The gerund and the present participle
en faisant, en parlant; étant, ayant.
⚡Key points
Forming the -ant form
The -ant form is built on the nous stem of the present: nous parlons → parlant, nous finissons → finissant. Exceptions: étant (être), ayant (avoir), sachant (savoir).
Present participle: examples
| parler | parlant | speaking |
| finir | finissant | finishing |
| faire | faisant | doing |
| être | étant | being (irregular) |
| avoir | ayant | having (irregular) |
| savoir | sachant | knowing (irregular) |
The gerund (en + -ant) and its meanings
The gerund = en + the -ant form. It refers to the same subject as the main verb and expresses simultaneity, means or condition. The present participle (without en) often replaces a qui-clause or expresses cause.
Meanings
Gerund — simultaneity
Il chante en travaillant. (He sings while working.)
Gerund — means
On apprend en pratiquant. (You learn by practising.)
Gerund — condition
En partant tôt, tu éviteras les bouchons. (By leaving early, you’ll avoid the traffic.)
Present participle ≈ qui
Une personne parlant russe. (= who speaks Russian.)
Étant malade, il est resté. (Being ill…)
💡⚠️ Gerund: one subject
Dialogue: advice
Rim: How did you learn Spanish so fast? | Joël: By watching series and speaking every day. | Rim: So you improve by practising, not by reading grammar? | Joël: Exactly! While revising a bit too, of course.