Le participe présent
The present participle translates as the “-ing” form of an English verb, for example:
· parlant: speaking
· mangeant: eating
· conduisant: driving
The present participle is formed by dropping the –ons from the nous form of the verb, the adding –ant.
· parler: nous parlons = parlant
· manger: nous mangeone = mangeant
· conduire: nous conduisons = conduisant
There are only three exceptions:
· avoir: ayant
· être: étant
· savoir: sachant
You can use the present participle as a(n):
· adjective (modifies a noun)
o you are already very familiar with the present participle as an adjective:
§ un livre amusant
§ une fille intéressante
o when the present participle functions as an adjective, it must agree with the noun it modifies (add –e for feminine, -s for plural)
· noun
o you are also familiar with the present participle as a noun:
§ un étudiant/une étudiante (quelqu’un qui étudie)
§ un gagnant/une gagnante (quelqu’un qui gagne)
o again, when the present participle functions as a noun, it must agree with the noun it modifies
· verb
o describes an action that is taking place at the same time as another action; sometimes introduced by “en,” which translates as “while” or “by”
§ Ayant soif, j’ai bu de l’eau. Being thirsty, I drank some water.
§ Il regardait le film en mangeant. He was watching the film while eating.
§ Elle a réussi en étudiant régulièrement. She succeeded by studying regularly.
o when the present participle functions as a verb, you do NOT need to add endings (-e or –s).