Le participe présent – How to form present participle in French

Key takeaways

• The present participle (participe présent) is formed with nous stem + -ant.
• It expresses an action happening at the same time as another or describes a state.
• Example: Il parle en souriant. → He speaks while smiling.
• Unlike adjectives, it is invariable unless used as such.
• Often confused with the gérondif, which uses en + participe présent.

What Is the Present Participle in French?

The present participle is a non-finite verb form that works like “-ing” in English but isn’t used as widely. It appears in written French more often than spoken.

Examples:

• Sachant la vérité, il a décidé de parler. → Knowing the truth, he decided to speak.
• Une histoire passionnante. → An exciting story.

How to Form the Present Participle

Formula: nous form of the verb (present tense) – ons + -ant

Examples:

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

Irregular forms (must be memorized):

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

When to Use the Present Participle

Simultaneity (while doing something)

• Elle marche en chantant. → She walks while singing.

Cause or condition

• Sachant la réponse, il a levé la main. → Knowing the answer, he raised his hand.

Adjective-like use

• une histoire captivante → a captivating story.

Present Participle vs Gérondif

• Present participle: sachant, parlant – can stand alone or describe nouns.
• Gérondif: en + participe présent → always shows simultaneity, cause, or manner.

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Present Participle vs Past Participle

• Present participle (participe présent): ongoing action (parlant).
• Past participle (participe passé): completed action (parlé).

For more details, check participe passé guide.

Examples of Present Participle in Sentences

• Une étudiante travaillant dur réussira. → A student working hard will succeed.
• Connaissant bien la ville, il a pu nous guider. → Knowing the city well, he was able to guide us.
• Un film touchant. → A touching movie.

Common Mistakes

• Confusing it with conjugated verbs (it’s not used to form tenses).
• Forgetting irregular forms (ayant, étant, sachant).
• Using it incorrectly in spoken French (it’s rare outside formal/written contexts).

Exercises: Practice the Present Participle

1. Fill in the blanks

• ________ (avoir) faim, il a mangé rapidement.
• Les étudiants ________ (étudier) réussiront.

2. Translate into French

• A smiling child. 
• Knowing the answer, she raised her hand.

3. Correct the mistakes

• ❌ Elle est parlant avec sa mère.
• ❌ Nous avons étant fatigués.

Answers

1. Ayant | étudiant
2. Un enfant souriant | Sachant la réponse, elle a levé la main
3. Elle parle avec sa mère | Nous étions fatigués

Tips for Mastering the Present Participle

• Learn the three irregular forms first (ayant, étant, sachant).
• Use it in reading and writing; in speech, it’s less common. 
• Compare with English “-ing,” but remember it’s not used for continuous tenses.

For more practice, review our French verb tenses overview. To study effectively, check learning French effectively. And for long-term goals, explore how long it takes to learn French fluently.

Summary

The present participle (participe présent) is formed with nous stem – ons + -ant. It expresses simultaneity, cause, or describes nouns.

Resources like Gymglish’s guide to the present participle and Kwiziq’s explanation of the Gérondif clarify its role. With practice, you’ll easily use forms like parlant, finissant, prenant, étant, ayant, sachant as you learn French with Promova.