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Gérondif and present participle

After this lesson you can say how and while you do things (en travaillant, en lisant), understand the participle forms of written French, and follow or give a short business presentation with figures and a conclusion.

52 core words · 14 bonus cognates · 15 phrases

Pronunciation

-ant / -ent: nasal /ɑ̃/ or silent?

The letters -ent at the end of a word have two completely different pronunciations, and -ant has only one.

1. -ant is always /ɑ̃/

The nasal /ɑ̃/ is like a French a said through the nose, a bit like the vowel in English on with the mouth open wide. No /n/ or /t/ is heard.

  • parlant /paʁ.lɑ̃/, en travaillant /ɑ̃.tʁa.va.jɑ̃/, étant /e.tɑ̃/
  • intéressant /ɛ̃.te.ʁɛ.sɑ̃/, le restaurant /ʁɛs.to.ʁɑ̃/

Don't confuse it with -ons /ɔ̃/: parlant /paʁ.lɑ̃/ vs parlons /paʁ.lɔ̃/. For /ɔ̃/ round your lips as for German o.

2. -ent in nouns, adjectives, adverbs: also /ɑ̃/

  • le client /kli.jɑ̃/, le moment /mɔ.mɑ̃/, différent /di.fe.ʁɑ̃/
  • rapidement /ʁa.pid.mɑ̃/, souvent /su.vɑ̃/
  • Adverbs in -emment and -amment both sound /a.mɑ̃/: évidemment /e.vi.da.mɑ̃/, couramment /ku.ʁa.mɑ̃/.

3. -ent as a verb ending (ils/elles): completely silent

  • ils parlent /il.paʁl/, sounds exactly like il parle
  • elles travaillent /ɛl.tʁa.vaj/
  • ils finissent /il.fi.nis/

This is like German speakers swallowing the -en in haben (/haːbm̩/), but more radical: nothing at all is said.

Same spelling, two sounds

Written As noun/adjective As verb (ils ...)
président le président /pʁe.zi.dɑ̃/ ils président /pʁe.zid/ (they chair)
excellent excellent /ɛk.se.lɑ̃/ ils excellent /ɛk.sɛl/ (they excel)
résident le résident /ʁe.zi.dɑ̃/ ils résident /ʁe.zid/ (they reside)

Tip: if ils or elles (or a plural noun subject) stands before it, -ent is silent. Otherwise, say /ɑ̃/.

Grammar

Gérondif, present participle and adjectives in -ant

1. Forming the -ant form

Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons, add -ant:

Infinitive nous ... -ant form
parler parlons parlant
finir finissons finissant
faire faisons faisant
prendre prenons prenant
voyager voyageons voyageant
commencer commençons commençant

Only three exceptions: être → étant, avoir → ayant, savoir → sachant.

2. The gérondif: en + -ant

The gérondif is en + -ant form. It never changes, and its subject must be the same as the subject of the main verb. It covers three meanings that German splits into beim, indem and wenn, while English just uses -ing:

a) While (two actions at the same time)

  • Je lis la presse en prenant mon café. I read the paper while having my coffee. (beim Kaffeetrinken)
  • Ne téléphone pas en conduisant ! Don't phone while driving!

b) By (the means or method)

  • On apprend une langue en parlant. You learn a language by speaking. (indem man spricht)
  • C'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeron. Practice makes perfect. (lit. it's by forging that you become a blacksmith)

c) If / when (a condition)

  • En partant maintenant, tu arriveras à l'heure. If you leave now, you'll be on time.
  • En réservant tôt, vous payez moins. By booking early, you pay less.

tout en + -ant adds contrast, like while or although: Tout en étant d'accord, il a voté contre. While agreeing, he voted against.

3. The participe présent (without en): written French

Without en, the -ant form is mainly found in newspapers, reports and business emails. It usually replaces qui + verb, or gives a reason:

  • Les voyageurs ayant un visa peuvent entrer. = qui ont un visa. Travellers who have a visa may enter.
  • Les clients souhaitant réserver doivent appeler. = qui souhaitent.
  • Étant malade, elle n'est pas venue. Being ill, she didn't come.
  • Ayant terminé son discours, le PDG a quitté la salle. Having finished his speech, the CEO left the room.

It is invariable: les clients ayant, la cliente ayant.

4. Adjectives in -ant: they agree!

Many -ant forms are also adjectives. As adjectives they agree like any other: un chiffre intéressant, une présentation intéressante, des résultats surprenants, une femme charmante.

Compare: Les enfants obéissant à leurs parents ... (participle, invariable: who obey) vs des enfants obéissants (adjective: obedient children).

Spelling trap: some pairs differ between participle and adjective. fatiguant (tiring, participle) vs fatigant (adj.): un voyage fatigant convainquant vs convaincant (convincing) différant vs différent, précédant vs précédent, négligeant vs négligent

5. What English -ing is NOT in French

English uses -ing everywhere; French doesn't. I am working = Je travaille (or je suis en train de travailler), never je suis travaillant. I like swimming = J'aime nager (infinitive). Before leaving = avant de partir.

Cognate pattern

-esse = -ess (and -ness)

French nouns in -esse are feminine and come in two types.

Type 1: female persons and titles, like English -ess: princesse = princess.

Type 2: abstract qualities built from adjectives, like English -ness and German -heit/-keit: faible (weak) gives faiblesse (weakness, Schwäche), jeune gives jeunesse (youth, Jugend).

French English German
l'adresse (f) address; skill die Adresse; Geschick
la princesse princess die Prinzessin
l'hôtesse (f) hostess die Gastgeberin, Hostess
la déesse goddess die Göttin
la promesse promise das Versprechen
la faiblesse weakness die Schwäche
la richesse wealth, richness der Reichtum
la jeunesse youth die Jugend
la politesse politeness die Höflichkeit
la tristesse sadness die Traurigkeit
la sagesse wisdom die Weisheit
la gentillesse kindness die Freundlichkeit
la tendresse tenderness die Zärtlichkeit
la souplesse flexibility die Flexibilität
la forteresse fortress die Festung
la détresse distress die Not
la vitesse speed die Geschwindigkeit

Traps

  • l'adresse also means skill, dexterity: avec adresse = skilfully.
  • la vitesse (speed) has no English look-alike; think vite (fast).
  • la maîtresse = (primary school) teacher, or mistress; la messe = (church) mass, not a mess!
  • la promesse ends in -ise in English: promise.
  • Spelling: always -esse with double s, never -ess alone.