Le gérondif - How to use the gerund in French?

Key takeaways

• The gérondif is a verb form built with en + present participle.
• It expresses simultaneity (doing two actions at once), cause, or condition.
• Example: Il marche en parlant. → He walks while talking.
• Always formed with en + present participle, regardless of subject.
• Common in written French, but also useful in speech for connecting ideas.

What Is Le Gérondif in French?

The gérondif is a verbal construction that looks like the gerund in English but doesn’t function exactly the same. It is used to indicate that two actions happen at the same time, to show cause, or to express the manner in which something is done.

Example:

• Elle écoute en travaillant. → She listens while working.

How to Form the Gérondif

Formula: en + present participle

The present participle is formed by taking the nous form of the present tense, dropping the -ons, and adding -ant.

Examples:

• parler → nous parlons → parlant → en parlant
• finir → nous finissons → finissant → en finissant
• prendre → nous prenons → prenant → en prenant

Irregular forms:

• avoir → en ayant
• être → en étant
• savoir → en sachant

When to Use the Gérondif

1. Simultaneity (while doing something)

• Il mange en regardant la télé. → He eats while watching TV.

2. Cause (because, since)

• En travaillant dur, tu réussiras. → By working hard, you will succeed.

3. Condition or Manner

• En parlant doucement, il a gagné la confiance de l’enfant. → By speaking softly, he gained the child’s trust.

Gérondif vs English Gerund

While the English gerund acts as a noun (Swimming is fun), the French gérondif is always linked to a verb and introduced by en.

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Examples of the Gérondif in Sentences

• Elle prépare le dîner en écoutant la radio. → She prepares dinner while listening to the radio.
• En étudiant chaque jour, tu feras des progrès. → By studying every day, you will make progress.
• Ils ont appris la langue en vivant à Paris. → They learned the language by living in Paris.

Common Mistakes with the Gérondif

• ❌ Forgetting en: Il marche parlant → ✅ Il marche en parlant.
• ❌ Using it as a subject: En parlant est amusant → use a noun instead: Parler est amusant.
• Confusing with participle clauses in English.

Exercises: Practice the Gérondif

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form

• Ils apprennent le français ________ (écouter) la radio.
• Tu améliores ton accent ________ (pratiquer) chaque jour.

2. Translate into French

• She works while drinking coffee.
• He succeeded by trying hard.

3. Correct the mistakes

• ❌ Je suis allé à l’école parlant.
• ❌ En mange, il parle.

Answers

1. en écoutant | en pratiquant
2. Elle travaille en buvant du café | Il a réussi en essayant fort
3. Je suis allé à l’école en parlant | En mangeant, il parle

Tips for Mastering the Gérondif

• Always start with en.
• Memorize the three irregulars: en étant, en ayant, en sachant.
• Use it to connect ideas instead of making two short sentences.
• Practice by rewriting sentences with pendant que into gérondif forms.

For more practice, explore our French verb tenses overview. For efficient strategies, check learning French effectively. And for fluency planning, see how long it takes to learn French fluently.

Summary

The gérondif is a flexible French construction formed with en + present participle. It expresses simultaneity (en parlant → while speaking), cause, or condition.

By studying resources like What is the Gérondif and Talkpal’s overview of the Gérondif, you’ll quickly see its uses. With practice, using it will become natural as you learn French with Promova.