Kilo Lingo
French grammar Part of Chapter 21

CEFR B1-B2

4 min read

Test yourself (23 questions)

French Gérondif and Present Participle: en + -ant Rules

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

The French present participle is the -ant form, built from the stem. With in front it becomes the gérondif, the French while, by and if doing. It never builds a tense: I am eating is .

the -ant endingen, which makes the gérondifWhat do the colours mean?
UseFrenchEnglish
the formspeaking
while .He sings while he works.
by , .By working, you will succeed.
if , .If you leave early, you will be on time.
an -ing tense .I am eating.
after a preposition before leaving

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake English speakers make.

Forming it: the nous stem + -ant

Take the form of the present, drop - and add -ant. The rule survives most irregular verbs, because their form already carries the change:

nous parlons gives parlant - speaking
Verbnous formParticiple

Three verbs ignore the form and are learned by heart:

VerbParticipleEnglish
being
having
knowing
  • , . - Being ill, he stayed at home.
  • , . - Knowing the truth, she left.

En + -ant: the gérondif

The bare participle is fairly formal. The form you will use every day is the gérondif, plus the participle. It does three jobs:

JobFrenchEnglish
while , .While eating, he watches TV.
while .She sings while doing the washing-up.
by (how) .He earns his living selling cars.
by (how) .I learn by speaking every day.
if , .If you leave early, you'll avoid the crowds.

The proverb puts the by meaning in one line: forgeant forgeron. - Practice makes perfect (literally, it is by forging that one becomes a blacksmith).

is the only preposition followed by the -ant form. Every other one takes the infinitive (below).

One subject only

the -ant endingen, which makes the gérondifWhat do the colours mean?

The gérondif belongs to the subject of the main verb. The person eating is the person watching:

  • , Marie. - As I came into the room, I saw Marie.

So the gérondif cannot say I saw Marie coming in with Marie doing the coming: would mean that I came in. Use an infinitive or :

Who comes inFrenchEnglish
I do Marie .I saw Marie as I came in.
Marie does Marie .I saw Marie come in.
Marie does Marie .I saw Marie coming in.

Fixed sayings bend the rule ( . - Appetite comes with eating), but in your own sentences keep one subject.

Tout en: while, and even so

Put in front of the gérondif and the two actions pull against each other: even while, although.

  • souriant, . - Even as she smiled, she said no.
  • , . - Although I understand your reasons, I do not agree.
  • . - He passed even though he worked very little.

No je suis mangeant: French has no -ing tense

the -ant endingen, which makes the gérondiffeminine agreementplural agreementWhat do the colours mean?

English builds its continuous tenses with -ing (I am eating, she was reading). French does not: the plain present or the imparfait does the job.

Four panels, each person in the middle of an action: a woman with long hair and a bow reads an open book; a man with a moustache stirs a steaming pot on the stove; a boy runs, arms swinging; a girl with pigtails talks on the phone, with sound waves and a speech bubble.
  1. .
  2. .
  3. .
  4. .

Elle lit (she is reading), il fait la cuisine (he is cooking), il court (he is running), elle parle au téléphone (she is on the phone): the plain present, never an -ant form.

EnglishFrenchNot
I am eating. .
She was reading. .
They are working. .

To stress that something is in progress right now, use plus the infinitive:

  • . - I am in the middle of eating.
  • . - He was busy reading.

English -ing after a preposition, or as a subject, is an infinitive in French:

EnglishFrench
before leaving
after eating
without looking
walking (a subject), .

The full list of verbs and prepositions with an infinitive is on French verbs with à, de or nothing.

The -ant adjective agrees

Many -ant words are also ordinary adjectives, and as adjectives they agree. As a verb (in a gérondif, or a participle doing an action), the -ant form never changes:

JobFrenchEnglish
adjective an interesting story
adjective interesting films
adjective a charming girl
verb , .Running, the girls fell.
verb , , .The women, knowing the truth, left.

The test: a quality is an adjective and agrees; an action is a verb and does not. A few pairs are even spelled differently: the adjective fatigant (tiring) against the participle (tiring someone out).

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
.no continuous tense
after a preposition: infinitive
by doing: + -ant
the adjective agrees
êtant is irregular:

What to do next

  1. Describe three things you do at once, with ( ).
  2. Say what you are doing right now, with the plain present.
  3. Next: the pluperfect.

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/5

Build the present participle: the nous stem, then -ant.

  1. parler (nous parlons)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. finir (nous finissons)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. faire (nous faisons)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. être (irregular)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  5. savoir (irregular)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Complete the story

0/4

Choose the right form for each gap.

Lina's day

Le matin, Lina écoute la radio son café. Elle apprend l'anglais des séries. Hier, dans le bus, elle a vu son professeur. En ce moment, elle un livre.

Gap 1 of 4

Sort into groups

0/6

Does the -ant word agree? Adjective (it agrees) or verb (it never changes)?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Tap the mistake English speakers make.

Pick the right one

0/4

Choose the right French.

  1. She was sleeping.

  2. fatigué, il est resté chez lui. (being tired)

  3. I saw Marie coming in. (Marie was coming in)

  4. I am in the middle of eating.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you form the French present participle?
Take the form of the present, drop -ons and add -ant: gives , , , . Only three verbs break the rule: gives , and .
What is the gérondif and what does + -ant mean?
The gérondif is plus the present participle. It says while ( , : while eating, he watches TV), by ( , : by working, you will succeed) or if ( , : if you leave early, you will be on time). The doer is the subject of the main verb.
Why is 'I am eating' not ' ' in French?
Because French has no continuous tense. The plain present covers both I eat and I am eating ( ), and the imparfait covers I was eating ( ). does not exist. To stress that something is in progress, say (I am in the middle of eating).
How do you say 'I am cooking' in French?
, or . The plain present covers the English continuous, so there is no -ant form anywhere. To stress that you are busy doing it right now, say .
What is the difference between the gérondif and the present participle in French?
The gérondif is plus the participle and belongs to the subject of the main verb: , Paul (as I went out, I saw Paul). The bare participle, without , is more formal and can describe a noun: Paul (I saw Paul coming out of the cinema), where Paul is the one coming out.