating) |
| étudiant (studying) | en étudiant (while studying / by studying) |
| faisant (doing / making) | en faisant (while doing / by doing) |
| allant (going) | en allant (while going / by going) |
Using the gerund to mean “by doing”
The gerund can explain how something happens.
J’apprends le français en écoutant des podcasts.
I learn French by listening to podcasts.
Tu peux progresser en pratiquant tous les jours.
You can improve by practicing every day.
On apprend beaucoup en faisant des erreurs.
We learn a lot by making mistakes.
Using the gerund to mean “while doing”
The gerund can also express two actions happening at the same time.
Elle chante en cuisinant.
She sings while cooking.
Il s’est cassé une dent en mangeant un glaçon.
He broke a tooth while eating an ice cube.
Nous avons parlé en marchant dans le parc.
We talked while walking in the park.
Gerund with reflexive verbs
With reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun comes before the present participle.
| Verb | Gerund |
|---|---|
| se lever (to get up) | en me levant tôt (by getting up early) |
| se dépêcher (to hurry) | en te dépêchant (by hurrying) |
| se promener (to take a walk) | en se promenant (while taking a walk) |
| se préparer (to get ready) | en nous préparant (while getting ready) |
Je gagne du temps en me levant plus tôt.
I save time by getting up earlier.
Negative gerund
To make the gerund negative, place ne…pas around the present participle.
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| en parlant (while speaking / by speaking) | en ne parlant pas (while not speaking / by not speaking) |
| en mangeant (while eating / by eating) | en ne mangeant pas (while not eating / by not eating) |
| en disant quelque chose (by saying something) | en ne disant rien (by saying nothing) |
| en faisant quelque chose (by doing something) | en ne faisant rien (by doing nothing) |
Il a évité le problème en ne disant rien.
He avoided the problem by saying nothing.
Tout en + gerund
The structure tout en + gerund often means “while still,” “even while,” or “although.” It is used when two ideas happen at the same time, often with a contrast.
| Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tout en parlant | while still speaking |
| tout en souriant | while smiling |
| tout en travaillant | even while working |
| tout en étant malade | although sick / even while sick |
Tout en étant très travailleur, il n’atteignait pas ses objectifs.
Although he was very hardworking, he wasn’t reaching his goals.
Tout en ne disant rien, il disait tout.
While saying nothing, he was saying everything.
Elle souriait tout en cachant sa tristesse.
She smiled while hiding her sadness.
Common mistake: English “-ing” is not always French -ant
The French present participle does not work exactly like English “-ing.” To say “I am speaking,” French normally uses the present tense.
| English idea | Correct French |
|---|---|
| I am speaking. | Je parle. |
| I am eating. | Je mange. |
| I am working. | Je travaille. |
You can also use être en train de + infinitive to emphasize that something is happening right now. Do not say “Je suis parlant” for “I am speaking” or “Elle est mangeant” for “she is eating”.
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| être en train de + infinitive | Je suis en train de parler. (I am speaking right now.) |
| être en train de + infinitive | Elle est en train de manger. (She is eating right now.) |
| être en train de + infinitive | Nous sommes en train de travailler. (We are working right now.) |
Conclusion
The French present participle is formed from the nous form of the present tense: nous parlons → parlant (speaking). The gerund is formed with en + present participle: en parlant (while speaking / by speaking).
The biggest point to remember is that French -ant forms do not work exactly like English “-ing.” For everyday sentences such as “I am speaking,” French usually uses the present tense: Je parle.
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